Jennifer R.

Fetter
Exploring outdoors is fun! Especially when you
have a great guide like Dr. Watt R. Shedd.
Join Brooke and her classmates’ adventures
by completing the hands-on activities in each
chapter of this book. Look closely at a stream
or creek in your neighborhood, and you can
become a stream doctor too.
Parents and teachers can guide young readers,
or Brooke’s story can be read independently.

Brooke Meets A Stream Doctor

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9 798218 267643
 Brooke Meets a
Stream Doctor
Featuring
Dr. Watt R. Shedd

Written by Jennifer R. Fetter

Illustrated by Nicoletta Barolini

Many thanks to all the reviewers who helped bring this book to
life, especially Maya and Ethan, who were the first students to
meet Dr. Watt R. Shedd.

©2023 The Pennsylvania State University. All rights reserved. This publication
may not be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means.
CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 6

Brooke’s Bridge.........................................................1 Everyone, Say “Trees”........................................ 40

CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 7

Dr. Watt R. Shedd at Your Service............... 8 Feathers, Paws, and Claws............................... 49

CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 8

Time for a Walk...................................................... 15 What Does It All Mean?.................................... 57

CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 9

That’s Not Dirt........................................................ 23 A Sick Day for a Stream.................................... 64

CHAPTER 5

The Very Important Creatures...................... 31

 Chapter 1 Brooke’s Bridge

She knows that she has lots of time to look

CHAPTER I around before she has to be home for dinner. Off
to the right, something catches her eye. It’s big
Brooke’s Bridge and white and flat. Maybe a wooden board?
She can’t tell what it is from where she is
standing, so she decides to head off the trail
A strip of long grass, overgrown hedges, and
shaggy trees line the back of the complex
where Brooke lives. She’s heard the adults
and get closer. She swats branches and tall
plants in her way like a swashbuckler as she
creates her own path to the mystery object.
complain that it looks like a mess, but Brooke Hmm, it’s an old screen door.
loves the way the shadows fall between the
branches creating a mystery of what lies be- Brooke wishes it were a magical door to an ex-
yond. Sometimes, she’ll spy the cooler kids in traordinary world, but it’s really just a broken
the grade above her hanging around there in metal door that someone dumped out there
the afternoon, and she’ll wander over and try in the trees instead of taking it to the trash
to fit in. Sometimes, they’ll even say hi, but where it belongs. Brooke steps onto the door.
mostly they ignore her. It bounces a little. She shifts her feet from side
to side, letting the door wobble beneath her,
Today, Brooke is doing her best to keep up as and notices water flowing beneath it.
her “not quite friends” skip between the trees.
They are on a trail that has been formed from It turns out that maybe the old metal door
their sneakers marching through on so many really is a magical door to an extraordinary
trips before this one. She can hear them whis- world. Brooke smiles and decides this is going
pering and giggling ahead. Then everyone to be her next adventure. She’s going to follow
takes off running, and their laughs get louder. the flow and jumps off the bridge.
It’s not the first time they’ve run ahead and Splat!
left her behind on purpose. Her sneakers sink into the wet mud.
It’s fine, she thinks. I’ve seen plenty of cool things Uh-oh.
to explore here before, and I’ll do the same now. She’ll have to explain that when she gets home.
1 2
 Chapter 1 Brooke’s Bridge

At first, she starts walking uphill. The ground

is less wet there and easier to walk on, but the
water is flowing in the opposite direction.
Brooke turns around and backtracks to the
door-bridge to begin her journey again. This
time, downhill. The little trickle of water wig-
gling through the mud starts to grow as she
moves through the trees. She can’t wait to see
where it leads. She is moving so fast that she
barely notices all the treasures she is passing
along the way. She stomps over some animal
tracks in the mud. She swats an unusual bug
off her arm when it lands there to rest. She
startles a singing bird in a nifty-looking tree.
It quickly flies off as she races by.
Brooke suddenly emerges from the trees into
a field of grass. The flowing water is now deeper
and moving faster than she is. She stops to look
around. She could have sworn she heard a bird
singing a moment ago. What happened to it?
She can’t hear any birds singing here.
The water is deeper than before and flowing
faster. Brooke examines the area and thinks
that if she sits on the edge of the stream, it’s
probably deep enough for her to dangle her feet.
As she sits down, she looks at her muddy shoes.
She scoots forward and stands in the water,
shuffling her feet around to wash off the mud.
3 4
 Chapter 1 Brooke’s Bridge

At first, it’s working, but then the water

starts turning the color of chocolate milk. Now
her socks are wet and dirty too.
The cocoa-colored water starts flowing away
from her, down the stream, as she climbs back
up out of the water. Clumps of dirt fall away
from the steep sides of the stream as she strug-
gles to pull herself up. More chocolate milk
water flows away.
“Hey! What’s going on up there?”
Brooke freezes, then slowly turns to see an
older man sitting on a stool not far from her.
She recognizes him as a neighbor on her street.
He’s holding a fishing rod and looks very upset.
“I’ve been trying to catch a fish here all day
with no luck,” he grumbles. “Now you show
up and make the water all muddy. Thanks for
nothing!”
Brooke is stunned at first and then scared.
She’s heard the older kids tell lots of stories
about this man they call “Mr. Crankypants.”
She’s not sticking around to find out if the sto-
ries are true.
She turns and runs back up the hill and into
the trees. She doesn’t stop running as she pass-
es the nifty tree, the startled bird, the unusual
bug, and the muddy tracks. She runs past the
door-bridge, out of the trees, and onto her street.
5 6
 Chapter 1 Brooke’s Bridge

