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       Content-integrated Lessons & Activities for upper elementary grades

The lessons and activities were developed with classroom teachers as part of several grant funded projects to integrate content areas and provide environment-based, outdoor learning opportunities for students. Please peruse the list of activities to find immersive, integrated, outdoor educational experiences for your students.

 Sound through the Lens of Birds
 Activity Science SOL  Math SOL   English SOL Social Science SOL 
Aububon         
 Bird Song Bioacoustics  5.2      
 Mapping Migration   5.8, 5.10    USI.1, WG.1, US1.2, VS.2, USI.2, USII.2, WG.4 
 Spectrogram Analysis 5.1g, 5.2b  5.1, 5.2, 5.5     
Virginia Rocks & Field Geology 
Activity  Science SOL   Math SOL   English SOL  Social Science SOL  
 Geology Field Investigations 5.1, 5.7    5.1, 5.5k   
Mapping Rock Density  5.1 a, b, g; 5.7  5.2, 5.5b, 5.8a, 5.9b   VS.2, USI.2d 
 Rock Cycle Game & Analysis   5.2, 5.5, 5.15     


Connecting Pollination to Habitats, the Landscape, and the Watershed
Activity  Science SOL Math SOL  English SOL  Social Science SOL 
Habitat Mapping   4.4, 4.5, 4.9           VS.1, VS.2  
Insect Investigations   4.4, 4.5, 4.9    4.1f  
Plant and Insect Life Cycles  4.4, 4.5, 4.9  4.4 , 4.5, 4.14  4.4e   
Pollination Garden design and planting  4.1l, 4.9 a,b  4.13, 4.21   
Pollination Station  4.1, 4.4, 4.5   4.14      
What Garden Plants are Good for Pollinators?      4.1, 4.4, 4.6, 4.9   
What Plant Where  4.1, 4.4, 4.5   4.7     
 Schoolyard Watersheds: Place-Based watershed awareness
 Activity  Science  SOL  Math SOL  English SOL Social Science SOL 
Picture Perfect Literacy    4,4, 4.5, 4.6  
Roof Models  4.1, 4.9  4.8     
Runaway Rain   4.1, 4.6 b, 4.9 a 4.4; 4.7 a; 4.8; 4.16   
Schoolyard Surfaces  4.1, 4.9      VS.1i  
Watershed Models 4.1, 4.9      VS.2  
Watershed Journaling/Newsletter      4.7, 4.8   


Developing Literacy and Observation Skills with Trees
Activity  Science  SOL   Math SOL English SOL   Social Science SOL
American Chestnuts 3.1, 3.6, 3.10  3.3, 3.10, 3.17, 3.19  3.1 
Fiction & Non-fiction book pairing     3.1, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6   
Investigation Station (Tree shadow/ length)  3.1  3.4  3.1  3.6 
Pillbug book & observations     3.1, 3.3, 3.6   
Tree Haiku     3.1,3.8, 3.10   
Tree ID by Leaves (leaf observations)   3.1 3.1 a,b,c  3.1   
Tree Planting & Tree care  3.4, 3.7 a, 3.8 c, 3.9 d    3.1   
Using a tree guide  3.1c   3.1, 3.4b & f, 3.6 e & f, 3.7 b   
 Trees as Habitats
 Activity Science  SOL  Math SOL  English SOL Social Science SOL
 Build a Tree Journal  3.1 k    3.1, 3.6, 3.8, 3.9, 3.10   
Decomposition station 3.1, 3.5, 3.6, 3.8  3.9, 3.10, 3.17, 3.20  3.1  3.6 
Evergreen Tree ID 3.1, 3.4    3.1, 3.3, 3.4   
Forest layers 3.1 a,c,h,j,k, 3.4 a & b, 3.5 b, 3.6 b    3.1,  3.2   
Grapes of Class (States of matter) 3.1, 3.3c, 3.9  3.17  3.1  3.6 
How the forest grows (tree measurements) 3.1, 3.8, 3.10  3.9, 3.17  3.1, 3.2, 3.4, 3.6, 3.7   
 Making a time capsule     3.1, 3.10   
Making bird feeders 3.10    3.1   
Properties of leaves 3.1, 3.3  3.3  3.1  3.6 
Schoolyard Trees in Winter (Trees as habitat) 3.1, 3.4, 3.6, 3.10    3.1, 3.2  3.6 
Schoolyard Trees (Math- Tree Perimeter) 3.1 a, c, h, k   3.9, 3.14, 3.17    3.1 3.6  
Seed to Superlative (tree life cycle) 3.8, 3.10 3.9, 3.17  3.1 3.6
Seeds in Different Soils  Experiment  3.1, 3.7, 3.8 3.9, 3.17  3.1  3.6 
Tree planting & Tree Care  3.4, 3.7a, 3.8c, 3.9d   3.1   
Incredible Journey  (Project WET)  3.9 3.3, 3.7  3.1, 3.2   

These materials were developed as part of the following grant projects: 
Tree Fund
Chesapeake Bay Trust
Clarke County Education Foundation 

and with support from The Foundation for the State Arboretum of Virginia, 
Clarke County Public Schools, and Blandy Experimental Farm.