This online lesson plan was designed for students taking part in the active research project to document the distribution of a new species of tardigrade, a microscopic invertebrate animal. The project is part of a nationwide online collaborative research project. The lesson plan offers instructional procedures for teachers and lists materials and procedures for collecting, observing, and culturing tardigrades. The lesson involves collecting samples in the field, examining and classifying tartigrades in the samples using a microscope and an online taxonomic key, and keeping a biological journal of their study. Links are provided to other components of the species distribution project.
