GRADE TOPIC: EXCURSION: ACTIVITY: TIME:

Kindergarten: Butterflies MOSI Butterfly Gardens ($) Students locate host and nectar plants and
spot butterflies that are native to Florida.
Students can also look for eggs,
caterpillars, and chrysalises.
day
1
st
Grade: Landforms St. Augustine ($$) Students will explore Anastasia State
Park and Castillo de San Marcos National
Monument and look at the different
landforms-- islands, peninsulas, seas.
They will look how humans can and have
used the topography of the earth to their
advantage. Students in first grade also
study Florida history so this historic sight
fits nicely.
1 day
2
nd
Grade: Animal Classes
mammal, bird,
reptile, amphibian,
etc.
Hillsborough River State Park
($)
Students will examine the ecosystem at
the Hillsborough River State Park.
Students will walk along the trails and
visit the interpretive center finding
animals and classifying them.
-1 day
3
rd
Grade: Bird Adaptation Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary ($) Students will look at the birds in the
Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, note their
1 day
behavioral and physical features, and
make educated guesses as to why these
features help them survive in their
environment.
4
th
Grade: Fossils Peace River ($) Students will dig and sift in the river
hunting for fossilized shark teeth and
prehistoric mammal bones.
1 day
5
th
Grade: Light, Buoyancy,
Waves, Wind, Stars
Pass-a-Grille Beach ($) Students will put physics in practice at the
beach and explore various concepts. Why
do people get sunburns? How do things
float? Why does the ocean have waves?
What causes the wind? What are stars?
1 day
6
th
Grade: Ocean Science Sea Camp on Big Pine Key
($$$)
Students will spend a few days in Big
Pine Key at Sea Camp. They will learn
ocean concepts through wading,
sponging, kayaking, snorkeling, etc.
3-5 days
7
th
Grade: Astronomy MOSI planetarium ($) Students will visit MOSI planetarium and
attend a night time meeting of the Tampa
astronomers at MOSI. Students will look
through their telescopes, discuss light
pollution.
1 night
8
th
Grade: Hydrosphere Everglades ($$) Students will learn about aquifers, natural 2 days
springs, ponds, lakes, rivers, cypress
basins, water prairies etc. in the
Everglades. Students can go on an airboat
tour with a park ranger.
9
th
Grade: Thermodynamics
and natural
disasters
Biscayne Bay ($$$) Students will travel to Biscayne Bay.
They will learn about the lighthouse and
how fisherman watched the skies to
predict the weather. They will also learn
about Hurricane Andrew and see the
aftermath of damage in Stiltsville and the
coral reefs. They will hear how Park
Rangers are helping to restore the reef.
3 days
10
th
Grade: dAcids and Bases Farm ($) Students will collect soil samples from
various locations on a farm. They will see
if the PH levels of the soil are well suited
to the plants being grown. They will
interview the farmer asking how he
prepares the soil for his plants, what
varieties of plants he uses, and how he
protects his crops.
day
11
th
Grade: Biological
indicators and
Alafia River ($) Students will test the water, look for
biological indicators, and learn how
1 day
pollution phosphorous mining and farming has
damaged the Alafia River ecosystem.
They will also learn what residents are
doing to restore the river to its former
glory.
12
th
Grade: Physics Kennedy Space Center ($$) Students will see how NASA has applied
the physics concepts they have learned
about. One of the goals for twelfth grade
is to Evaluate the difficult issues and
their consequences as they relate to
technology
and the environment with attention to
issues presented by the claims of the
EPA,
AMA, and NASA. It makes sense that
they should visit the Kennedy Space
Center and see how they broach
controversial issues.
1 day