Brooke runs all the way home. Just outside

her door, she remembers her muddy shoes
and socks. She pops them off and hides them
CHAPTER 2
behind a bush.
She hurries up the stairs and into her safe
Dr. Watt R. Shedd
space, under the blanket on her bed. at Your Service
B rooke is relieved that her shoes are dry
by the following morning and she’s able
to sneak them back into the house without
anyone noticing. For the next few weeks, she
keeps thinking of her exciting adventure in
the woods. In fact, she daydreams about it of-
ten. She’s hoping she can go back and revisit
her stream soon, as long as Mr. Crankypants
isn’t there. She really wants to cross that mag-
ical door-bridge and discover what lives in the
water and . . . Oops! She’s daydreaming again.
She needs to hurry up and get to school, or
she’ll be late.
As Brooke sits at her desk in class, she notices
a man she’s never seen before talking with her
teacher at the front of the room. He’s wearing a
long white coat, and he looks a lot like a doctor.
Oh, gosh, I hope he’s not here to see me.
The other students look just as worried as
Brooke is about why a doctor is in their class.
The room quiets down a lot quicker than usual.
7 8
 Chapter 2 Dr. Watt R. Shedd at Your Service

Ms. Shepherd stops her talk with the mysteri-

ous guest and turns to speak to the class.
“Good morning, everyone!” she sings with en-
thusiasm. “I see you have noticed there is some-
one special here with us today. For the next few
weeks, we will be working on a new project. Our
class will go outside to explore a stream near
the edge of the school grounds.”
Brooke sits straight up with her ears perked.
Did she say outside? To a stream? This project
is going to be great!
“To guide us, I have invited my friend here.”
Ms. Shepherd points to the man in the white
coat. He smiles so big you can see all his teeth.
“Hi, there! I’m Dr. Shedd, Dr. Watt R. Shedd,
to be exact.” His booming voice sends everyone
back in their desk chairs a little.
“Are you really a doctor?” Tyrell asks from
the back row.
Dr. Shedd smiles and nods his head. “Indeed,
I am, but not the kind you are imagining. I am
not a medical doctor, the kind who works in
hospitals and such. I’m the kind of doctor who
does research and teaches.”
The students all look a little confused.
“In my job, I work with water, especially water
in streams. I study things that might pollute
9 10
 Chapter 2 Dr. Watt R. Shedd at Your Service

the water and then look for ways to help keep your drawings. Then I will show you all about
our streams healthy. Does that make sense?” healthy and unhealthy streams when we go
There’s silence at first, then Shandra blurts outside to visit your school’s stream.”
out, “So you’re a stream doctor?” Brooke has no problem coming up with what
There’s some giggling at the idea of a stream she thinks is the perfect stream ever—her
needing a doctor, but Dr. Watt R. Shedd looks stream. She has no problem remembering
pretty pleased with that title. “Yes, I guess what was beyond her door-bridge. She draws
that’s exactly what I am.” the grassy field, the deep stream banks, and
the chocolate-like swirls, but she doesn’t draw
A stream doctor. Brooke likes the sound of
the grumpy fisherman. She’s certain that Dr.
that. Maybe someday I can be a stream doctor
Shedd will love her drawing and agree it’s a
too. I wonder what kinds of diseases and prob-
wonderfully healthy stream.
lems streams can have. And how do you know
if they’re sick? And what kind of medicine do
you give them? She has so many questions for
Dr. Shedd.
Ms. Shepherd starts making her way around
the classroom with art supplies. She hands out
blank papers, coloring pencils, and crayons.
Dr. Shedd asks everyone to draw a picture of a
perfect stream. “Make it the healthiest stream
you can imagine.”
A few hands pop up at once. “What makes a
stream healthy or unhealthy?”
Dr. Shedd waves his hand in the air as if he’s
swatting away some invisible flies. “Before
I answer that question, I want you to show
me what you think the answer is by finishing
11 12
 Chapter 2 Dr. Watt R. Shedd at Your Service

IT’S YOUR TURN.

With some coloring pencils or crayons, draw a
picture of how you imagine a healthy stream
would look. You can draw it here in your book
or on a separate piece of paper.

13 14
 Chapter 1 Time for a Walk

stream doesn’t look anything like my stream.

CHAPTER 3 She sighs and nods her head. It does have some

Time for a Walk

things in common, but she never realized before
now that streams don’t all look the same.
Dr. Shedd seems prepared for silence as an an-

B rooke scrunches up her face as she tucks

her drawing away into a folder that Ms.
Shepherd gave to her and her fellow students.
swer. “Let’s think about this the same way your
doctor tries to figure out if you’re healthy when
you visit. What are some things the doctor does
She won’t get a chance to show off her perfect when you are at an appointment?”
stream today. Instead, they are lining up at “My doctor takes my temperature every time
the classroom door to go outside. I’m there,” says Meera.
A short walk across the school playground and “Very good,” Dr. Shedd quickly responds.
through the grass field, where they sometimes “Can we take a stream’s temperature?”
play kickball, leads them onto a little trail not
The group nods their heads a little, guessing
much different from the one Brooke has hiked
that Dr. Shedd was looking for a yes.
at home. With Dr. Shedd in front and Ms. Shep-
herd behind, the class follows along the trail “What tool do we need to take a tempera-
and down a hill. At the bottom, they stop and ture?” he asks.
turn their eyes to where Dr. Shedd has start- Most of the class quickly shouts the correct
ed pointing. answer: “A thermometer!”
“Here we are,” he exclaims. “Here is the stream Dr. Shedd and Ms. Shepherd are both pleased
we are going to explore.” His arm stretches out with that response.
over the heads of the whole class as he trac- “Who brought a thermometer with them to-
es the nearby stream to where it fades into day?” Dr. Shedd laughs at his own joke and then
the distance. “What do you all think? Is this a reaches into his pocket. “I have a thermometer
healthy stream?” with me, but we don’t need one right now. In-
There isn’t much of a response from the class. stead, I thought we could see how the water
Even Brooke isn’t sure how to answer. This feels when we touch it.”
15 16
 Chapter 3 Time for a Walk

Dr. Shedd has all of the students place their

hands in the water.
There’s splish-splashing of fingers, then
calls of “Brrr! That’s cold.”
“Does everyone agree? Does it feel cold?” Dr.
Shedd sticks his thermometer in the water too.
“It’s 59 degrees Fahrenheit, but the weather-
caster said it would be 75 degrees today. Very
interesting. The water is cooler than the air.
Let’s make a note of that.”
Ms. Shepherd smiles and hands Dr. Shedd a
clipboard she’s been carrying. On it, the stu-
dents can see a white paper.
“Just like your doctor, I’m going to write down
all the things we discover about this stream,”
he says. “That will help us decide later if the
stream is healthy or not.”
Knowing the temperature of the stream is
not enough to decide whether it’s healthy. The
class will have a lot of work to do before they
get their answer.
Ms. Shepherd speaks up. “Class, we will return
to the stream often and collect more information
about it. We will have more guests to help us
too. At the end of the project, you will be able
to figure out if the stream is healthy or not.”

