Hats and other props help the students assume roles. The group members ask questions and raise issues for the panel to address. On the field trip the students will make and record observations of the stream site, identifying the three aquatic habitat types from which they will sample. In cooperative groups consisting of roles such as net handlers, critter pickers, critter identifiers, and critter recorders, the students collect, identify and classify the invertebrates in the stream. Students who excel in cartooning may want to draw comic strips of life in the river from the point of view of a caddis fly or dragonfly nymph.
Students can create simple acrostic poems about their favorite critters.
Use the first letter in the word or phrase as the first letter in your first line. Use as many words as you like in a line. The students will enjoy mimicking these and making up critter dances.