How Can a Dam Affect a River?

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Learning Goals
  1. Students will be able to view and sketch living aquatic organisms, and predict where aquatic organisms would choose to live.
  2. Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of the food pyramid through the individual construction of their own.
  3. Students will gain knowledge of species that are common to many Northwest river and reservoir ecosystems.
  4. Students will learn that scientific tests occur within parameters.
  5. Students will gain knowledge about conditions that affect many species’ survival in model river and reservoir ecosystems.
  6. Students will apply knowledge about species by placing them in an appropriate ecosystem.
  7. Students will apply knowledge of appropriate habitats for species through development of a food pyramid for the model ecosystems.
Materials List

Handouts

  • Journal Page from Activity
  • River/Reservoir Ecosystem page from Activity A
  • Environmental Species Spreadsheet

Classroom Supplies

  • Water Samples (collection instructions in Activity A)
  • Transparency of river/reservoir ecosystem
  • Transparency of Environmental Species Spreadsheet

Group Supplies

  • Microscope or hand lens
  • Microscope slide
  • Eye dropper
  • Clear plastic cup or jar

Important Links

Time: 2 periods of 50 mins

This Lesson appears as a part of the following:
Water Power Implementation Toolkit

This is a teacher recommended lesson by Foundation for Water& Energy Education (FWEE).

The Orca-Salmon Connection. Part of a larger Nature of Water Power Unit this lesson has two activities that explore the impacts of dams on a river ecosystem: Activity A – Can you identify members of the food pyramid? and Activity B – Do the same plants and animals that live in a reservoir live in a river?