In-class Activities for 1st-5th Grade Students
Discover the Flyway In-class Activities bring the wetlands to you. Based on Discover the Flyway Field Trip activities, In-class Activities provide hands-on, inquiry-based science and social science for 1st through 12th grade students.
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Grade Level In-class Activity Options
| Program Name | Grade Levels | Program Length | Activity #1 | Activity #2 |
| Wetland Pond Study and Salmon in the Wetlands (science) | 1st-2nd | 1 hour (Two 25 minute activities) | Wetland Pond Study | Salmon Senses |
| Wetland Pond Study and Birds in the Wetlands (science) | 3rd-5th | 1 hour (Two 25 minute activities) | Wetland Pond Study | What Can I Eat With This Beak? |
| Patwin Life (social science) | 3rd-4th | 1 hour | Autumn: Acorn Season |
In-class Activity Descriptions
Wetland Pond Study Activity – Station #1 for 1st-5th Grades
Discover the Flyway educators lead students as they collect live aquatic invertebrates from wetland pond water to view, identify, and record. They discover how these animals survive by exploring their movement, adaptations, interactions within the environment, food chains, and life cycles. Students then switch to a teacher-led station based on grade level (see below).
Salmon Senses Activity – Station #2 for 1st-2nd Grades
While half the class is engaged with the Wetland Pond Study activity, the classroom teacher uses Discover the Flyway curriculum to lead the other half of the students as they immerse themselves in the habitats, adaptations, and life cycle of salmon. Students then switch stations. All materials are provided.
Teacher Resources for Salmon Senses:
What Can I Eat with This Beak? Activity – Station #2 for 3rd-5th Grades
While half the class is engaged with the Wetland Pond Study activity, the classroom teacher uses Discover the Flyway curriculum to lead the other half of the students as they research wetland bird biodiversity through hands-on activities and record their findings about bird beaks and diet. Students use various props as beaks to feed on wetland animals and plants in a mock pond to explore co-existence and biodiversity. Students then switch stations. All materials are provided.
Teacher Resources for What Can I Eat with this Beak?:
What Can I Eat with This Beak Write-up
Worksheet
Patwin Life – Autumn Acorn Season (3rd Grade)
In an earlier time, the Central Valley contained enormous stands of oak trees. The nut – or seed – of the oak tree, the acorn, provided an important food source for the Patwin who lived around the edges of the Yolo Basin. Students discover the steps and tools required to process this nutritious and storable native seed in an interactive presentation and hands-on activity.
Program Details
- Discover the Flyway In-class Activities are offered on Thursdays from November through May.
- 1st-5th grade level programs are 1 hour
- One to three presentations of the same program can be offered per date.
- 1st – 5th grade science activities have two stations. Yolo Basin Foundation staff lead the Wetland Pond Study stations and the classroom teacher leads the other station. (All materials are provided by Discover the Flyway staff on the day of the program. Instructions and information for the teacher-led activities are provided with the teacher resources above.)
- Due to materials and set-up, the program needs to be set-up in one location on the school campus. (This could be in one classroom, the auditorium, library, or an outside field or covered area.) Setting up all activities outside or one inside and one outside are both good options.
- 15 minutes is required between programs.
- Maximum number of students per program is one class (up to 35 students).
- Minimum number of students per program is 10.
Program Fees
Program costs per day:
1 Class: $200
2 Classes: $300
3 Classes: $400
Travel Fee: Schools or organizations located more than 25 miles away from the Yolo Basin Foundation office will be charged a travel fee of $0.60 per mile for each additional mile (round-trip).
Questions?
Contact Heidi Satter at hsatter@yolobasin.org.