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Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Grade School Programs
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Fourth Grade - Fall
Animal And Plant Basic Needs
Michigan Science Standards Met: Ecosystems 1
In the classroom one hour: Through two physically active learning games, students become aware of the basic needs of living things – food, water, shelter, and space.
One-hour field trip at your school site or Pictured Rocks: During a visit to a forest, river, or wetland habitat, students learn about the important relationships (producer, consumer, or decomposer) that exist between the plants and animals as they become “official census takers.” They must also solve the mystery of the missing critter.
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Fourth Grade - Winter
The Web of Life Game and the Connector Inspector
Michigan Science Standards Met: Ecosystem 1 and 2
In the classroom one hour: Through a story and hands-on game, students recreate the relationships that exist in a forest and discover many relationships in nature including one very interesting relationship between the pine marten and the red squirrel.
Two to three hour snowshoe field trip at your school site or Pictured Rocks: Students visit the “Connector Inspector’s Training Course” where they “become” a plant or animal and connect themselves into a giant web of connections. While exploring on snowshoes, the students will learn about the relationships of different kinds of snow.
(pdf)
(pdf)
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Fourth Grade - Spring
Human Impacts on Plants and Animals
Michigan Science Standards Met: Reflecting on Knowledge 4, Ecosystems 1 and 2
In the classroom one hour: Through a vivid demonstration of possible human impacts on water, students become aware of some solutions to prevent water pollution. A simple investigation of water acidity is used as an introduction to the scientific method.
Two to three hour field trip at your school site or Pictured Rocks: During a hike through a forest, wetland, or stream area, students are challenged to discover evidence of relationships in the natural world. They try to prove to “King Snoid” that all things in the natural world are interrelated.
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Fifth Grade - Fall
The Wonderful World of Dirt and the Soil Cycle
Michigan Science Standards met: Ecosystems 5, Constructing Scientific Knowledge 1 and 3
In the classroom one hour: Students work in small groups to predict and analyze soil content using the scientific method. Microscope projections of soil organisms provide a glimpse into how some creatures help make soil.
Two to three hour field trip at your school site or Pictured Rocks: During a visit to a forest and a wetland, students learn about different soil types by “washing their hands” in several soil sinks. They follow the path of a soil molecule as it travels through the outdoors. Next they discover the soil cycle in action by attending a “funeral” for a leaf. Finally, signs of the soil cycle are found during a discovery hike.
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Fifth Grade - Winter
Water Cycle Investigations
Michigan Science Standards met: Changes in matter 1 and 3, Matter and Energy 1, 3, 4, Hydrosphere 1 and 4
In the classroom one hour: Students will make predictions and draw conclusions about the properties and behavior of water molecules or “specks” during their visits to several learning stations.
Two to three hour snowshoe field trip at your school site or Pictured Rocks: Students work in teams to follow the paths of water “specks” on special trails using a guidebook. Students will also examine pond ice and conduct simple investigations.
(pdf)
(pdf)
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Fifth Grade - Spring
The Best Deal on Earth – The Air Cycle
Michigan Science Standards met: Atmosphere 2, 3, 4
In the classroom one hour: Through several hands-on investigations about air, students learn about the properties of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and air pollution.
Two to three hour field trip to Pictured Rocks: The air cycle relay game reinforces the concept of the air cycle. During an exploration of a forest and a field, students follow the paths of air molecules, visit a home of the future with an air problem, and ride the “air cycle.” The program concludes with some air poetry.
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Sixth Grade - Fall
Food Chains and a Stream Exploration
Michigan Science Content Standards met: Ecosystems 2, Constructing Scientific Knowledge 2 and 3
In the classroom one hour: Students learn about energy flow first-hand through an active game where they become grasshoppers, frogs, or hawks trying to survive. Next, a stream food chain card game helps them understand how these animals are adapted for their role in the stream food chain while preparing the students for the field trip.
Two to three hour field trip to Pictured Rocks: Through a special series of tasks, students look for evidence of “munching” or food chain activity occurring along a forest trail to learn what the energy pyramid is all about. Next, working in small groups, students collect stream organisms to identify stream food chains.
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Sixth Grade - Winter
Our Changing Landscapes
Michigan Science Standards met: Geosphere 2, 3, 4
In the classroom one hour: Working in small groups, students will conduct three investigations to learn how change can occur in the landscape due to erosion, climate, and aging.
Two to three hour snowshoe field trip to Pictured Rocks: Students will use treasure maps to find buried “time capsules.” These capsules contain objects that will help them learn about changes that have occurred in the Pictured Rocks area landscape over time. Students will explore the winter landscape for “snow sculptures” and changes relating to snow.
(pdf)
(pdf)
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Sixth Grade - Spring
Photosynthesis and the Leaf Food Factory
Michigan Science Standards met: Ecosystems 2, Constructing Knowledge 2, 3, 6
In the classroom one hour: Working in small groups, students will conduct an investigation to try to make sugar the way a plant does.
Two to three hour field trip to Pictured Rocks: Students will enter a “giant leaf” to learn how the leaf food factory works, then set the table for a food chain gang to eat at Mr. Sun’s Restaurant. A hike to observe food chains in action completes this program.
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Sixth Grade - Spring
Logging Era of the Pictured Rocks
Michigan Social Studies Standards Met: Historical Perspective 2 and Geographic Perspective 2 and 3
In the classroom one hour: “Lumberjack Stan” will visit the classroom to explain what life was like to work in an area logging camp. Afterwards the students will gather in a sharing circle to ask questions and sing lumberjack songs.
Field Trip to Pictured Rocks: All day – bring a lunch! Students will travel to the White Pine Trail (near Little Beaver Lake) to experience a stand of old growth white pine and learn about logging in the Beaver Basin area. Next they will travel to the Kingston Plains to explore the history of logging in this area and the impact it had on the natural resources. Finally students will visit the Munising School Forest near Melstrand where Munising High School Natural Resource students will give them a tour of modern forest management methods.
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When scheduling a program, please determine your preferred date and a few alternate dates. Please contact:
David Kronk, Park Ranger
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
P.O. Box 40
Munising, MI 49862
(906) 387-2607, ext. 206
e-mail
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