Hike the Habitat: Field Trip in Canyonlands National Park, Utah

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This detailed lesson plan for a field trip to Canyonlands National Park in Utah (page 32 of pdf) teaches students about the habitat of bighorn sheep. The trip, which includes a strenuous hike, introduces students to animal tracking, observation of nature, and ideas about the inter-connectivity of plants and animals in any given area. The 21-page lesson plan includes background material on local ecosystems and about bighorn sheep, along with pre- and post-field trip classroom activities to enhance and ground the experience of the field trip. This lesson plan is written for 6th grade students. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
10 to 30 minutes
Learning Time:
1 to 7 days
Estimated Materials Cost:
Over $20 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 11 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Field Trip, Lesson/Lesson Plan
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • Binoculars (ideally each student will have a pair, but they could also share)
  • Track Pattern Cards and laminated construction paper “tracks” (one per student; templates included in lesson plan)
  • Two copies (at least) of 'Animal Tracks of the Southwest' (Stall 1990) or other tracking field guides
  • 'Who Am I?' plant riddles (one per student; template included in lesson plan)
  • Small poster with the anatomy of a bird on one side and the names of seven birds to be discussed on the other
  • Pictures of seven commonly-seen birds
  • Bird field guide
  • Bright clothing for human bird dress-up
  • Maps of area

Keywords

Subjects

  • Life Sciences
    • Diversity of Life
      • Plants
      • Animals
      • Protists and Fungi
      • Classification
    • Ecology
      • Populations
      • Biodiversity
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Asking Questions
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data

Informal Categories

  • Animals
  • Nature and Environment
  • Outdoor Activity
  • Physical Activity

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • hear
  • be mobile

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves teamwork and communication skills
  • Uses STEM to solve real-world problems
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

Includes alignment to state and/or national standards:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, U.S. National Parks,