In this lesson, students will learn about the importance of wetlands. They will learn about the different types of freshwater wetlands, and the things that threaten their health. Finally, they will study specific examples of wetland areas of the U.S., and what is being done to protect them.

Geography, science, language arts, visual arts

Standard 8: "The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface"
Standard 16: "The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources"

Two hours

• Computer with Internet access
• Crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc.
• Pens/pencils and paper
• Materials for creating board games (cardboard, construction paper, etc.)

Students will

• learn basic information about wetlands;
• identify some of the plants and animals that live in a wetland, and how they have adapted to their wetland habitat;
• study a specific type of wetland; and
• create a board game to teach other students about wetlands.

A wetland is an area in which water is present at least part of the time, generally for at least a portion of the plant growing season. In addition, the soils of a wetland differ considerably from nearby or surrounding uplands. Hydric soils, found in wetlands, are wet, low in oxygen, and often black with muck. Finally, wetlands support plants, called hydrophytes, which have adapted to living in wet, oxygen-poor soils. Together, these water, soil, and vegetation characteristics make up a broad definition for wetlands that is used by most scientists.

Wetlands support a vast number of plant and animal species adapted to live in a soggy and oxygen-poor environment year round, as well as some wildlife species that spend part of their time there, seeking food, water, cover, or places to raise young—crucial elements of habitat.

While scientists classify wetlands in a number of ways, two major divisions of wetlands are saltwater and freshwater wetlands. Plants and animals in saltwater wetlands must deal with the constant movement of tides and the associated fluctuations in salinity, or level of suspended salt in the water. Examples of saltwater wetlands are salt marshes, tidal flats, and mangrove swamps.

In this lesson, students will be learning about freshwater wetlands. There are many types of freshwater wetlands. The most widespread of all wetlands are the freshwater marshes, which can be found throughout the United States. There are different types of freshwater marshes, determined by the depth of their waters. Many scientists believe freshwater marshes are the most productive ecosystems on Earth; they provide food, water, and shelter, and act as nurseries for young fish, birds, insects, amphibians, and so on.

Three more types of freshwater wetlands are bogs, swamps, and vernal pools. Bogs are full of peat, which is a thick layer of organic material that forms when plants and other organisms die and fall into the water. Sphagnum mosses often cover the top layer of bogs, and cranberries can be found growing in bogs. Pitcher plants and sundews compensate for the difficulty in absorbing nutrients and acidic, slowly decomposing bog soils by capturing and digesting insects. Moose, bear, deer, and many other animals visit bogs at different times of year for food, water and cover.

Swamps are either forested or shrubby areas whose soils are covered with standing water during the winter, but may dry out during parts of the growing season. Bald cypress and tupelo trees are often found in southern swamps. The plants in shrubby swamps may vary, but include willows and buttonbush. Alligators and cottonmouth snakes live in southern swamps, and panthers, foxes, deer, and raccoons find many habitat elements in swamps.

Finally, vernal pools are temporary wetlands that appear with snowmelt or rainfall in the spring and fall, but often vanish as the summer months arrive. Their vegetation varies greatly, and they are crucial habitat for many amphibians.

Ask students what they think of when they hear the word "wetland." Ask them if they have ever visited a marsh, swamp, or bog, or have ever watched tadpoles swim in small puddles. Ask them what they think some of the things are that make a wetland a true wetland? (Wetlands are covered in water at least part of the year, they have special soils, and support certain kinds of plants that can live in these conditions.) Write some of their answers on a chalk or dry-erase board. Discuss their answers as a class.

Show photographs or drawings of different kinds of wetlands from the following Web sites:

eNature: Wetlands Life Zone
MBGNet: Biomes—Wetlands
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Wetlands
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: National Image Library (search for "wetlands")

Ask if students recognize any of the plants or animals in any of the pictures. Help students identify the plants and animals in different scenes. Ask what differences they see between these wetlands. What are some similarities? Explain that saltwater wetlands are near the ocean, so are saltier and experience tides, while freshwater wetlands are inland and contain water that many plants and animals can use easily.

Have students break into small groups. Have each group choose a different type of wetland (it can be a freshwater marsh like the one in the story, but they shouldn't use all the same organisms described) and research on different plants and animals found there, including adaptations the animals have for dealing with wetland conditions (talk about adaptations ahead of time if students are unfamiliar with the concept). Students may use regional field guides or the following Web resources to help in their research:

eNature: Wetlands Life Zone
Enchanted Learning: Freshwater Marsh Animal Printouts
New Hampshire Public Television: Freshwater Marshes
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Wetlands
USGS: Florida Ecosystems

Each group should create visual displays for a presentation of a trip through the wetland they are discussing. They will then lead the class on an imaginary trip through their wetland, stopping to explain how at least five plants and/or animals have adapted to the different conditions of the wetland.

Ask students what they have learned about wetlands. Why are they important? Why should we work hard to save them? What kinds of things might threaten wetlands?

Working in groups, have students continue their research and create a board game that would teach other students about wetlands. Students can create their own format, but it should display their knowledge of wetlands and the animals and plants that live in wetlands. It could cover topics such animal or plant adaptation, the distribution of wetlands in the U.S. or the world, threats to wetlands, the benefits of healthy wetlands, etc. When the games are complete, have the groups play each other's games.

• Have advanced students read a book or short story of their choosing that is set in or near a wetland. Some examples include "A White Heron," by Sarah Orne Jewett, The Yearling, by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, or "Big Two-Hearted River," by Ernest Hemingway. Have them prepare a "story scene report" by describing the setting of the wetland, what plants and animals the author describes, and how the author describes the overall area.
  
  
• Have students write their own stories about a real or imagined experience with some kind of wetland. They should include enough details so that a reader can tell what type of wetland the story describes.
  
  
• Break students into groups. Have each group investigate wetlands in their state. If you can obtain topographic maps of different parts of the state, students can color-code the different wetlands on the maps to differentiate between different types of wetlands.

This lesson is adapted from Naturescope. Kit Wetlands (National Wildlife Federation.).

Enchanted Learning: Freshwater Marsh Animal Printouts
National Geographic: Geography Action! 2003Habitats
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Wetlands
eNature: Wetlands Life Zone