17 18
 Chapter 3 Time for a Walk

Brooke smiles to herself. We’re all going to be She hurries into the trees, past the door-bridge,
stream doctors. along the trickling water until she emerges back
They march back to the classroom. Today’s in her field. Brooke hurries to plunge her hand
visit to the stream was just a short one. Ms. into the water.
Shepherd hands out clipboards like the one she Hmm. It’s warmish. Maybe not warm, but
gave Dr. Shedd earlier. “Take a minute to fill in definitely not cold. It feels almost exactly the
your name on your Stream Health Chart,” she same as the air.
instructs. “Then you can also write an answer She jots down “same” on her Stream Health
about the water temperature.” Chart and walks slowly back home as she won-
The students notice that the chart doesn’t ask ders why her stream feels so different than the
for the temperature from the thermometer. one at school.
Instead, they have to record if the water felt
warmer or colder than the air.
The end-of-day bell rings and Ms. Shepherd
collects all of the clipboards. On her way out
the door, Brooke asks if she can have an extra
copy of the Stream Health Chart. Ms. Shepherd
and Dr. Watt R. Shedd both look surprised by
this request.
Without waiting to be asked, Brooke quickly
offers, “I want to find out if my stream at home
is healthy too.”
“Sure thing. Here you go. We will be very in-
terested to hear what you learn.”
Brooke grabs the clipboard, says a quick
“Thanks,” and runs out the door.
When she gets home, Brooke wastes no time.
19 20
 Chapter 3

IT’S YOUR TURN. MY STREAM

HEALTH CHART
Is there a stream you would like to explore?
Ask an adult for help choosing a place that
is safe to visit. Once you find a stream, plan
Question
a visit with them so you can feel the tempera-
ture of the water on your fingers. Record your
discovery on your own Stream Health Chart. WATER TEMPERATURE:
Is your stream warmer or colder than the air?

Answer

21 22
 Chapter 4 That's Not Dirt

head and giggles. “That’s not dirt. That’s soil

and it is very important. We need soil for grow-
CHAPTER 4 ing plants, for many animals to live in, and for
That’s Not Dirt much more. I am a soil scientist. My job includes
helping to protect our soil.”
Lilli jokingly calls out, “She’s a dirt doctor.”

M s. Shepherd announces that it’s day two

of the Stream Health project, and the stu-
dents are eager to get out of the classroom. Af-
Mrs. Loam laughs and says, “Remember it’s
soil, not dirt. Besides, I’m not an actual doctor
the way Dr. Shedd is, but I do study it.”
ter lunch, they are happy to see Dr. Shedd and
a new stranger. A tall woman in overalls with With that, Ms. Shepherd asks the class to line
muddy knees smiles as the class fills their desks. up at the door so they can go outside to their
The name Sandy is stitched in red on the pocket stream. As they walk through the field where
of her overalls. they sometimes play kickball, Mrs. Loam stops
them, asking a question. “What’s beneath our
Ms. Shepherd quiets the class and then ges-
feet right now?”
tures to Dr. Shedd to start. “Hello again, every-
one. I’m happy to be back with you and intro- The students are quick to answer, “Grass!”
duce you to my excellent friend, Mrs. Loam.” But she doesn’t seem satisfied. “And what’s
Dr. Shedd asks the students if they can guess beneath the grass?”
Mrs. Loam’s job. Now they get it. The students respond again,
Travis quickly shouts, “Whatever it is, it must “Ooh, it’s soil.”
be a dirty job.” Mrs. Loam nods, and they begin walking again.
Mrs. Loam looks at the boy and winks. “What When they get to the edge of the stream, they
makes you say that?” she inquires with a smile. stop. Ms. Shepherd hands out their clipboards.
“You’re covered in dirt!” the whole class “What is question number two on our Stream
calls out. Health Chart?” Mrs. Loam looks around for
“What? This?” She rubs her hands on the a response. “The chart asks us if the water is
brown spots on her overalls and shakes her clear,” she answers herself.
23 24
 Chapter 4 That's Not Dirt

It seems like an odd question. Isn’t water al-

ways clear? The students all nod their heads to
answer yes.
“Can you think of a time when you saw water
in a stream that wasn’t clear?” Mrs. Loam asks.
Brooke’s hand goes straight up. “There’s a
stream near my home that has water that kind
of looks like chocolate milk.”
She sees some of her friends nodding. “Yeah,
I’ve seen brown water in streams before too,”
Jackson says.
Mrs. Loam teaches them that the chocolate
milk-like streams are not a good thing. “When
it rains really hard, soil can get washed away
from fields and the edges of the stream, espe-
cially when there are no plants to help cover and
protect the soil. That soil belongs on the land
and not in the water.”
She explains that the sunlight can’t pass
through the water when it’s cloudy and full
of mud. And plants and animals that live in
streams need sunlight to survive. Since the wa-
ter looks clear here in the stream at the school,
Mrs. Loam tells the class that it is a good sign of
a healthy stream.
The next question on their Stream Health
Chart asks, “What is on the bottom of
the stream?”
25 26
 Chapter 4 That's Not Dirt

