Bayou Studies Class

Experience Armand Bayou up-close and personal!  Aboard the "Bayou Ranger" pontoon boat, explore the estuarine habitat of Armand Bayou and discuss factors influencing its health and importance.  Through seining and near-shore activities, discover the diverse populations of animals and plants that call the bayou home.

Please see the field trip planner for more information about scheduling a field trip.  (Call 281-474-2551 x 13 for class dates and to enroll.)

Participants will need bag lunches that they can eat onsite.  They should also expect to get wet and dirty and bring a change of clothes!

Class Overview

The following objectives, vocabulary, and TEKs may be addressed during this field trip.

Objectives

Students will:

1. Describe the factors that influence the salinity of the bayou.
2. Explain why estuarine habitats are important.
3. Test the water quality of the bayou using scientific equipment.
4. Examine animals found in and along the bayou.
5. List human-made stresses that threaten the balance of the bayou ecosystem.
6. Practice observation skills.

Vocabulary

• Bayou – a channel of water that flows slowly in both directions, depending on the tide and wind
• Brackish water – a mixture of salt and fresh water
• Diversity – variety of species in a given area
• Estuary – regions of interaction between rivers and near-shore ocean waters, were tidal action and river flow create a mixing of fresh and salt water
• Ecosystem – An ecosystem is a complex, dynamic system that functions as a whole. An ecosystem is a natural unit and its size can be as small as a drop of water or as large as the Earth. Ecosystems consist of the interactions between organisms and between organisms and physical components, in which materials are exchanged following closed paths.
• Salinity – salt content of water
• Turbidity – measure of the clarity of water; how much turbulence or activity (tides, wind, etc.)

TEKS (2009-2010 or 2010-2011 Science)

• 5.1A, 5.2(A,B&C), 5.4A, 5.9C
• 6.1A, 6.2(A,B&C), 6.4A,
• 7.1A, 7.2(A,B&C), 7.4A, 7.10A, 7.11A
• 8.1A, 8.2(A,B&C), 8.4A, 8.11(C&D)
• 9^th-12^th Grades:
  • Biology 1A, 2(A&B), 8A, 12C
  • Environmental Systems 1A, 2(A&B), 4(A,B&C), 5B
  • Aquatic Science 1A, 2(A&B), 4(A,B&C), 7A

Pre and Post Trip Materials (PDF Format)

• Bayou Studies Pre-Trip Activities
• Bayou Studies Post-Trip Activities

The program has an underlying stewardship theme that encourages participants to appreciate and care for the world around them.