Oyster Research Station Investigation

Students explore the concept of keystone species and learn why oysters play a critical role in the health of New York Harbor's ecosystem, filtering water, building habitat, and supporting biodiversity.

• Define keystone species and explain its importance in an ecosystem.
• Identify the ecological roles oysters play in New York Harbor.
• Analyze how the decline of oysters has affected the harbor ecosystem.

Students practice distinguishing between observations (what you directly see, hear, smell, touch) and inferences (conclusions drawn from observations), a foundational science skill needed for fieldwork.

Distinguish between observations and inferences.

Practice making detailed observations using multiple senses.

Draw reasonable inferences from observations.

Students examine real oyster shells, making detailed observations about structure, texture, color, and signs of other organisms, building familiarity with what they'll encounter in the field.

Make detailed scientific observations of oyster shells.

Identify key structural features of oyster shells.

Record observations using scientific sketching and descriptive language.

Students learn about the biodiversity associated with oyster reefs, including crabs, mussels, sea squirts, and algae, preparing them to identify and catalog organisms during their field visit.

Identify common organisms found on oyster reefs.

Explain symbiotic relationships between oysters and associated species.

Create a field identification guide for their ORS visit.

Students synthesize their classroom learning to make evidence-based predictions about what they will find at their ORS site, including oyster size, biodiversity, and water conditions.

Formulate evidence-based predictions about their ORS site.

Explain the reasoning behind each prediction.

Design a simple data collection plan for their first field visit.

Students review field protocols, safety procedures, and data collection methods in preparation for their first visit to an Oyster Research Station.

• Review ORS field protocols and data collection sheets.
• Practice safety procedures for waterfront fieldwork.
• Assign team roles for data collection stations.
• Preview the site layout and plan their approach.

Students visit their ORS for the first time, measuring oyster size, counting organisms, recording water conditions, and documenting their observations through sketches and data sheets.

• Measure oyster shell height and width using calipers.
• Count and identify organisms living on the ORS cage.
• Record water quality observations (clarity, temperature, salinity).
• Sketch the research station site and surrounding environment.
• Document observations in their field notebooks.

Students reflect on their experiences in the field by discussing tactics and creating master lists of oyster measurements and organism sightings. Then, students work in small groups to think about changes they would make to the field experience to make it more efficient or effective next time they are monitoring their ORS.

• Share initial observations and surprises from the field visit.
• Compare findings across different data collection groups.
• Evaluate what went well and what to improve in their methods.
• Identify preliminary patterns in the data they collected.

Students think critically about how the things that they observed in the field might impact the oysters, living things, and people around their site.

• Identify trends and outliers in their graphed data.
• Compare their station's results with other groups or citywide data.
• Form evidence-based explanations for observed patterns.
• Generate questions for further investigation at their next visit.

Students take a close look at the data they collected about their oysters and consider how that data might change if they visit the ORS again in the future.

• Enter field data into organized tables and spreadsheets.
• Create bar graphs of oyster measurements and organism counts.
• Plot water quality readings on line graphs.
• Label graphs with appropriate titles, axes, and units.

In this hands-on lesson, students use information cards about organisms in New York Harbor to create a model of the food web. They identify patterns in the interactions and learn new vocabulary to name those interaction types.

Students sort the questions from the Class Question Pool into various categories.

This lesson will fully prepare students for their second field visit, by thinking about the specific data they need to collect and revising their Field Expectations.

• Develop focused research questions based on Visit 1 data.
• Make predictions about how the station may have changed.
• Plan targeted data collection strategies for their return trip.
• Review and refine their field protocols.

Students visit their Oyster Research Station field site for the second time and measure their oysters, observe their surroundings, and collect data about the other organisms in the ORS.

• Collect comparison measurements of oyster growth.
• Record changes in biodiversity and organism populations.
• Note differences in water quality and site conditions.
• Document changes through sketches and photographs.

Students will review and analyze their field visits in order to answer their question of interest through data visualization and a presentation to their classmates and/or at the Billion Oyster Project Student Symposium.

• Create side-by-side comparisons of Visit 1 and Visit 2 data.
• Calculate growth rates and population changes over time.
• Identify which environmental variables changed the most.
• Use evidence to support or revise their original hypotheses.