If you’re going to study Great Lakes water quality and aquatic life forms, what better way than onboard a ship on Lake Michigan? No better way as far as a class of Lakes Elementary fourth-graders are concerned. They took a trip to the W.G. Jackson research vessel in Muskegon, a floating classroom and research lab maintained by the Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute of Grand Valley State University.
Teacher Amanda Glass’ fourth-graders spent half a day studying pH levels in the water, identifying creatures in sediment, and learning about invasive species, Michigan watersheds and background pollution. They peered at water samples through a microscope to identify zooplankton and other organisms.
“The students were able to fully immerse themselves into being a scientist for our Great Lakes,” Glass said. “They were engaged in completing hands-on experiments through the scientific process.”
