Student volunteers from Red Lion Area Senior High School run a hands-on, activity based ecology field trip for the district's 4th grade classes every year.

1. Fall 2015
4th Grade
Field Trip

2. Introduction
Each year 50 – 60 senior high school student
volunteers present a day long, hands-on, ecological
field trip to the district’s 4th grade classes at an
outdoor location in Felton. Half of the elementary
school’s attend in the Fall, The other half in the
Spring, on a rotating schedule.

3. Introduction
Approximately 10 senior high students are assigned to
each of 5 different subject specific stations. The students
are given intensive training on the station’s content,
supporting activities, and materials. They then work
together to present it to the 4th grade students as they
rotate through each station.

4. Stations
Insect and Arachnids
Energy Flow in an Ecosystem
Reptiles and Amphibians
Stream and Watershed Study
Pond Ecosystem Study

5. Site Map
The Krzeminski Property (formerly Davis farm) at the
corner of Scout Road & Seitz Road, Felton PA.

6. Day’s Schedule
9:30 - 9:35 - Arrival and Introductions
9:35 - 10:15 - 1st Station
10:15 - 10:52 - 2nd Station
10:52 - 11:30 - 3rd Station
11:30 - 11:40 - Bathroom Break and get Lunches
11:40 - 12:30 - Lunch followed by Environmental Games
12:30 - 12:40 - Bathroom Break and Lunch Clean up
12:40 - 1:18 - 4th Station
1:18 - 1:55 - 5th Station
1:55 - 2:00 - Closure and Depart
A whistle is blown or radio used to signal each session’s end.

7. Practice Day
There is a practice day that only the Senior
High School attends to prepare the site,
train the students, practice the flow of the
activities, and see what materials need to
be purchased, repaired, or relocated.

8. Insect & Arachnids
Lesson Essential Questions:
 How can you tell the difference between insects & arachnids?
 How are populations of insects and their predators related?
Vocabulary: Predator, Prey, Cephalothorax, Thorax, Abdomen,
Concepts:
 Characteristics of insects.
 Insects exhibit amazing variety.
 Insects can be caught by using proper techniques.
 Bats help to reduce the insect population.
Activities:
 Whiteboard Q&A on insect versus arachnid traits.
 View a professional collection of insects.
 Play bat / moth tag game.
 Play predator / prey Frisbee game.
 Use terrestrial nets to collect & identify insects.

9. Sr. High student-instructors.
Insects

10. Insects
Station & Lesson Essential Question.

11. Insects
Pair-share whiteboard insect Vs. arachnid introduction.

12. Insects
Pair-share whiteboard insect Vs. arachnid introduction.

13. Insects
Pair-share whiteboard insect Vs. arachnid introduction.

14. Insects
Correcting pair-share whiteboard Introduction.

15. Insects
Bat - Moth game (Like Marco-Polo, but on land)

16. Insects
More Bat - Moth game.

17. Insects
More Bat - Moth game.

18. Insects
More Bat - Moth game.

19. Insects
More Bat – Moth game.

20. Insects
More Bat – Moth game.

21. Insects
Instructions on use of terrestrial nets for specimen collecting.

22. Insects
Collecting with terrestrial nets.

23. Insects
More insect and arachnid collecting

24. Insects
More insect and arachnid collecting

25. More insect and arachnid collecting.
Insects

26. Insects
A praying mantis found while collecting.

27. A grasshopper found while collecting.
Insects

28. Energy Walk
Lesson Essential Questions:
 How does energy flow through a land ecosystem?
 How do interactions between living and non-living things
impact energy flow?
Vocabulary:
Producer, Consumer, Herbivore, Carnivore, Omnivore, Energy Pyramid
Concepts:
 Energy flow through an ecosystem is diagramed in an energy pyramid.
 Food chains show the flow of energy from one creature to another. Food
webs are a more realistic view of energy flow.
 Some animals adapt to lack of available food in the winter by hibernating or
migrating.
Activities:
 Relate the food pyramid to PA species.
 Assign species cards to students and discuss related energy flow.
 Go on an energy walk that introduces scenarios showing the flow of energy
within a PA ecosystem.
 Play musk ox maneuvers game.
 Play predator / prey races.

