Backyard Explorers: Connecting Local Elementary Students with the Nature Behind Their School

Isla Vista Elementary School Field Trips to University of California Coal Oil Point Preserve and University of California Santa Barbara North Campus Open Space

In my role as an environmental science instructor for The Cheadle Center's Kids in Nature Program, I had the privilege of developing original lesson plans and guiding weekly field trips for 70+ fifth-grade students from Isla Vista Elementary School during the Fall of 2022 and Winter of 2023. During this time I developed two lesson plans titled, "Beach Hoppers," and "Wetland & Coastal Erosion," as further described below. I later assumed the position of a teaching assistant for the UCSB Gervitz Graduate School of Education and Environmental Studies Program joint-course, ENVS 191 Nature Education Practicum, where I supported 40+ undergraduate student-teachers in acquiring the necessary skills to deliver outdoor lessons focused on environmental sciences.

Lesson Title: Beach Hoppers

Location: Coal Oil Point Reserve

Next Generation Science Standard: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems

Lesson Description

Kelp washed onto the beach is called wrack. Many kinds of invertebrate animals eat wrack and provide an important food source for dozens of shorebird species that inhabit Santa Barbara’s beaches. However, a common argument in favor of removing beach wrack is that some consider it unsightly, pungent, and overly abundant. As part of a coastal community here in Santa Barbara, this topic presents an important civic science issue that students’ ideas and voices play a role in resolving. This lesson will provide students with a scientific perspective relating to the role wrack plays in beach ecosystems by taking a closer look at sand hopper habitat so that they are able to draw informed conclusions in support of or opposing its removal.

Student Takeaways

The final concept we aimed for students to grasp was the significance of wrack (seaweed, etc.) in our local beach ecosystems, as well as the importance of sand hoppers within this ecosystem. We wanted students to understand that wrack served as both shelter and a vital food source for beach hoppers. Additionally, we emphasized that sand hoppers fed on the wrack, while birds, in turn, fed on the sand hoppers. By comprehending these connections, we hoped students would conclude that sand hoppers thrived in the presence of fresh seaweed, and without wrack on the beaches, the entire food web would have collapsed, resulting in a significant decline in the populations of sand hoppers and birds.

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Lesson Title: Wetland & Coastal Erosion

Location: North Campus Open Space

Next Generation Science Standards: Human Impacts on Earth Systems, Earth Materials and Systems

Lesson Description

Watersheds function as drainage basins by allowing the surface water and stormwater runoff within these areas to drain into other larger bodies of water. It is essential to consider these downstream impacts when developing urban areas and considering the preservation of water quality and surrounding ecosystems. If surface water and stormwater are not intercepted by watersheds, this excess is retained which can exacerbate flash-flooding and erosive impact. In increasingly urbanized landscapes there are more impermeable surfaces that do not absorb and detain water such as roofs, roads, parking lots, and driveways. Urbanization can amplify flood levels and erosive power which drives habitat degradation, and water pollution. In this lesson, students will be able to interact and engage with this issue by understanding the critical function of wetlands as drainage basins and the impacts our development choices have on the environment. Students can engage with this issue beyond this lesson by continuing meaningful discussions with family members and peers about the significance of these areas to natural ecosystem function as well as acknowledge the dangers posed to our communities if they are destroyed.

Student Takeaways

The goal of our lesson was to understand the structure and function of wetlands within Earth's geological systems as natural providers of flood storage, erosion control, habitat, and improved water quality. Students were also expected to gain awareness of the threats urban development posed to wetlands, such as increased erosion impact, flash-flooding, and habitat degradation.