|
Objectives: (These are examples of some of the objectives that can be achieved on a winter ecology field trip. Many others are possible depending on the teacher’s focus, the ranger, the location, the snow/weather conditions, and the age group).
Students will be able to:
-
Tell what national parks protect and one reason Glacier National Park was established.
-
Describe, draw or act out, the 3 adaptations animals use to survive winter and give an example for each.
-
Correctly point to or touch an evergreen tree and a deciduous tree and describe how the different trees survive winter.
-
Describe (or draw) an outside activity that includes one way a tree or a plant might change in winter.
-
Classify pictures of Glacier animals into groups according to which adaptation they use to survive winter: migration, hibernation, or resistance.
-
Correctly identify living and non-living objects on the snowshoe hike and give an example of a cause and effect relationship between them (i.e. what happens to wildlife when water freezes?).
-
Relate the basic needs animals must have in their habitats and the factors in winter that make it a challenge for them to meet these needs.
-
Recognize animal signs and patterns along the trail.
-
Predict how the shape and volume of snow will change when brought indoors.
-
Use their body to increase heat (running, huddling, putting on more insulation) and give an example of an animal that uses one or more of these strategies to survive in winter.
-
Describe the relationship between the sun, heat, light, energy, and food.
-
Organize animal pictures by whether they are predators or prey and build a Glacier winter food chain and a food web.
-
Correctly measure and explain the existence of varying snow depths at different points along the trail.
-
Measure and compare temperatures at different depths in the snow or at different places along the trail.
-
Examine physical properties in the layers of snow, describe the differences, and infer what caused the layers.
-
Calculate the snow water equivalent of the snow pack on the day of their visit.
-
Explain the importance of snow as a natural resource and its role in the water cycle.
-
Hike independently on snowshoes and follow safety procedures for a snowshoe hike in Glacier National Park.
-
Categorize animals as "wild" or "domestic" and give examples of which kind live in Glacier National Park.
-
Describe, draw or act out, the 3 adaptations animals use to survive winter (hibernate, migrate, or resist).
-
Give one reason winter might be harder for animals than summer.
-
Describe the relationship between the sun, heat, light, energy, and food.
-
Classify pictures of Glacier animals into groups according to which adaptation they use to survive winter: migration, hibernation, or resistance.
-
Predict how the shape and volume of snow in a cup will change when brought indoors.
-
Describe one way that water changing from a liquid to solid (or solid to liquid) could help a wild animal, and a way it could hurt a wild animal.
-
Recognize signs of animal activity or tracks along the trail.
-
Feel an evergreen tree branch and role play what happens to the branch when snow collects on the tree.
-
Describe (or draw) an outside activity that includes one way a tree or a plant might change in winter.
-
Use their body to try to increase heat (by running, huddling, putting on more insulation).
-
Search for snowshoe hare pictures with white fur and with brown fur, then state which kind is easier to find in the snow and how changing color could help the snowshoe hares through the seasons.
-
Correctly measure, compare, and explain the existence of varying snow depths at different points along the trail. Discuss how snow can help or hurt different animals in winter.
-
Compare sliding in the snow with walking/snowshoeing and decide which uses less energy (is easier).
-
Dress appropriately for and hike on snow shoes in Glacier National Park.
-
Follow safety procedures for a snowshoe hike in Glacier National Park.
Montana Content and Performance Standards:
10.54.5010 Science Standard 1= “…design, conduct, evaluate, and communicate scientific investigations.”
10.54.5030 Science Standard 3= “…demonstrate knowledge of characteristics, structures and function of living things, the process and diversity of life, and how living organisms interact with each other and their environment.”
10.54.5040 Science Standard 4= “…demonstrate knowledge of the composition, structures, processes, and interactions of earth’s systems and other objects in space.”
Making Connections to Glacier National Park:
One of the reasons Glacier National Park was established was to preserve the natural processes and the biological diversity (variety of plants and animals) that live here. This diversity is particularly interesting in the winter when the Glacier habitat is so harsh.
|