29. Energy
Sr. High student-instructors.

30. Energy
Introduction to food pyramids & energy flow.

31. Energy
Food pyramids & energy flow.

32. Energy
Food chain demo.

33. Energy
Food chain demo.

34. Energy
Food chain demo.

35. Energy
Food chain demo.

36. Energy
Energy walk activity.

37. Energy
Energy walk activity.

38. Energy
Energy walk activity.

39. Energy
Energy walk activity.

40. Energy
Energy walk activity – bears looking for “food”.

41. Energy
Predator prey game.

42. Energy
Predator prey game.

43. Energy
Predator prey game.

44. Energy
Predator prey games.

45. Reptiles & Amphibians
Lesson Essential Questions:
 How can you tell the difference between reptiles & amphibians?
 How do you safely interact with reptiles & amphibians?
Vocabulary: Amphibian, Reptile, Venomous
Concepts:
 Reptiles and amphibians share some characteristics, but are distinctly different animal
phyla.
 PA has certain reptiles & amphibians.
 Most amphibians and reptiles in PA are not harmful to humans, but 3 species of snakes
are.
 The poisonous snakes of PA can be identified using common characteristics.
 There is a great diversity of amphibians and reptiles.
Activities:
 Whiteboard Q&A on reptiles & amphibians.
 Meet & greet with the visiting species (python, bearded dragon, tortoise, red-eared
slider turtle).
 Pass around simulation of characteristics.
 Show posters and discuss characteristics while relating to visiting species.

46. Reptiles
Sr. High Student-instructors.

47. Reptiles
Domestic snake examples.

48. Reptiles
Watching reptile Vs. amphibian demonstrations.

49. Reptiles
Watching reptile Vs. amphibian demonstrations.

50. Reptiles
Watching reptile Vs. amphibian demonstrations.

51. Reptiles
Students viewing reptile examples.

52. Reptiles
Domestic skink and tortoise examples.

53. Stream
Lesson Essential Questions:
 How can you avoid polluting your watershed?
 What do the creatures tell us about the quality of a
waterway?
Vocabulary: Pollution, Tolerance, Class I, II, & III
Concepts:
 A watershed is the area of land that drains into a body of water.
 Many substances pollute our waterways. Sediment is a major pollutant.
 Water pollution can be prevented.
 Biodiversity and indicator species can tell the water quality of a creek.
Activities:
 Water pollution simulation.
 Use aquatic nets in the stream to collect & identify bug samples.
 Estimate the stream water quality based on the bugs found.

54. Stream
Sr. High student instructors.

55. Stream
Introduction to watersheds.

56. Stream
Introduction to watersheds.

57. Stream
Collecting invertebrates in the stream.

58. Stream
Collecting invertebrates in the stream.

59. Stream
Collecting invertebrates in the stream.

60. Stream
Collecting invertebrates in the stream.

61. Stream
More collecting invertebrates in the stream.

62. Stream
More collecting invertebrates in the stream.

63. Stream
Gathering and identifying collected creatures.

64. Stream
Overview of all collected creatures to indicate stream
quality.

65. Stream
Stream creatures caught during student sampling.
Crayfish
Dragonfly larvae
Bullfrog tadpoles

66. Stream
Stonefly larvae which can not tolerate pollution.

67. Pond
Lesson Essential Questions:
 How does energy flow through a pond ecosystem?
 How available is fresh clean water on our planet?
Vocabulary:
Producer, Photosynthesis, Food Chain, Primary & Secondary Consumer
Concepts:
 A pond is an ecosystem made of living & nonliving components.
 A wide variety of plants and animals have adapted to living in ponds.
 A small % of the water on this planet is available for plants, animals, & us.
 Food chains show the transfer of energy from one organism to another.
 Food webs are made of several interconnecting food chains.
Activities:
 Demonstration analogy for amount of available fresh water.
 Yarn demonstration of food chains and webs.
 Use aquatic nets in the pond to collect & identify bug samples.

68. Pond
Sr. High student instructors

69. Pond
Sr. High student waiting for his turn to present.

70. Pond
Introduction to LEQs and Pond ecosystems.

71. Pond
Introduction to available fresh water on Earth.

72. Pond
Discussion of pond compared to stream food chains.

73. Pond
Overview of “D”-net use.

74. Pond
Student specimen collecting.

75. Pond
More student specimen collecting.

76. Pond
More student specimen collecting.

77. Pond
More student specimen collecting.

78. Pond
More student specimen collecting.

79. Pond
More student specimen collecting.

80. Pond
More student specimen collecting.

81. Pond
More student specimen collecting.

82. Pond
More student specimen collecting.

83. Pond
Review specimens collected and discuss pond quality.

84. Lunch & Games
Lunch is followed by
rotation through 3 ecology games.
What time is it Mr. Fox?
Oh Deer!
Salmon Run!

85. Wrap up
At the end of the day, the 4th Grade students are
lead in a review of the LEQ’s from each station.