R4 – Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. We will learn technical terms for botanical and zoological species, types and processes.

SL1 – Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. Time is allowed for questions and discussions about specific topics in each program.

SL2 – Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively and orally. We will present and discuss information in various media formats, including hand-on exploration, outdoor oral presentation and digital media during our programs.

From the Science Standards:

K.L.1 – Investigate different types of the same kind of animals to distinguish individual differences, such as different rodents, snakes, foxes, etc.

1.L.1 – Learn how different animals meet their basic needs of air, water, and food for energy and growth. Learn what they eat and how they grow. See the natural habitats in the nature preserve by walking the trails.

2.L.2.2 – Recognize that there is variation among individuals that are related.

4.L.1 – Discover how animals interact with their environment by adapting to changes and changing behaviors to survive. Learn about differences in individuals that gives them advantages for survival.

5.L.2.1 – Compare the characteristics of several common ecosystems, including estuaries and salt marshes, oceans, lakes and ponds, forests and grasslands.

5.L.2.2 – Classify the organisms within an ecosystem according to the function they serve: producers, consumers, or decomposers (biotic factors).

5.L.2.3 – Infer the effects that may result from the interconnected relationship of plants and animals to their ecosystem.