A Sample of Water Science Field Trip Curriculum Ideas that can be used to design your next visit to the Lewis Center's Mojave River Campus and participation in it's Wildlands Water Walk (targeting 4,5-7th grade students based on California State Science Standards).
Pre-field trip Study (Classroom Activities) Using whatever resources that you have, can find, or one that I have provided, below (e.g. R1, R2, R3, R4 ), it would be helpful to answer one or more of the following questions about your field trip destination [Hint: "leads" for answering all or most of the following questions can be found on or from the Water Wise Education homepage: - Where in California do you live? R1, R2, R3,
- Where are you in California? .ppt
- Where in the High Desert do you live? R1,
- What is a desert? R1,
- Why does it not rain much here? .ppt
- Why is the Mojave bioregion a desert? R1, R2,
- What is hydrogeology and what does it have to do with where my water comes from? R1,
Where is the Lewis Center's Mojave River Campus? - How does water cycle through our Desert? R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6,
- Do you know where you water has been? .ppt
- What "shed" do we get our water from? .ppt
What watershed does the Mojave River run through? Find... R1, - Does the Mojave River flood often? If so how badly? R1
- What is the water from the California Aqueduct used for? R1,
- Where does that water come from? R1,
- What is California's "Water History"? R1,
- What is groundwater? R1, R2,
- Survey: How "water wise" are you? R1, R2, R3, R4, R5,
- How is water used in my community? R1, R2, R3,
- Why should I conserve water? R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7,
- How can I, my family and my community conserve water? R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R8, R8,
- How much water do I use? .ppt
- Quiz: Do you know your Water Facts? R1, R2, R3,
- Water Properties.ppt
- How is water measured? R1,
- Who manages our water supply? R1,
- What is a water well? R1, R2, R3,
- What makes "quality", healthy water? R1,
- What is waste water and what happens to it? R1,
- What is storm water? R1, R2,
- How can a water source be contaminated? R1, R2,
- What are some of the more common water contaminates? R1,
- What are common sources of water contaminates?
- Are there some good science fair ideas having to do with water? R1,
- What are the basic "water facts"? R1,
Field Trip Opportunities (Field Trip Activities) - Wildlands Water Walk Trail Map
- Draft "Wildlands Water Walk" trail guide for docents
- What concepts can participants be introduced to along the "Wildlands Water Walk" at stop (refer to the above map for their locations) ...
- A --> B --> C C2--> D --> E --> F --> G --> H --> I --> J --> K --> L --> M --> N --> O --> P --> A2
- What are some of feature that might be visited during your "Wildlands Water Walk"? Wildlands Water Walk Map
What do you know about the Mojave's hydro-geography? (a description of the Mojave's geographical features that make it a desert)
- What watershed do you live in? (discover the your communities water basin from which it draws water)
- Where does your water come from? (how the regional water cycle makes water available in our watershed) R1,
How much water is flowing down the river? (measuring water-flow in cubic-feet/second) What are the beneficial uses of "wildlands" water? (observing, describing and listing how water along the Mojave River is being used -- biotically and abiotically.) R1,
Find, list and describe the various hydrological features (above, below, and on the surface of the Mojave River Wildlands) found in a water cycle diagram. R1, Vegetation community and habitat mapping using topographic map, aerial photographs and ground truthing "walk abouts". R1, Measure abiotic water quality indicators (pH, temperature, total disolved solids, nitrates, phosphates, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, water clarity, alkalinity etc) using digital devices, chemical tests and hand-held equipment. R1, R2,
Mojave River Wildlands Project Opportunities (Long-term Project-based Classroom & Field Study Activities) Challenge your students with a long-term "Mojave River Wildlands Study" project like one suggested in this reading.
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