All About Plants
A kindergarten program focused on plants and what they need to grow and survive.
A Classrooms Unleashed Program
for Kindergarten Students
We’ve created a grade-level science lesson just for kindergarten students.
Students learn about the wonder of plants. They conduct hands-on science experiments providing valuable lessons in caring for living things, collecting data, and using the scientific method.
All of our lessons are backward designed from Next Generation Science Standards for kindergarten. In addition to the Sierra Nevada Journeys-led lessons, classroom teachers will be provided with 3-4 easy-to-use learning experiences to reinforce concepts and vocabulary.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Classroom Lesson: Scientists Make Observations and Solve the Mystery of What Plants Need to Grow
Students become phytologists (plant scientists) and learn about what plants need to grow and survive. Using their senses, students make observations about the differences that occur with plants that received everything they needed compared to ones that didn’t. The concepts of chlorophyll photosynthesis are introduced. Also, students learn about the anatomy of a plant and each part’s function in the growth process.
Outdoors at a Local Nature Area: SCIENTISTS IN THE FIELD
On a field trip to a nearby nature area, students participate in a scavenger hunt collecting different plant elements and entering the data and drawings into their field journals. They use the information they’ve learned about healthy and unhealthy plants and apply it to what they find in nature.
FIELD TRIP LOCATIONS
Camp Pollock, Sacramento, CA
Crystal Peak Park, Reno, NV
River Fork Ranch, Minden, NV (for Carson and Douglas Counties)
TEACHER INFORMATION
NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
PE: K-LS1: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
PE: K-LS1-1: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants need to grow and change
DCI: K-LS1.A: Use observations to describe the parts of plants (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) and explain that these parts help the plant survive and grow.
In partnership with:
Nature's Transformers
In this first-grade program, students become scientists and learn about how different structures found in nature have inspired humans when designing solutions, through biomimicry.
A Classrooms Unleashed Program
for First Grade Students
Students learn about animal and plant adaptations, as well as biomimicry — the process of using nature to help solve human problems. Through the integration of modeling, engineering design, critical thinking, and practicing observation skills, students will come to understand that nature’s designs have inspired inventions and solutions to human problems.
All of our lessons are backward designed from Next Generation Science Standards for first grade. In addition to the Sierra Nevada Journeys-led lessons, classroom teachers will be provided with 3-4 easy-to-use learning experiences to reinforce concepts and vocabulary.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Classroom Lesson: NATURE DID IT FIRST
First graders will become scientists, exploring the relationship between the structure of an external part and its function through the study of various animals. Students use animals to discuss with their classmates the function of different animal structures, drawing and labeling a diagram based on what they learn.
Additionally, your student scientists learn about mimicry and biomimicry. In pairs, they will sort cards to match the structures of plant and animal adaptations with their functions, and they will explore burdock seeds and learn about how humans have copied their form to invent something new. Finally, they’ll design solutions for a real-world problem using animal structures as models.
Outdoors at a local Nature Area: SCIENTISTS IN THE FIELD
Scientists journey to a nearby nature area with Sierra Nevada Journeys educators. They will explore real-life examples in nature of how organisms use their adaptations of external parts to help them survive and connect how those adaptations in nature have helped humans solve problems.
FIELD TRIP LOCATIONS
Camp Pollock, Sacramento, CA
Crystal Peak Park, Reno, NV
River Fork Ranch, Minden, NV (for Carson and Douglas Counties)
TEACHER INFORMATION
NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
PE: K-2-ETS1-1: Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
PE: K-2-ETS1-2: Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
PE: 1-LS1-1: Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
DCI: LS1.D: Information Processing
California partnership with:
Genius Plants
In this second-grade program, Genius Plants, students become botanists and study relationship between flowers and pollinators.
A Classrooms Unleashed Program
for Second Grade Students
How do plants and pollinators support each other? This unit explores the relationship between flowers and pollinators. Students will engage in hands-on games and activities during a classroom visit and field trip to a local nature study area.
