Last updated: August 30, 2021
Lesson Plan
2nd Grade Virtual Field Trip - Nature's Neighborhoods
- Grade Level:
- Lower Elementary: Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade
- Subject:
- Science
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- State Standards:
- 2-LS4-1: Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
- Additional Standards:
- LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans
There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water. (2-LS4-1)
Essential Question
How do the plant communities of Lake Mead National Recreation Area differ from one another?
Objective
-Students will compare at least two different plant communities in the Mojave Desert.
-Students will describe at least one animal and one plant in each community.
-Students will describe at least one animal/plant association.
Background
The Mojave Desert contains several different natural plant communities.
What is a community? It is a place where living things interact in an area of naturally associated species. Plant communities are based on elevation, soil types, amount of precipitation, and major habitat features such as cliffs, springs, washes, and dunes. Some organisms have very specific requirements for life. They can only live in very specific locations, like the desert primrose, which only lives on sandy dunes. Others like jackrabbits are found throughout the Mojave Desert and beyond its boundaries.
This program will focus on a few of the following communities:
- Creosote Bursage - Named for the dominant species in its community, the creosote bursage is the most common community that we see in southern Nevada and the Mojave Desert. Other plants that are common here are the beavertail cactus and the desert trumpet. Plants living in this community tend to have roots that are shallow and spreading. They can more easily soak up water that runs along the surface and does not run deep into the soil.
- Wash -This community is the drainage for flash floods and other wet times of the year. It carries a lot of sediment downstream and only plants with very strong root systems can withstand the flow of flood water. Other plants living in the wash have very short life cycles sprouting and going to seed before the next strong rain, then becoming dormant once again. The water table is usually relatively shallow here so that plants can find water quickly. Water loving plants like catclaw are found in or near washes.
- Wetlands -Because by definition they are a place of permanently wet ground, wetlands are very rare in the desert. However there are a few where springs and seeps force water to the surface, like at Grapevine Canyon and the wash at Las Vegas Bay and have very different plant life than most desert habitats. Plants such as the Cottonwood tree and cattails are two types of plants found in wetlands.
Preparation
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To start, the teacher will give some background to the Mojave Desert and Lake Mead National Recreation Area. There is information included for the teacher in the background information section below or find additional educational resources through Additional Education Resources - Lake Mead National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
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The students will all receive a copy of the field trip guide, digitally or hard copy, and begin the field trip.
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If there is limited technology available, the teacher can make this a group field trip instead of an individual one by showing the slide show and connec
Materials
This presite will allow students to gain an introduction to Lake Mead before taking a virtual field trip.
Download Lake Mead Field Trip Presite Powerpoint
This teacher outline will allow educators to introduce Lake Mead National Recreation Area in advance of a group's virtual visit.
Download Presite Powerpoint Teacher Outline
Procedure
1.) Introduce the students to Lake Mead National Recreation Area by using the "Lake Mead Presite" powerpooint.
2.) Utilize the "Who Lives Here" teacher lesson and follow the prompts to open the field trip video.
3.) Open the "Who Lives Here" virtual field trip video.
Vocabulary
- desert - an area that receives less than ten inches of rainfall a year, experience extreme temperatures and has a high rate of evaporation
- habitat - the place and natural conditions in which a plant or an animal lives
- plant community - an area with a predictable associated group of plants