Field Guide to the Waynflete Fore River Salt Marsh

For years students throughout Waynflete have explored the rich and diverse environment at the Fore River Fields. As part of the fourth and fifth grade curriculum students have spent time using the salt marsh as their laboratory, studying this unique ecosystem. Through this unit students work to identify and learn about the plants and animals in this complex habitat and explore their ecological relationships. In the fall of 2006 as an extension of this study, the fourth and fifth grade students chose to share their knowledge with others in the Waynflete community by creating a scientific field guide of the marsh. Students mapped the trails and significant landmarks throughout the marsh and created observational drawings in nature journals. They each chose a plant or animal to research in depth and created a page in this collaborative guidebook.