Mrs. Loam shows them some pictures she The class takes notes on their charts, and then
brought with her of different streams. One Ms. Shepherd collects their clipboards as they
is rocky, with little pebbles and big stones of head back to the classroom.
different colors covering the bottom. Anoth- At the end of the day, Brooke grabs her extra
er also has rocks, but it’s hard to tell what Stream Health Chart and runs home to contin-
color they are because they’re all coated with ue her neighborhood stream health checkup.
brown mud. The last picture has no rocks, just She stands at the stream edge and looks down.
a smooth coat of brown mud. The students look The water looks mostly clear, she notes. But
at their stream and agree it resembles picture the stream bottom is all mud. She doesn’t see
number two the most. There are rocks, but any rocks at all. And she remembers how her
there is also mud coating them. sneakers sunk into the mud and created a choc-
“Those rocks are essential in the bottom of olate milk-like mess. She fills in her chart and
most streams,” Mrs. Loam tells them. “The lit- walks back home. Hmm. What does that mean
tle spaces between the rocks are home to some for my stream?
of the most wonderful living things.”
Ms. Shepherd tells them they will learn more
about that in a future visit to the stream.
“After big rainstorms, brown and muddy wa-
ter usually starts to clear again. That’s because
the little bits of the soil settle to the bottom of
the stream.” Mrs. Loam explains, “The soil fills
in the spaces between the rocks, starts to cover
the rocks, and then hides the rocks completely.”
Seeing lots of rocks on the bottom of a stream is
a sign of a healthy stream. Seeing lots of mud is
a sign of an unhealthy stream.”

27 28
 Chapter 4

IT’S YOUR TURN. MY STREAM

HEALTH CHART
Take your Stream Health Chart and visit your
stream. Take some time to decide whether the
water is clear or some other color. What does
the bottom of the stream look like? Can you see Questions
rocks or mud? Be sure to record your answers
on your chart. WATER CLARITY:
Is the water in your stream clear?
Does it have a color? What color?
STREAM BOTTOM:
What is on the bottom of your stream?
Do you see rocks, mud, or both?

Answers

29 30
 Chapter 4 the Very Important Creatures

going to teach you a big, fancy word,” Arturo

CHAPTER 5 announces. He starts writing on the board in
the front of the room. The letters seem to never
The Very Important stop, but eventually, they do. As he steps away,
the word MACROINVERTEBRATES appears
Creatures before them.
“Does anyone want to try to say this word out

A nother week passes before Brooke and her

classmates see Dr. Shedd again. When he
walks into their classroom, he’s wearing rub-
loud for us?” Arturo asks.
A few students attempt with hilarious tries,
so he helps them out. “Let’s take it in pieces.”
ber boots that go all the way up his legs. They
Arturo circles the first five letters.
make a funny flapping noise as he crosses the
“MACRO,” he says it like mack row. “This
hard classroom floor. A young man follows be-
is like the word micro, and it has to do with
hind him, also flapping in big rubber boots.
size.” He explains that things that are macro
“Hello, students!” bellows Dr. Shedd. “I’m are big, in this case, big enough for us to see
so excited to see you again and return to the easily. Then he underlines most of the end of
stream.” He introduces his friend, “Say hello to the word. “VERTEBRATES.” He says it like
Mr. Podd.” vur ta brates. “These are animals that have a
The class sings, “Hello, Mr. Podd!” backbone, like you and me, and cats and dogs,
The man blushes a little under a bushy mus- frogs and fish, and more,” Arturo tells them.
tache. “You can call me Arturo.” “But that is not what we are talking about
today. Notice the IN that sits just before
“Arturo is an environmental field technician vertebrates in this word?”
and looks for the tiny living things that live in
streams,” says Ms. Shepherd. Brooke remem- He looks around the class to make sure
bers Mrs. Loam telling them they would learn everyone is following along. “IN-vertebrates
more about the creatures that live in the spaces are the opposite. They have no backbone and
between and under rocks in the stream. include lots of bugs and things like worms,
clams, crayfish, snails, and more.”
“Before we go out to the stream today, I am
31 32
 Chapter 5 the Very Important Creatures

Ms. Shepherd tells the class to change into goes out in the stream and grabs a second rock
the shoes she asked them to bring with them to so more of the students can see.
school today. She had told them to bring a pair Arturo tells them, “Most of these bugs are
of rain boots or an old pair of sneakers that are young and have not become adults yet.”
okay for getting wet and dirty. Once they are
Ms. Shepherd reminded the class of the time
ready, everyone walks outside in a line. There
when they raised caterpillars until they became
is a lot of boot flapping noise as they make
butterflies.
their way across the playground.
“Yes,” exclaims Arturo. “It’s very much like
When they arrive at the stream, Arturo asks
that. Someday these bugs will transition into
the class to wait at the stream’s edge while he
adults too. And many of them will look very dif-
climbs in to show what they will be doing today.
ferent than they do now.”
He gently steps into the water in his boots, care-
ful not to slip on the rocks. He walks out to an Ms. Shepherd hands out a few magnifying
area where the water is bubbling and trickling glasses so the students can look closer. Brooke
over some rocks. is quick to grab one of those magnifiers. I don’t
remember seeing any bugs in my stream, but
“We are going to be looking for macroinverte-
maybe I wasn’t looking close enough, she thinks.
brates, bugs, here in your stream today,” Artu-
ro tells them. He shows them how they will find Dr. Shedd invites the students to carefully
a rock in the water that is as big as or bigger than walk into the stream and find their rocks to ex-
their hands. Arturo picks one that is about the plore. “One important rule is that we put the
size of a dinner plate. He gently lifts it out of rocks back in the place we found them when we
the water and turns it over. “Most of these bugs finish exploring. We don’t want to take away
hide on the bottom sides of the rocks or in the anyone’s home,” he explains before waving the
spaces between the rocks.” He waits patiently students on in their search.
as the water drips away from the rock. His eyes The students agree to respect the stream crea-
light up. He returns to the stream edge to show tures and then eagerly begin looking for their
the students what he found. The students can rocks. There is much excitement, laughter,
see lots of wriggling and wiggling going on in squeals of delight, and even a few shrieks from
the little puddles left on the rock. Dr. Shedd the students who don’t like bugs very much.
33 34
 Chapter 5 the Very Important Creatures

