Students will visit three different locations at GBC where they will have a chance to observe reptiles, amphibians, birds and insects in their natural habitats. Students will get hands-on experience looking for birds with binoculars, learn how to dip in the pond searching for animals such as frogs and turtles. Students will also get to participate in a wetland and forest habitat comparison where they will observe that specific plant species grow in specific environments. This trip covers these important concepts:  

1. Plants and animals have needs 
2. All living things are trying to survive and make more of themselves 
3. Offspring or babies are similar to parents but not the same 
4. Scientists try to put things into categories to better understand and communicate about them 
5. Life is AWESOME and different and fascinating. All living things have different ways they go about getting the things they need to survive.  

Note: This trip is paired with two, one hour, in-school visits prior to the outdoor field trip at the GBC. The purpose of the indoor visits is to have a presentation where students learn about classification and get to practice comparing the similarities and differences across the reptile, amphibians, bird and insect groups in the animal kingdom.  

NGSS 
Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of TraitsMake Observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents. (1-LS3-1) 

Structure and Function (LS1.A) 

Growth and Development of Organisms (1-LS1-2)