All our lessons are backward designed from Next Generation Science Standards for second grade. In addition to the Sierra Nevada Journeys-led lessons, classroom teachers will be provided with three easy-to-use extension lessons to reinforce concepts and vocabulary. Pre- and post-assessments are also included.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Classroom Lesson: Pollinator Pals
Students become botanists and explore the life cycle of flowering plants. They learn about pollination by singing a song and playing a game. They will then expand on their knowledge by exploring specific plant-pollinator relationships.
Outdoors at a Local Nature Area: BOTANISTS IN THE FIELD
Students explore a local nature area, focusing on the plants, their structures, and the relationships they have with animals. Your botanists will learn to make scientific observations, write notes and draw diagrams in their nature journal, identify plants, and play games to learn about seed dispersal.
FIELD TRIP LOCATIONS
Camp Pollock, Sacramento, CA
Crystal Peak Park, Reno, NV
River Fork Ranch Preserve, Minden, NV (for Caron and Douglas Counties)
TEACHER INFORMATION
NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
PE: K-2-ETS1-1: Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
PE: K-2-ETS1-2: Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
PE: 1-LS1-1: Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
DCI: LS1.D: Information Processing
California partnership with:
Habits and Habitats
In this third-grade program, students become ecologists, solving the mystery of why the deer population is decreasing, by learning about ecosystems, resilience, and environmental change.
A Classrooms Unleashed Program
for Third Grade Students
Students become ecologists and learn about habitats, survival of organisms and the impacts of environmental change. Students work to solve the mystery of why the deer population is in decline, through hands-on learning experiences about habitats, environmental change, and habitat restoration.
All of our lessons are backward designed from Next Generation Science Standards for third grade. In addition to the Sierra Nevada Journeys-led lessons, classroom teachers will be provided with 3-4 easy-to-use learning experiences to reinforce concepts and vocabulary, as well as pre- and post-assessments.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Classroom Lesson: IT’S ALL CONNECTED
Students are introduced to their role as ecologists and the science mystery they will be solving: Why is the deer population in California decreasing? Students research deer behavior and characteristics and act out a simulation to discover the impact of environmental change on the survival rates of the deer population.
Students work together to sort images of different environmental changes in their final effort to determine the main cause of the decline in the deer population in California. They’ll also be introduced to the concept of habitat restoration and work with a team to build a model of a habitat restoration plan to support the local deer population.
Outdoors at a local Nature Area: ECOLOGISTS IN THE FIELD
Students take their learning outside as they explore local ecosystem connections. Through games and activities designed to hone observation and critical thinking skills, students act as ecologists in the field, looking for evidence of environmental change in an effort to solve the mystery of the shrinking deer population.
FIELD TRIP LOCATIONS:
River Bend Park, Sacramento, CA
Oxbow Nature Study Area, Reno, NV
River Fork Ranch Preserve, Minden, NV (for Carson and Douglas Counties)
TEACHER INFORMATION
NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
PE: 3-LS4-4. Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.
DCI: LS2. C. Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience
DCI:LS4. D. Biodiversity and humans
SEP: Engaging in an argument from evidence
CCC: Interdependence of Engineering, Technology, Science on Society and Natural World
Our Amazing Earth
In this fourth-grade program, Our Amazing Earth, students become geologists, learning about patterns of change found on the earth’s surface, with a focus on weathering and erosion.
A Classrooms Unleashed Program
for Fourth Grade Students
Students become geologists and explore how the Earth’s surface can change over time. In the classroom, students will discover the causes of weathering and its effects on the Earth. Students will investigate the effects of weathering using evidence from hands-on simulations with rock samples, photos, and models. Students are introduced to the concept of erosion and are invited to explore its impact on the environment. The field trip will allow students to apply their knowledge by observing weathering and erosion in action.
All of our lessons are backward designed from Next Generation Science Standards for fourth grade. In addition to the Sierra Nevada Journeys-led lessons, classroom teachers will be provided with 3-4 easy-to-use learning experiences to reinforce concepts and vocabulary, as well as pre- and post-assessments.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Classroom Lesson: WEATHERING AND EROSION
Fourth-grade geologists use hands-on simulations to discover the concept of weathering and investigate the causes and effects this natural process has on rocks.
Students explore how different factors affect the rate of erosion. Then, they will use their understanding of how sediment moves to collaboratively build a landscape with the goal of increasing or decreasing the rate of erosion.