Everyone is finding lots of bugs. Ms. Shepherd

asks the students to share their discoveries with
each other.
Brooke calls Arturo over to her rock. “What
is this thing?” she asks. A large, long-tailed,
many-legged bug sits flat against the bottom
of her rock. Specifically, it has two long-pointy
tails, two antennae, and six legs. It has shades
of yellow and brown colors on it. As they exam-
ine it, it starts to do little bug push-ups in the
puddle on Brooke’s rock.
Arturo is excited. “That is called a stonefly
and is a nymph, which is a young version of
the insect. Someday it will grow wings and fly
away. But for now, it lives underwater. Those
little push-ups are how it gets oxygen from the
water, using its gills.”
He announces to the whole class, “Stoneflies
cannot tolerate very polluted water. They are
sensitive bugs. So, finding this stonefly here
is a good sign about the health of this stream.”
Brooke beams with pride. She’s happy she
was the one to find the stonefly.
Back on the land next to the stream, the stu-
dents sort through pictures of other bugs they
might have found and circle their names on
their Stream Health Charts.
Arturo tells them he spent many years
35 36
 Chapter 5 the Very Important Creatures

studying bugs before becoming very good at

knowing all their names. “What is important IT’S YOUR TURN.
today is that we decide if we found lots of Take your Stream Health Chart and visit your
different kinds of bugs or a lot of the same kind
stream. Find some rocks to flip over and explore.
of bug. Did we find a variety?”
Do you see any macroinvertebrates (bugs) on
The students all agree that they found many your rocks? Make some notes on the back of
macroinvertebrates while they were exploring. this page about how many bugs and how many
They saw six different types of bugs when they different kinds of bugs you discover. Don’t
counted them up, but there were many more forget to carefully put your rocks and bugs back
possible types on their list. where they came from.
The class flapped their boots back to the
classroom, changed into their school shoes,
and packed their things to head home for the
day. Once again, Brooke asks to take her extra
Stream Health Chart home. She also asks to
borrow a magnifying glass.
Once home, Brooke heads out to her stream. A
bug flies past her, and she remembers the one
she swatted off her arm the day she first discov-
ered her stream. Ooh, I wonder if that bug start-
ed its life in my stream?
She has difficulty finding rocks to flip over in
her muddy-bottom stream, but she finds a few.
There are not very many bugs either. She finds Tip: For a picture guide like the one in
a small group of little silver bugs that look like Brooke’s classroom, ask an adult to help
tiny shrimp. Her chart tells her they are called you search online for “macroinvertebrate
scuds. She also finds a snail and a crayfish. She identification.”
marks them down on her chart and walks home.
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 Everyone, Say "Trees"

MY STREAM
HEALTH CHART CHAPTER 6
Everyone, Say “Trees”
Questions

MACROINVERTEBRATES: I t’s the fourth day of the Stream Health proj-

ect, and the students are happy to have an-
other day of outdoor learning. Dr. Shedd, Ms.
How many bugs did you find?
How many different bugs did you find? Shepherd, and another guest wait in the front
of the room, just like in previous days. Today’s
Answers guest is a tall man in a tan shirt with badges,
like a police officer, but not entirely.
Dr. Shedd introduces him. “This is our local
state forester, Horton Culture. He is really into
trees and other plants and will help us explore
the plants around our stream today.”
Mr. Culture is soft-spoken, and the students
must lean in to hear him when he speaks. “Hello,
students. I am glad to meet you. I know plants
are not as exciting as the bugs you got to see on
your last visit to the stream, but I hope you will
enjoy the things we will see today.”
Ms. Shepherd lines up the class at the door,
hands out their clipboards, and off they go.
As they pass through the field where they
sometimes play kickball, Mr. Culture asks the
class, “What is under your feet right now?”
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 Chapter 6 Everyone, Say "Trees"

The students quickly remember the correct scribes the plants around their stream. Their
answer to this question, and all shout, “SOIL!” choices are “mostly trees and shrubs,” “most-
Mr. Culture looks shocked and confused. “That ly flowers and tall grasses,” “mostly mowed or
is not the answer I was expecting,” he says. “I lawn grasses,” or “mostly bare soil.”
meant the stuff on top of the soil.” The students agree that the answer is “most-
“Grass?” Kenzo says cautiously. ly trees and shrubs,” even though there is some
bare soil on the trail where they are standing,
“Yes, I was thinking of the grass.” and the mowed grass is not too far away in the
Ms. Shepherd explains how Mrs. Loam had field where they sometimes play kickball.
asked them the same question a few days ear- “Now, let’s look at the edges of the stream it-
lier and taught the students about the impor- self. What kind of plants do you see growing on
tance of soil. the banks?” Mr. Culture asks.
Mr. Culture smiles and continues. “There is Ella says, “My dad works in a bank!”
a lot of grass around here. That is one of the
plants that we find near your stream.” Ms. Shepherd explains, “Yes, there are two
different definitions of the word bank. Mr. Cul-
As the class returns to the stream’s edge, Mr. ture is talking about the kind of bank that is
Culture asks them what other types of plants the land that makes up the sides of the stream.
they see. What kind of plants do you see there?”
The class begins to call out answers: “Trees!” There is some murmuring but not a lot of
“Bushes!” answers. Mr. Culture looks to the students for
“Weeds!” their responses.
“Flowers!” Brooke speaks up. “There are not a lot of
“Vines!” plants on the stream banks. Just a few little
tufts of grass here and there.”
They come up with quite a variety of answers.
Mr. Culture nods. “Let’s circle an answer
On their Stream Health Charts, Mr. Culture on our Stream Health Charts. What would
asks them to circle the answer that best de- you choose?”
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 Chapter 6 Everyone, Say "Trees"

They all circle “mostly bare soil.”

