Secrets to a Successful Field Trip: A Guide for Teachers and Chaperones -5th GRADE- Look inside to find:

Transcription

1 Secrets to a Successful Field Trip: A Guide for Teachers and Chaperones -5th GRADE- Look inside to find: Teacher Checklist Chaperone Checklist Field Trip Activities for 5 th Grade

2 Teacher Checklist We are excited about your visit to Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. We have provided a checklist to help you prepare for your visit with us. Please arrange for an adequate number of chaperones. Special needs students: 1 adult/student Preschool and K-2: 1 adult/5 students Grades 3-12: 1 adult/10 students Carpool groups: 1 adult/4 students Mark the map to plan your visit. Routes, locations, and meeting times should be marked before copying the map for the chaperones. If your groups are scheduled for a program in the Education Center please meet in front of the building 5 minutes prior to the program. Your instructor will come outside to greet you. A tram to the garden leaves from Burger King-Kenya Café every 15 minutes. Make copies of the Chaperone Checklist, Field Trip Activities pages, and the map (can be downloaded in.pdf from our site). Provide each chaperone with copies of each item. Provide each student with a copy of the Field Trip Activities page. Discuss the field trip activities before you leave school. Encourage the chaperones to review all materials before arriving at Riverbanks. Make a list of all students assigned to each chaperone and provide them with a copy.

3 Teacher Checklist continued Feeding your herd? Eat on your own or arrange for lunches at Riverbanks. Contact our catering provider Aramark at (803) to make arrangements for Safari lunches. These arrangements must be made two weeks in advance. Bag lunches brought from school must be left in your vehicle and are not allowed in Riverbanks. However, a nature trail with picnic tables and trash facilities is located at the west end of the parking lot. 1, 2, 3 Please have an exact count of the number of children and adults in your group. One person from your school should present the exact count of children and adults to the ticket booth, along with payment. Bring cash, a purchase order, or a school check payable to Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in the exact amount. Please review Riverbanks rules for behavior with your group. Stay on the paths. Walk instead of run. Stay with your chaperone. Respect the animals by talking quietly. Keep your hands, body and objects away from animal exhibits. Pick up your trash. Take you time and enjoy your surroundings. Ask questions. More than 100,000 school children visit Riverbanks Each Year! Enjoy Your Visit!

4 Chaperone Checklist Thank you for volunteering your time as a chaperone. You are an important part in making this trip to Riverbanks a success. Here are a few tips to help make your trip an enjoyable one: Be sure you understand the activities, meeting times and places. Don t be afraid to ask the teacher questions to clarify your role or any times and places. Make sure you have a list of the students in your group. Children can get away quickly so keep your eyes on them at all times. Please review Riverbanks rules for behavior with your group. Stay on the paths. Walk instead of run. Stay with your chaperone. Respect the animals by talking quietly. Keep your hands, body and objects away from animal exhibits. Pick up your trash. Take you time and enjoy your surroundings. Ask questions. Assist students with the Field Trip Activity. Encourage the students to think for themselves and to observe, make guesses and predictions.

5 ? Theme: The relationships between populations of animals and ecosystems are explored. Target Audience: 5 th grade SC Science Standards: II. Life Science B2a, B4c, B4d, B4e Activity 1: B2a (Food Web) Activity 2: B4c, B4d (Asian Trek) Activity 3: B4d, B4e (Penguins) Process Skills: Observe, Infer, Predict, Communicate These activities are designed to enhance the students experience at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. They are aligned with the South Carolina fifth grade science standards. The activities explore populations and ecosystems. Students are encouraged to observe and record their findings. You may want the students to complete some or all of the activities during their visit. Note: Penguin feedings are held at 11:30 and 3:30 daily. Sea Lion feedings are held at 10:30 and 2:30 daily. The ARC Diving Demonstrations are held at 11:00 and 2:00 daily. You may want your students to observe one or more feedings in preparation for Activity 1 and to observe the penguin feeding for Activity 3 in this guide.

6 Name: Date: The answers to the activities are in various locations throughout Riverbanks. To find them, you may have to read the graphics, or compare and contrast various species. Good Luck! Activity 1: Plants make their own food and are producers. All animals are consumers, which obtain food by eating other organisms. Decomposers are consumers that eat waste materials and dead organisms. Prey is an animal eaten by a predator for survival. In this activity, you will be looking for examples of producers and consumers and will observe seven animals. Three of these animals can be classified as predators, three as prey, and one as a decomposer. You will need to observe these animals and record your observations on the chart below. Pay attention to the animals colors, teeth, feet, location of the eyes on the head, where they live, any body coverings, etc. Read the signs associated with the exhibits. Then, use the information to decide which role (predator, prey, or decomposer) best fits the animals.

7 Animal Lion Observations Predator, Prey, or Decomposer? Spectacled Owl (In Aviaries beside Sea Lion exhibit) King Vulture (In the same area as the Spectacled Owl) Warthog Zebra African Spurred Tortoise (Across from Zebra Exhibit) Black-tipped Reef Sharks(Aquarium/ Reptile Complex in the large tank) Questions: 1. Describe some examples of producers and consumers you have observed.

8 2. Describe some of the adaptations predators use to hunt, catch and hold their prey. Be sure to give examples of specific animals and their tools. 3. Describe some ways prey are able to protect themselves from predators. Be sure to include examples of prey you observed and their ways to protect themselves. 4. Why are decomposers important to the food web in an ecosystem? 5. What would the impact on an ecosystem be if predators were removed from the food web?

9 Activity 2: Find The Birdhouse at Riverbanks and go inside. You are looking for the Asian Trek exhibit to the right. Observe the Bali mynahs and read the signs. 1. Describe what it means for a species to be considered endangered and discuss the reasons the Bali Mynah is an endangered species. 2. How could an ecosystem be impacted if a species becomes extinct? 3. Discuss what humans can do to protect the Bali mynah and prevent other animals from becoming endangered.

10 4. Deforestation of rainforests is a big problem in many parts of the world. The trees logged from these rainforests are needed for timber and paper but the animals in these areas depend on the trees for their survival. What are some ways that humans can still cut down the trees they need while preventing deforestation of the rainforests? Activity 3: Find The Birdhouse at Riverbanks and go inside. You are looking for the Penguin Coast exhibit to the left. Riverbanks has two species on exhibit. The Rockhopper Penguins have yellow crests on their heads and the Black-Footed Penguins do not have this crest. Observe the penguins. Notice what they are doing, their movement on land and in water, and their feathers. Then, watch the video on the clean-up process from the oil spill off the coast of Africa. Record your observations and thoughts below and answer the questions.

11 Questions: 1. Describe why a penguin needs both land and water for survival. 2. Discuss the impact of the African oil spill on current and future penguin populations if human assistance was not available. 3. What are some ways that humans can prevent these accidents from happening again? 4. Describe ways human activities positively and negatively influence ecosystems.