FREE CLASSROOM ACTIVITY · AGES 9–14

Find the invisible wildlife clues

Name: _______________________ Date: ______________

Choose a region and complete the eDNA mission. Explain your decisions below.

1. Choose your site

Region: ____________________ Site: ____________________

Why did you choose this sampling spot? Give one reason you rejected another spot.

2. Keep the sample clean

Name two kit parts and explain their jobs. Describe one way unwanted DNA could enter your sample and how to reduce that risk.

3. Count fills and samples

You push four 50 mL fills through one filter. Total volume: ______ mL. Does this produce four independent replicate samples? Explain.

4. Read the clues

Choose one detected animal and one not detected. Explain what each result means and one conclusion it cannot support.

5. Plan the next survey

What would you ask the laboratory before sampling for real? Include repeat samples, controls or volume. Suggest a reason to revisit the area.

TEACHER NOTES

Run the lesson

Allow 30–40 minutes: discussion, paired gameplay, worksheet and reflection. Use a device with a browser and paper. For an offline discussion, ask learners to compare an accessible flowing-water bank with an isolated pool and a visibly disturbed sampling point.

Suggested responses

Site: accept reasoning tied to safe access, the project question and suitable water conditions. A different research question may require a different site. Offshore sampling uses a trained crew and suitable conditions.
Equipment: the water syringe moves water; the disc filter captures DNA-containing material; preservative protects the sample; gloves reduce contamination; the label links the sample to its metadata. Hands, bait or reused unclean equipment can introduce unwanted DNA.
Volume: 4 × 50 mL = 200 mL through one filter. These are refills within one game sample, not four independent replicates. The example volume is not a recommended field target.
Results: a detection means a simulated DNA signal, not a count or an exact animal location. A non-detection does not establish absence. Game wildlife reports are fictional.
Real design: ask about replicate numbers, target volumes, kit instructions, preservation, return timing and field/laboratory controls. Revisit to compare places, conditions or seasons.

Check understanding

Look for justified choices, a contamination-prevention explanation, correct volume arithmetic and cautious interpretation. Assess the explanation, not the player’s score.

Extension

Open the Victorian eDNA survey explorer. Compare its locations and survey dates with the fictional game. Discuss how eDNA could complement visual surveys when monitoring a restored shellfish reef.

Original activity by Streamline Media Australia. Introductory teaching material; not a complete field protocol or independently reviewed scientific training course.

Sources and further learning

EnviroDNA water-kit protocol and illustrated sampling instructions.
Real Victorian eDNA survey results explorer — compare real surveys with fictional game results.
CoastAdapt: eDNA for monitoring biodiversity.

Sources checked 3 November 2026. This is introductory education, not a complete field protocol. Real work uses the laboratory’s current kit instructions and project sampling plan. No endorsement by the cited organisations is implied.