Nature's Transformers
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 our lessons are backward designed from Next Generation Science Standards. 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: Biomimicry in Action
During this lesson, students will be introduced to biomimicry, where human solutions are inspired by nature's designs. Through interactive activities, they will explore the relationship between animal structures and their functions, and how these adaptations inspire human inventions. Students will then participate in a brainstorming and design challenge, applying biomimicry principles to create their own solutions. This hands-on approach will solidify their understanding of biomimicry's potential in problem-solving.
Outdoors at a Local Nature Area: Taking it Into Nature
Building on the classroom lesson, this field trip allows students to explore the nature site and discover how living creatures use their unique structures to survive. Through hands-on activities and observations, they will learn how these natural designs inspire human inventions.
FIELD TRIP LOCATIONS
Camp Pollock, Sacramento, CA
Crystal Peak Park, Verdi, NV
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