“What did Mrs. Loam tell us would happen
to the soil that is not covered and protected by
plants?” Dr. Shedd asks.
Maya raises her hand and reminds everyone
that the bare soil would wash away in heavy
rains and make the stream muddy.
Mr. Culture is impressed! “Yes,” he says.
“Plants play a critical role by helping to hold
the soil in place, on the land, where it belongs.
This stream could use more plants on its banks
to make it healthier.” He explains that some
plants are better than others for making a
stream healthy. “Trees and shrubs help to keep
the soil in place, but they also make it shady and
keep the water cool for the animals living in and
around the stream.”
The students tell Mr. Culture about how they
took the stream’s temperature, which was cold-
er than the air. They look up together and see
many leafy trees overhead, helping to shade the
stream from the bright sun.
Mr. Culture also tells them how the leaves fall
from the trees into the stream.
Brooke looks concerned. “Doesn’t that pollute
the stream?” she asks. She is thinking about
her stream at home and how clean and neat it
looks. The grasses are trimmed short along the
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 Chapter 6 Everyone, Say "Trees"

edges, and the leaves fall in the forest instead of The rest of the class nodded their heads in
in the field where her stream is. agreement. Mr. Culture tells them to make
“Actually, those fallen leaves are an import- sure they thank a tree for the lovely cool shade
ant food for the bugs in the stream, and the they provide.
bugs are an important food for the fish in the Before they leave to go home, Ms. Shepherd
stream. So, the trees are feeding the wildlife in asks them to gather together for a class pho-
the stream,” Mr. Culture explains. “But that to so they can remember their Stream Health
was an excellent question, young lady.” project later.
Brooke seems disappointed by the answer, “Everyone, say ‘trees’!” Mr. Culture shouts as
even though she just got paid a compliment. the picture is snapped.
Mr. Culture bends down to the stream edge At home, Brooke stands out in the field by the
and grabs a clump of leaves stuck together be- side of her stream. She still has trouble agree-
hind a rock in the water. He gently peels the lay- ing that the mowed grass isn’t perfect for her
ers of leaves apart, and the students discover stream. She circles “mostly mowed or lawn
more bugs living among the leaves. grasses.” Then she looks at her stream banks.
“Macroinvertebrates!” William shouts. They are part mowed grass and part bare soil.
She circles “mostly mowed or lawn grasses”
Mr. Culture is shocked again. “Wow! You are
there too. I wonder if my stream is healthy af-
right. Those are macroinvertebrates.”
ter all. She strolls back home, deep in thought.
On the way back to their classroom, Mr. Cul-
ture asks the students to pay attention to how
they feel as they walk out from under the trees
and back into the field, where they sometimes
play kickball. He asks them to share their feel-
ings as they take their seats at their desks.
“I liked it better under the trees,” says Riley.
“It was hot in the field, and I was sweating while
we walked back.”
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 Chapter 6

IT’S YOUR TURN. MY STREAM

HEALTH CHART
Take your Stream Health Chart and visit your
stream. What kind of plants are growing in the
area around your stream? What kind of plants
Questions
are growing on your stream banks? Circle your
answers on your chart. PLANTS:
Which of these best Which of these best
describes the plants describes the plants on
around your stream? your stream’s banks?
Answers

(circle one) (circle one)

mostly trees mostly trees

and shrubs and shrubs

mostly flowers and mostly flowers and

tall grasses tall grasses

mostly mowed or mostly mowed or

lawn grasses lawn grasses

mostly bare soil mostly bare soil

Unhealthy?
Healthy?
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 Chapter 6 Feathers, Paws, and Claws

wildlife biologist. I used to teach at the university,

CHAPTER 7 but now I am retired.” Karen points back at the
man and says, “My husband, Herb, is also retired.
Feathers, Paws, He used to work as an auto mechanic.”

and Claws
The students are puzzled about how an auto me-
chanic will help them with their stream.
Karen continues. “Today, we are going to ex-
T here are not one but two guests in the front
of Brooke’s classroom today. A man and
a woman, both short with round faces and
plore all of the animals that might be living in the
area around your stream.”
The students gather their clipboards and go
light-colored hair. They seem much older than
outside to the stream. As they walk through the
Dr. Shedd and Ms. Shepherd.
playground, Herb pulls out a pair of binoculars
“Hello again, class,” says Dr. Shedd. “I hope you and starts scanning the sky.
are excited to head back to the stream today. To-
day will be our last visit where we collect health “Did I mention that my husband is a very excel-
information about our stream.” lent bird-watcher?” Karen asks. “It’s been his fa-
vorite hobby for a very long time.”
“Nooo!” the class moans in unison.
The students are noisy, talking among each
“Don’t worry, I am sure we can come up with other with their outside voices and enjoying their
more reasons to visit the stream in the future,” last Stream Health walk. Any wildlife that might
Ms. Shepherd says with a wink. have been around before they arrived probably
“Today, we have some very special guests with scurried away to a safe place as the loud class
us.” Dr. Shedd introduces the old man and wom- approached. Ms. Shepherd quiets the class.
an. “Please welcome Mr. and Dr. Ivor.”
Herb points up into the trees. “Look, students,
“I’m the Mr., she’s the doctor,” the man says as do you see that little black and white bird on the
he points to the woman next to him. “You can call branch? That’s a Carolina Chickadee.”
us Herb and Karen, though.”
As they all look up, the tiny bird loudly calls,
“Thank you for letting us join you today. I am a “Chickadee-dee-dee.” It sounds as if it is saying
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 Chapter 7 Feathers, Paws, and Claws

its own name. Then it flitters away, higher up

into the tree where the students can’t see it.
Karen takes over. “A stream can be an essential
part of the habitat of many different animals. It
can supply water to drink, of course, but it might
also be full of food like fish, bugs, and plants. It
can also be a shelter. But many animals need more
than just the stream to be a proper habitat. They
need large trees for shelter, fruits and nuts for
food, and much more.” She points to the acorns
on the ground around them.
“We are going to look for signs of wildlife to-
day. We got lucky seeing that chickadee. Herb
has great skills, but most animals won’t be brave
enough to show themselves while we are here.
What do you think we could look for instead?
What would be a sign that wildlife lives here?”
Karen asks.
The students seem unsure. Karen gives them
some hints. “What kinds of things might an ani-
mal leave behind after a visit here?”
Ethan speaks up. “Their footprints?”
“Very good,” says Karen. “One thing we can
look for is the tracks of different animals, espe-
cially in the mud around the stream.”
The group comes up with a list of other things
they might find. It includes fur and feathers,

