Tide Pools: Where Earth Science & Ecology Come Together

This week my co-teacher and I took our Grade 9 Integrated Science students on a field trip to a local beach with lots of interesting tide pools to examine. Having just finished an Earth Science unit where erosion and weathering were key concepts and an Ecology unit which culminated in a study of the importance of biodiversity this trip was the perfect way to bring these ideas together.

Students learned to use new tools to analyze the abiotic characteristics of their chosen tide pools and developed their investigation skills when they were asked to slow down and really look for the subtle signs of life in their tide pools.

It's wonderful to see students apply their knowledge in novel situations and when that can happen on site, outdoors the learning is fantastic to watch. We'll be back to the tide pools next year!