CANTON, Michigan—A few years ago, the creek running alongside Mildred Field Elementary School was a place people avoided. It smelled bad, and even animals tended to stay away.

But now, Truesdell Creek attracts a steady stream of raccoons, fish, frogs, and even the occasional gray heron. And just about every day, the creek gets a visit from nine- and ten-year-old environmental scientists clutching handheld computers and water quality test kits.

Teacher Rick Plecha has watched his students' skills expand and interests soar as a result of the ambitious wetland reclamation project, now in its fifth year. "Our goal is to provide students with sound science and environmental stewardship experiences," he explains. Students also gain experience in using technology to collect and publish real-world data.

Turning a creek into an outdoor learning lab has given Field Elementary students enriching experiences, Plecha says. Because the school serves a high number of students who live under the poverty line, as well as an increasing number of students whose first language is not English, "many of the traditional teaching methods that are usually effective fail to hit the mark," he relates. So, "Field Elementary teachers have been willing to look beyond using just the textbook to reach these students," adds Plecha, whose own teaching career goes back 30 years.

From the beginning of the Truesdell Creek project, teachers have implemented an interdisciplinary approach. "The project blends our science curriculum, the state's benchmarks and standards, and the learning needs of our students in a community-based, problem-solving experience," Plecha says.

Technology is embedded in the project. Plecha explains: "Students use pocket PCs to collect daily creek and weather data. Then, back in the classroom, they use networked computers to load this data in two locations—to the archives via CD, and to the GLOBE network." GLOBE is an international database called Global Learning on Benefiting the Environment (www.globe.gov*).

Students also use technology to share their research with the local community. Every classroom tunes in to the school's closed-circuit TV network to learn about weather and creek measurements. And the community gets photo updates on the project via a local cable TV channel. The school Web page is used as a vehicle to advertise Truesdell Creek Clean-Up Day, held each year on Earth Day.

The creek project is a good fit with Plecha's teaching philosophy. "Students today ask more of their learning environment, both inside and outside the classroom," he says. "The teacher can no longer be the 'sage-on-the-stage.' We must now be the 'guide-on-the-side,' helping students based on their individual learning styles as well as on the curriculum requirements."

The project also has strengthened ties between the community and the school, with several grants helping to support and expand the outdoor learning lab. Recently, Field Elementary won a Schoolyard Habitat* Award from the National Wildlife Foundation. Older students often come back to visit and see the continuing success of the project. Says Plecha, "They take pride in telling younger students the things we found when we first began to clean the creek."