Elementary School Field Trips

Kindergarten Program (Fall or Spring)

Wild Exploration

Hike around the farm to discover animal pelts, skulls, tracks, nests and other evidence of wildlife. Meet our resident terrapin, discover ways that plants, animals and humans share resources, and discover how students can help protect the habitats of the animals they meet.  Field trip length: 2 hours

• HCPSS Science Curriculum: GK.Q1 Scientists and Engineers; & GK.Q4 Relationships in the Ecosystem
• NGSS K-LS1-1. Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals need to survive.
• NGSS K-ESS2-2. Learn how plants and animals can change the environment to meet their needs.
• NGSS K-ESS3-3. Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the environment.

First Grade Program (Fall or Spring)

Owl’s Observations

Students will meet our resident barred owl and learn about survival from egg to adult. Search our meadows and forests for signs of animals and their homes and discover how the external features of an animal help it survive in the wild.  Field trip length: 2 hours

• HCPSS Science Curriculum: G1Q1 Plant and Animal: Structure and Function
  
• NGSS 1-LS1-2. Determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive.
• NGSS 1-LS3-1. Observe and argue that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents.

Second Grade Program (Fall or Spring)

The Science of Soil

Students get their hands dirty as they explore the changing landscape. Students will create soil ribbons to classify soil texture, discover the rocks beneath us, evaluate ways to prevent erosion, and gain a greater appreciation for the importance of soil in the lives of plants and animals. Field trip length: 2 hours

• HCPSS Science Curriculum: G2.Q2 Earth’s Features; & G2Q3 Earth’s Changing Landscape
  
• NGSS 2-PS1-1. Describe and classify materials by observable properties.
• NGSS 2-ESS1-1. Provide evidence that Earth events can occur quickly or slowly.
• NGSS 2-ESS2-1. Compare solutions designed to prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land.

Third Grade Program (Fall or Spring)
Habitats and Homes

Students hike through meadows to the stream to track native animals. They will visit our owl, terrapin, and black rat snake, evaluating the traits that allow individuals in a species to thrive in different ecosystems.  They will discuss the functions of a habitat and map habitats along the trail, discover critters, pollinators, and more along the way   Field trip length: 2 hours.

• HCPSS Science Curriculum: G3.Q1 Inheritance and Variation of Traits; & G3.Q4 Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
  
• NGSS 3-LS3-2. Explain how traits can be influenced by the environment.
• NGSS 3-LS4-2. Explain how the variations in a species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, or reproducing.
• NGSS 3-LS4-3. Argue from evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. 

Fourth Grade Program (Winter or Spring)

Making an Impression 

Students will discover and observe the landscapes and features of Howard County–both current and prehistoric. Students will investigate fossil layers and draw comparisons in their findings to geologic records, explore the trails and map the landscapes they see, and create their own topography models. Participants will get a three-dimensional view of Maryland’s life–both then and now. Field trip length: 2 hours. 

• HCPSS Science Curriculum: G4.Q3 Earth’s Systems: Shaping the Earth
• NGSS 4-ESS1-1 Earth’s Place In the Universe. Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.
• NGSS 4-ESS3-1 Earth and Human Activity. Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and their uses affect the environment.
• NGSS 4-ESS2-2 Earth’s Systems. Analyze and interpret data form maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features 

Fifth Grade Program (Fall or Spring)

BioBlitz

Students will investigate our forests and meadows as they search for species that call Howard County home. Nature discovery stations will include a guided investigation at the pond and a chance to meet an apex predator, such as a terrapin or owl.  During the trip, students obtain, evaluate and communicate information about the interdependent relationships in ecosystems by investigating the plants and animals found in a given habitat. Field trip length: 2 hours

• HCPSS Science Curriculum: G5Q1 Environmental Report Card; & G5Q4Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
• NGSS 5-LS2-1 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics. Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
• NGSS 5-ESS3-1 Earth and Human Activity. Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.
• NGSS 5-PS3-1 Energy. Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.