LibGuides: NYCDOE Citizen Science Program LibGuide: Citizen Science PD Day 2: BioBus Microplastics and Marine Invertebrates Research Mission

Microplastics Resources from the BioBus

BioBus Microplastic Field Trip Preparation Skills and Suggestions
This document outlines some suggestions and activitites for preparing your students for their two field trips to the BioBus's Lower East Side Ecology Center. Activities can also be used as follow-ups or segues to service-learning after your trips.

BioBus Measuring Microplastics Data Sheet
This is the datasheet that your students will be using to record data on field trips; you will be uploading data from these datasheets to a Google form at a club meeting following your field trips.
Guide to Microplastic Identification
This resource will help students to identify different types of microplastics, and to distinguish between microplastics and organic materials.
The effects of microplastic on freshwater Hydra attenuata feeding, morphology & reproduction*
This is a primary-source journal article about the effects of microplastic on Hydra. It's geared towards a scientific audience, but it's key points have been summarized in a student-friendly "BioBuzz" below.
BioBuzz: Can Microplastics Affect Hydra?
This is a student-friendly presentation of the microplastics and hydra article that is a great club reading and investigation activity to with your students before, between, or after your field trips!
Earth Has a Hidden Plastic Problem—Scientists Are Hunting It Down
This three-part article provides a detailed overview of microplastic pollution, including what it is and how it occurs, the impacts that it is having on living things, and potential ways to address the microplastic issue.
Various Infographics on Microplastics
This link includes some high-quality, detailed infographics about microplastics that you can share with your students. Great resources for all club participants, but particularly for multilingual learners and students who are more into images than text!

Other East River Resources

East River Estuary Guide
This guide is a student-friendly overview of the geography and ecology of the East River, and is a great way for your students to become familiarized with organisms that live in the East River.
East River Estuary Guide Coloring Book
A student-created guide and coloring book that introduces species that inhabit the East River. Great as a sample of the kind of work students could do for a service-learning project.

Data Uploading and Aggregated Data

2019-20 Citizen Science BioBase Data Uploading Form
This is the link to the Google form that your club can use to upload the data that you collected on your two Citizen Science field trips to the BioBase/Lower East Side Ecology Center.
Aggregated Data for BioBase Microplastics and Tunicates Research Mission
This file contains aggregated data that Citizen Science schools participating in the BioBase's Microplastics and Tunicates Research Mission collected in the 2019-20 school year.

Field Trip Resources

Biological Drawing Resources

Biological drawing is a great way for students in the BioBase research mission to record and reflect on visual observations of the organisms that they have found in the East River. The BioBase team has set up a drawing station at the Lower East Side Ecology Center field trip site, and teachers and students can also use photographs taken during the trip to produce biological drawings of organisms during club meeting time.

Lesson Plan: Making Biological Drawings
This lesson plan for making high-quality biological drawings can be adapted to your Citizen Science club in a variety of ways. We encourage you to have students work on their drawing technique to ensure that their drawings are as realistic as possible, and to make sure that they label important structures and features within their drawings.

NYCDOE Citizen Science Program LibGuide: Citizen Science PD Day 2: BioBus Microplastics and Marine Invertebrates Research Mission

Overview

Microplastics Resources from the BioBus

Other East River Resources

Data Uploading and Aggregated Data

Field Trip Resources

Biological Drawing Resources