ELEMENTARY PROGRAMS

The 2nd and 4th grade field studies at Fish Slough were designed cooperatively as part of the Eastern Sierra Watershed Project and the Hands on the Land Program sponsored by the Bishop office of the Bureau of Land Management.

SECOND GRADE - The field trip starts with a puppet show introduction to Fish Slough, after which the students participate in two, 1-hour activities with a lunch break in-between. Classroom activities included the National Geographic Geo Kids video Tadpoles, Dragonflies, and the Caterpillar’s Big Change and a classroom follow up activity Are You My Baby?

Fish Slough Water Critters - This station introduces students to macroinvertebrates living in a slow moving warm water system. Students will wade into a shallow stream and collect macroinvertebrates. They then will take them to mats with pictures of invertebrates on them and sort what they have collected by matching their invertebrates with pictures on the mats. (CA state standards Grade 2 Life Science a,b; Investigation and Experimentation c,f,g.)
Fish Slough Discovery Hike - The discovery hike is designed to touch on a few of the 2nd grade Science content standards in a fun and engaging way. At each station a card is placed with the clues written in rhyme. The students figure out the clue and do the activity that is asked for at each station. The adult leader fills in more details of the concept and keeps the group traveling together. (Earth Science a,b,c,e, Physical Science a, Investigation and Experimentation a,c)





FOURTH GRADE - The fourth grade students are introduced to the unique aspects of this desert spring system located about 7 miles north of Bishop, California.

The students participate in the following studies on the field trip to Fish Slough:

Plant Communities - This station introduces students to ecosystems and plant communities. Students will look at three plant communities, desert scrub, alkali scrub, and alkali meadow and explore how plants adapt to the different demands of each place. (CA state science standards 3 a,b,c,)
Archeology - This station introduces students to the science of archaeology by exploring an early man site. Students will learn that by looking at artifacts archaeologist can recreate what a culture was like. (CA state social studies standards 4.2,1)Geology of Fish Slough -This station introduces students to geologic time, the formation and evolution of landforms due to faulting, volcanism, glaciations, and erosion. (CA state science standards 4a, 5a,c) Owens Pupfish - This station is presented as a mystery, “Why are the pupfish missing?” Students are introduced to the concepts of native vs. introduced, living vs. non-living, animals depend on plants for food and shelter, and that animals are adapted to survive in their environment. (Ca. State Science Standards 2b,3a,b,c,)

Classroom activities include the use of two Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley guides, Stories and Stones and Exploring Artifacts, plus materials on the Owens Valley Paiute, geology of the Owens Valley, desert plants and directions for making petroglyphs and twined baskets.