Large River Ecosystems

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1 Large River FIELD TRIPS

2 Large River Exhibit Highlights A field trip to s Large River Ecosystem Exhibit will be an ecology experience to remember and build on! Large River highlights the research of the Institute on by encouraging students to explore large river ecosystems through the place-based lens of the Clark Fork River. Students will experience two water tables, one where they can create their own model river system and another where they can explore the dynamics of our local stretch of the Clark Fork River. Students will also experience a Flight Simulator, and learn how scientists fly over the Clark Fork corridor to collect data about the landscape. Using the simulator, students can virtually fly a plane over the Missoula Valley! During their visit, students will learn about how rivers form, the effects that humans have on the landscape and living systems, and more! Field trips last one hour, and are available year-round. Available times for scheduling include: Mondays and Tuesdays, or mornings of Wednesday through Friday. Call 728-STEM to book your field trip today!

3 FIELD TRIPS Large River Educators, give your students the gift of science! The University of Montana Discovery Area Downtown and the Institute on hosts exciting field trips all year long. During every field trip to the Large River Ecosystem Exhibit, students participate in an activity designed to meet the State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards for elementary, middle, and high school students. Pick your activity: (see next page for grade recommendations) Pieces of Missoula Ecosystem Scavenger Hunt: Participate in a scavenger hunt around to locate common Missoula items. Animal Adaptations: How do animals adapt over time? Find out through this exciting activity about bird beaks! Animal Habitats: Explore Clark Fork River animal habitats through role-play. River Cutters: Conduct stream table experiments to explore how rivers and different rates and patterns of erosion. Contaminants in the Watershed: Investigate how pollution moves through our watershed. Alternative Energies and Biofuels: Explore the possibilities of alternative energies, from solar, wind, and biofuels. River Geomorphology: Conduct the bed load calculation to find out how river moves sediment downstream. The fee for a 1-hour field trip is $3.50 per student. We have a 15-child minimum group fee of $ If your group has less than 15 children, we encourage you to partner with another group for a field trip. We can also work with a smaller group for the minimum group fee. Our field trip fee allows us to maintain the cost of staffing and supplies so that we can provide high quality experiences for students. Similarly, in the interest of providing quality experiences, groups of 30 or more are encouraged to split into smaller groups for field trip visits. has a science store, and often students like to bring money to purchase items. Some of our most popular items are a dollar or less, so if they are interested, they might want to bring some pocket change. Please provide at least 24 hours notice of cancellation; otherwise, a $52.50 cancellation fee applies. Free passes are only valid during public hours. They can t be used during field trips. Call 728-STEM to book your field trip today!

4 Recommendations for Large River Ecosystem Activities by Grade prek K Pieces of Missoula Scavenger Hunt Animal Adaptations Animal Habitats River Cutters Contaminants in the Watershed Alternative Energies and Biofuels River Geomorphology

5 Large River Overview of Montana State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards applied in Large River field trips. Montana OPI Content Standards: Science Standard 3 Science Standard 3 Students, through the inquiry process, demonstrate knowledge of characteristics, structures, and function of living things, the process and diversity of live, and how living organisms interact with each other and their environment. Benchmark, End of Grade 4: 4. Explain cause and effect relationships between nonliving and living components within ecosystems; and explain individual response to the changes in the environment including identifying differences between inherited, instinctual, and learned behaviors. Benchmark, End of Grade 8: 4. Investigate and explain the interdependent nature of populations and communities in the environment and describe how species in these populations adapt by evolving. Science Standard 4 Students, through the inquiry process, demonstrate knowledge of the composition, structures, processes and interactions of Earth s systems and other objects in space. Benchmark, End of Grade 4: 1. Describe and give examples of earth s changing features. 3. Investigate fossils and make inferences about life the plants, animals, and the environment at that time. 5. Identify seasons and explain the difference between weather and climate. Benchmark, End of Grade 8: 3. Use fossil to describe the geological timeline. Benchmark, End of Grade 12: 4. Collect and analyze local and regional weather data to make inferences and predictions about weather patterns; explain factors influencing global weather and climate; and describe the impact on earth of fluctuations in weather and climate (e.g. drought, surface and ground water, glacial instability). Next Generation Science Standards Life Science 1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes K-LS1-1. Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive. Life Science 2: : Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics MS-LS2-3. Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem. MS-LS2-5. Evaluate competing design solutions for maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services. Life Science 4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity 2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. 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.

6 Earth and Space Science 1: Earth s Place in the Universe 2-ESS1-1. Use information from several sources to provide evidence that Earth events can occur quickly or slowly. 4-ESS1-1. Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time. Earth and Space Science 2: Earth s Systems K-ESS2-2. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs. 2-ESS2-1. Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land. 2-ESS2-2. Develop a model to represent the shapes and kinds of land and bodies of water in an area. 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. 4-ESS2-2. Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth s features. 5-ESS2-1. Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact. MS-ESS2-1. Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth s materials and the flow of energy that drives this process. MS-ESS2-2. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth s surface at varying time and spatial scales. HS-ESS2-2. Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth s surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems. HS-ESS2-5. Plan and conduct an investigation of the properties of water and its effects on Earth materials and surface processes. HS-ESS2-6. Develop a quantitative model to describe the cycling of carbon among the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere. Earth and Space Science 3: Earth and Human Activity K-ESS3-1. Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live. MS-ESS3-1. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth s mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes.

7 Large River Key Concepts in Large River The process of erosion shapes that landscape over long periods of time. Animals find the food, water, shelter, and space for living that they need in their habitats. Water transports contaminants through the landscape both above and below the ground. Pre-Visit Discussion We invite you to have a science talk with your class before visiting Large River to explore what ideas students will bring with them on the trip. Below, we provide example questions. You might record the classes responses before and after the field trip to help students document what they learn. What is an ecosystem? How have humans changed the shape of the river and landscape? What tools do scientists and researchers use to study the landscape and ecosystem? Grades K-2: What do animals need to survive? Do all animals need the same things, or do different animals need different things? Grades 3-5: Does the shape of the land always stay the same, or does it change over time? What might cause the shape of the land to change over time? Grades 6-8: How do rivers form? Are all rivers the same, or can rivers be different from each other? If they can be different, what are some examples of how rivers could differ from each other? Grades 9-12: What kinds of substances can be transported through the landscapes by water? How can different contaminants move with water Post-Visit Discussion After visiting Large River, we invite you to review the pre-visit discussion items. What did students learn from their visit to? What was their favorite part of the exhibition? Are they interested in pursuing a career in geosciences? Favorite Links: Check out these great websites to find more information about what ecosystem scientists in Montana are doing, and about educational resources associated with their work! montanaioe.org mtnsfepscor.org raptorview.org