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 Chapter 7 Feathers, Paws, and Claws

nests or holes in trees, piles of nutshells, and even a final decision about the stream’s health.”
animal poop, which Karen tells them is called The students all go home for the day.
“scat” in science.
It’s hot out in the field while Brooke stands be-
Brooke and her classmates go on a scavenger side her stream. She has trouble finding any signs
hunt, looking for the different signs of wildlife. of wildlife. She does see one big, gray feather and
In addition to the things they listed, they also some scat in a little pile that looks like the choc-
find a tree with the bark scraped off. Karen tells olate-covered raisins her uncle is always eating.
them this is where a male deer, or buck, rubbed She will have a hard time not laughing the next
its antlers on the tree. Luke even finds a snake- time she sees him eat those. She also hears some
skin while exploring. birdsongs, but they are far away. She turns to try
Herb continues to explore the treetops with his to see where they are coming from and finds
binoculars. He points out a woodpecker going in herself looking back up the hill at the woods
and out of a hole in a tree and some other birds. that she will have to pass through to get back
At one point, he even names a bird just by its home. Hmm. Why are the birds there but not
song. They never did see it. The students gath- here? Brooke notices many more signs of wild-
er together and record their discoveries on their life as she walks home through the trees away
Stream Health Charts. from the stream.
As they walk back to the classroom, Karen
helps them understand what their wildlife signs
mean for the stream. “This stream is definitely
the home for quite a variety of wildlife. This is an
excellent thing.”
Dr. Shedd gives a big thumbs-up. “It’s nice we
can share the stream and the outdoors at your
school with many other living things. In many
places, we have changed so much about the out-
doors that wildlife has had to leave to find new
places to live. When I visit next, we will review all
the data we collected about our stream and make
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 Chapter 7

IT’S YOUR TURN. MY STREAM

HEALTH CHART
Take your Stream Health Chart and visit your
stream. What signs of wildlife or actual wild-
life do you see? Record your discoveries on
your chart. Question

WILDLIFE:
Did you see any wildlife near your stream?
What kinds? Did you discover any signs of wildlife
near your stream? What did you find?

Answer

Unhealthy?
Healthy?
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 What Does It All Mean?

Plants: Mostly trees and shrubs

surround the stream. The stream banks
CHAPTER 8 are mostly bare soil.
What Does It Wildlife: There were signs of many types

All Mean? of animals, including deer, birds (chick-

adees, woodpeckers), snakes, and more.

“Which of these things do you think might

A s promised, Dr. Shedd has returned to
Brooke’s class to help them use their data
to decide whether their stream is healthy or not.
be something we should be concerned about as
stream doctors?” Dr. Shedd asks the class. “Cold
water is good for some important fish, but others
Ms. Shepherd hands out everyone’s clipboards
like warm water. It’s important for it not to be
with their Stream Health Charts. She also
too hot, though. In this case, our cold water is a
shares a copy on the screen in the front of the
good sign of stream health.”
room using her computer. Step-by-step, they
explore each day’s investigations. Okay, the students think, that’s not a problem.
What about water clarity? The water was clear
Water temperature: The stream had cold and not muddy. They already know that is a good
water compared to the air. sign of stream health.
Maya raises her hand, and Dr. Shedd calls on
Water clarity: The water was clear. her. “The mud covering many of the rocks on the
Stream bottom: There were rocks but stream bottom is a problem. It is taking away
also some mud. homes from bugs.”
“That is true,” he responds. “Let’s put an X in
Macroinvertebrates: They found
the ‘unhealthy’ box to the right of the Stream
lots of bugs but not a lot of different
Bottom section on our health charts. What else
types of bugs.
should we be concerned about?”

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 Chapter 8 What Does It All Mean?

“There aren’t as many different kinds of bugs

as there should be,” José says.
Again, Dr. Shedd agrees and instructs the
class to put an X in the “unhealthy” box to the
right of the Macroinvertebrates section.
“And there is bare soil instead of plants on the
stream banks,” Marisa adds.
The students all put an X in the “unhealthy”
box to the right of the Plants section before Dr.
Shedd even gets to instruct them.
“Is it bad news for this stream?” he asks.
“Should we panic? Let’s mark the healthy
things. Put an X in the ‘healthy’ box to the right
of any section with signs of a healthy stream.”
The students mark the “healthy” boxes for
temperature, clarity, total number of bugs,
type of plants around the stream, and signs of
wildlife. The students talk about it and decide
that the stream has more healthy qualities than
unhealthy ones but could use a little help to
make it healthier.
While the rest of the class gets ready to go
to recess, Brooke pulls out her Stream Health
Chart from her stream at home. She looks at each
line and marks the “healthy” or “unhealthy”
box next to each section. Her water is warm, so
Brooke decides to label it unhealthy. Her water

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 Chapter 8 What Does It All Mean?

is clear (as long as she isn’t walking in it), so

she marks it healthy. But her stream bottom is IT’S YOUR TURN.
mud, so that’s another unhealthy mark. Brooke Take a look at your Stream Health Chart. If you
is getting nervous. Her perfect stream seems haven’t already, record all of your data from
to be in trouble. She barely found any bugs the different sections onto the complete chart
and mostly all the same kind of bug. She has on the back of this page. Mark the “healthy”
mowed grass instead of wildflowers or trees and or “unhealthy” box for each section. Is your
shrubs. And there was almost no wildlife. All stream more healthy or more unhealthy?
of these are unhealthy signs. She groans and
heads outside but is in no mood to play today.

