Science steps out of the classroom
Students study health, biodiversity of Lodi Lake and Mokelumne River
Students in Melanie Martinez’s sixth-grade class at Reese Elementary took a trip to Lodi Lake on Wednesday morning to conduct a science experiment on the health of the water at Lodi Lake and the Mokelumne River.
The students sifted through leaf packs that were previously placed at four testing sites at the lake and river, looking for any microinvertebrate species they could find. The students were assisted by Lodi Watershed Program Coordinator Kathy Grant, Lodi Unified GATE coaches Mary Vallerga-Hood and Barbara Transon, and Kes Ben, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife assistant habitat restoration coordinator.
Students eagerly went through the leaf packs, combing for microinvertebrates and capturing them in petri dishes. Once the microinvertebrates were captured the students were tasked with trying to identify what species they were. Students used magnifying glasses to get a closer look at the microinvertebrates and counted the number of species that were collected from each testing site in an effort to determine the diversity and health of the water system,
“The water with the most number of different bugs is considered the healthiest water,” Grant said.
Last year, students from Needham Elementary determined that the slough was where the water was the healthiest and had the most diversity. However, this year the students were able to determine that the west side of Lodi Lake had the most diversity. According to Grant, the students determined that the reason this area had the most diversity was because its had a lot of tree cover, there were plenty of leaves in the water and less water flow. The areas with faster water flow and less tree cover and leaves had the least diversity, Grant said.
“We’re kind of breaking the mold of just science in the classroom,” she added.
With this experiment Grant said the students were able to learn how to think like a scientist. The students were required to include their results in a lab report to be published in the Mokelumne Current.
Fifth-grade students from Heritage Elementary will be conducting the same experiment in the spring and the two groups will be able to compare results.
“We’ve been studying the watershed all year and in previous years ... this is just digging in even deeper, getting them to not only study the watershed but look at how it affects us and how we can look at things like microinvertebrates in the water to determine water quality,” Martinez said. “This is just a mobile science lab for them. It provides the skills that they need and the tools that they will be able to use that will prepare them for middle school and for high school and beyond.”
Cam Denollar, one of Martinez’s students, said he learned how important the water is to the environment.
“I’m enjoying hanging out with my friends and figuring out what type of microinvertebrates are in the water,” Denollar said. This was the first time he was able to participate in an experiment like this and he said he enjoyed the hands-on approach more than learning in a classroom.
Student Mateah Saragoza said she learned about how microinvertebrates are important to the environment.
“I like that it’s a hands-on experience and you can actually identify the microinvertebrates and you can touch them and look at them in microscopes, so it’ really cool,” she said.
Noah Silvia, another student, said he was enjoying getting wet and looking at all the bugs. He also enjoyed seeing what they look like and what they do.
“I like this much better than being in the classroom. It’s much more fun,” he said.
The equipment used to conduct the experiment was funded by a grant from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife and East Bay Municipal Utility District, Grant said.