A Lesson Plan from the Virginia State Parks'
Your Backyard Classrooms

Marsh March

Wetlands Investigation Guide



Investigation
Question
Relevant
Observations
Inference
(Possible Answer)
1. Where does upland end and the wetland begin?




2. Does the wetland have a lower limit? If so, what is it?




3. What seems to be the conditions necessary for a wetland to thrive?




4. Where might the wetland be changing or being destroyed?




5. What characteristics of the wetland indicate that it can catch and hold sediment such as eroded soil?


6. What features of the wetland might help remove excess nutrients and toxins from the water?


7. What indicates that the wetland might be part of the aquatic or estuarine food chain?



8. What indicates that the wetland is important to land and water animals?



9. How might the marsh protect adjacent higher ground from some effects of storms and flooding?