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 STREAM HEALTH CHART
by Dr. Watt R. Shedd, Stream Doctor

MY STREAM
H E A LT H C H A R T
MY NAME: _________________________
CHAPTER 9
Mark an X under HEALTHY or UNHEALTHY

A Sick Day
after answering each question.

for a Stream
Question Answer Unhealthy? Healthy?
WATER TEMPERATURE:
Is your stream warmer or
colder than the air?
WATER CLARITY:
Is the water in your
stream clear?
Does it have a color?
What color?
A fter recess, the students file back into
their seats, but Brooke is not moving at
her usual happy pace.
STREAM BOTTOM:
What is on the bottom Dr. Shedd says, “One of my jobs as a stream
of your stream?
doctor is to help people come up with ways to
Do you see rocks,
mud, or both? make their streams healthier when in need.
MACROINVERTEBRATES: Even though the stream here at the school is
How many bugs
did you find? mostly healthy, we can still talk about things
How many different kinds
of bugs did you find?
to help keep it healthy and maybe make it a
PLANTS: (check one)
little better.” He seems excited about sharing
Which of these best
describes the plants
mostly trees and shrubs this part of his work. “Let me give you some
mostly flowers and tall grasses
around your stream? mostly mowed or lawn grasses ideas of activities you could do as a class, and
mostly bare soil maybe Ms. Shepherd will let you all choose one
Which of these best (check one) to do together.”
describes the plants on mostly trees and shrubs
your stream’s banks? mostly flowers and tall grasses As he talks, he makes a list on the board in
mostly mowed or lawn grasses
mostly bare soil
the front of the room.
WILDLIFE:
Did you see any wildlife
near your stream?
1. Add more plants to the stream banks.
What kinds?
Did you discover any
2. Plant more trees on the school grounds.
signs of wildlife near
your stream?
What did you find?
3. Put up bird boxes.
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 Chapter 9 A Sick Day for a Stream

4. Create signs to teach other people why she looks unhappy. Brooke is still drag-
about the stream. ging her feet and feeling blue. She doesn’t say
a word when Ms. Shepherd asks her what’s
5. Have litter cleanups on wrong. Instead, she holds up the Stream
school property. Health Chart and drawing of her “not-so-per-
fect” stream.
6. Give a presentation to the school’s
neighbors about stream health. Dr. Shedd comes over to join their conver-
sation. “Tell me about your stream at home,
7. Plant a meadow in the field where you Brooke. What could we do to make you happier
sometimes play kickball. about it?”
“I want it to be perfect,” Brooke says. “But it
8. Lead younger students on a stream turns out it is unhealthy.”
health study of their own.
Together, they go down the Stream Health
Chart and look at the drawing. “I see some trees
“I am sure you can come up with some ideas in the background of your picture. What could
too,” Dr. Shedd assures them. you change about that to help your stream?”
There is only a little time left in the school Brooke thinks for a bit, and just as a smile
day, so Ms. Shepherd has everyone get out the comes across her face, the end-of-day bell
stream drawings they created the first time rings. She runs out the door before answering
Dr. Shedd visited. They take turns in pairs Dr. Shedd.
telling each other how they would change their
drawings to make their streams healthier. Ms. As Brooke sprints up her street, she puts the
Shepherd also instructs them that tonight, for finishing touches on a plan she has been con-
homework, they need to tell at least one adult cocting in her mind. Even though the other
about what they learned during their Stream neighborhood kids will think she is cuckoo, she
Health investigation. All the students look plans to knock on Mr. Crankypants’s door. She
happy with their assignment, except one. has to tell one adult about what she learned,
and Brooke is sure he will want to hear what
Ms. Shepherd pulls Brooke aside to find out she has to say. She walks to his door, hesitates
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 Chapter 9 A Sick Day for a Stream

for a second, takes a deep breath, and knocks.

A few seconds later, she looks Mr. Crankypants
in the eyes and starts talking.
After a few minutes of babbling and what
seems like only one big breath she took for the
entire story, Brooke finally stops.
Mr. Crankypants looks a little overwhelmed.
“You are that little girl who was playing in the
stream while I was fishing, right? Do your par-
ents know you are here?”
That’s a good point, Brooke thinks. “Um, no.
I came straight from school. I probably should
have gotten permission first,” she says.
He smiles and walks with her to her door,
where she introduces her uncle to . . . oh no, I
can’t call him Mr. Crankypants out loud. She
only has to panic for a few seconds because Mr.
Crankypants speaks up for himself.
“Hi, I’m Rod,” he says. “Rod Caster, I live
a few doors down. Your niece was telling me
about her school project. I was interested in
her story but also concerned about her being
at my door without another adult.”
Brooke, her uncle, and Rod, as he told her to
call him, talk about the stream and her school
project. Brooke shares her plan to help make
her stream more perfect, which would also help

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 Chapter 9 A Sick Day for a Stream

Rod not be so cranky about never catching any About the Author
fish. Together, they discuss finding a way to
plant more trees around the stream. Jennifer R. Fetter spent plenty of time getting
into troublesome adventures in the woods near
Brooke and her uncle continue meeting with her childhood home before growing up to be
Rod over the next few weeks. Ms. Shepherd an educator, biologist, and now children’s book
even helps Brooke get Dr. Shedd to join the author. She is passionate about helping people
conversations back in Brooke’s neighborhood. of all ages enjoy science and the natural world
Winter was approaching, so they could not in a way that is meaningful to them. Jennifer
plant trees right away, but they could work on also serves as a stream doctor in her work with
a plan to have all of Brooke’s classmates and Penn State Extension.
the neighbors on her street come together in
spring to plant 100 trees along the stream.
The community agrees to help take care of About the Illustrator
the trees and keep them growing strong after As a scientific illustrator, educator, and
the planting. nature-loving mom, Nicoletta Barolini is super
I can barely wait for spring to arrive because passionate about helping kids and grown-
I’m going to make sure that my stream becomes ups connect with science and the beauty of
a healthy one. the outdoors.

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