Outdoors at a Local Nature Area: WEATHERING AND EROSION IN THE REAL WORLD
This field study at a nearby park or preserve has your geologists practicing their observation skills to explore the outdoors and use what they’ve learned about weathering and erosion to investigate and interpret the causes of observed changes to the landscape.
FIELD TRIP LOCATIONS:
Deer Creek Hills Nature Preserve, Sloughhouse, CA (Primary site)
River Bend Park, Sacramento, CA (Alternative site during flood season)
Galena Creek Regional Park, Reno, NV (Primary site)
Sun Valley Regional Parks, Sun Valley, NV (Alternative site during snow season)
TEACHER INFORMATION
NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
4-ESS2-1: Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.
ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems. Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles and move them around.
In partnership with:
Hands-in-the-River
In this fifth-grade program, Hands-in-the-River, students become environmental scientists and learn about the health of local rivers that are part of the local watershed.
A Classrooms Unleashed Program
for Fifth Grade Students
Students become environmental scientists in this hands-on program, working to understand the health of the local rivers that are part of the local watershed. In addition to a field study at a local natural area, we provide in-classroom lessons as part of our Hands in the River program.
All of our lessons are backward designed from Next Generation Science Standards for fifth grade. In addition to the Sierra Nevada Journeys-led lessons, classroom teachers will be provided with 3-4 easy-to-use learning experiences to reinforce concepts and vocabulary, as well as pre- and post-assessments.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Classroom Lesson: WATERSHEDS AND POLLUTION
Students work in groups to construct a model that demonstrates how a watershed works, develop a definition for “watershed,” and draw parts of a watershed. As a team, they will determine how water flows and where it’s stored in the Sacramento River watershed.
Your environmental scientists will analyze the multiple types of data collected on the field day in order to assess the health of the watershed. Then, they will discover how storm drains and stormwater runoff connect to their watershed. Finally, they will learn about different types of green infrastructure that reduce stormwater runoff and water pollution, using what they learn to design a more watershed-friendly school campus.
Outdoors at a Local Nature Area: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTISTS IN THE FIELD
This field study held at a nearby nature area, has your environmental scientists exploring, assessing, and collecting data about the health of their watershed. Students will have opportunities to explore and share observations of the river, collect macroinvertebrates for study, and discuss how to use the data to assess the health of the watershed system.
FIELD TRIP LOCATIONS:
William B. Pond Recreation Area, Carmichael, CA
McCarran Ranch Preserve, Sparks, NV
TEACHER INFORMATION
NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
L1: 4-ESS2-1: Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.
ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems. Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles and move them around.
In partnership with:
Sculpting the Earth
In this sixth-grade program, Sculpting the Earth, students become geologists and learn the various types of geologic change to the Earth’s crust.
A Classrooms Unleashed Program
for Sixth Grade Students
Sculpting the Earth focuses on plate tectonics and land formation. In class, students will explore the causes of plate movement and related natural events. Then, on a field trip, they will identify rocks and study how the local landscape was formed.
All of our lessons are backward designed from Next Generation Science Standards for sixth grade. In addition to the Sierra Nevada Journeys-led lessons, classroom teachers will be provided with 3-4 easy-to-use learning experiences to reinforce concepts and vocabulary, as well as pre- and post-assessments.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Classroom Lesson: CHANGES BENEATH OUR FEET
Student geologists use maps, diagrams, and images to look for clues to explain why earthquakes happen in some places and not in others. Students construct an understanding of plate tectonics, including the plate movements that cause earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain formation, and seafloor spreading.
Outdoors at a Local Nature Area: GEOLOGISTS IN THE FIELD
In this field study, students use their observation skills to explore the outdoors and document evidence of weathering and erosion — as a real and natural process — in the field.
FIELD Trip Locations:
Deer Creek Hills Nature Preserve, Sloughhouse, CA
Galena Creek Park, Reno, NV
TEACHER INFORMATION
NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
PE: MS-ESS2-2. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth’s surface at varying times and spatial scales.
PE: MS-ESS2-3. Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of past plate motions.
DCI: ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions.
SEP: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions.
California partnership with: