Pollinators to Pioneers

Embark on a journey of discovery and environmental stewardship with "Pollinators to Pioneers: A Citizen Science Journey." This educational program nurtures curiosity and passion for science from the earliest stages of learning through high school, with a special focus on the fascinating world of pollination and citizen science.

Program Structure

Pollinators to Pioneers is designed to provide a seamless educational experience, structured in four distinct student groups:

• Early Elementary (Seeds & Eggs): Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade
• Upper Elementary (Sprouts & Larvae): Third Grade through Fifth Grade
• Middle School (Seedlings & Pupae): Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
• High School (Plants & Pollinators): Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

Teachers and students may participate at any level. To schedule a program, please contact us and include the following information:

• Name of School
• School Contact Information
• Type of Program: Pollinators to Pioneers
• Name of Program
• Program Date (please include three choices)
• Grade level/number of students

 

Seeds & Eggs

GRADE LEVEL: Lower Elementary - Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade

CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION: Reading wtih a Ranger - Save the Bees by Bethany Stahl
Three friends work together to make Clover's pollination route easier.
Students will gather "pollen" from different colored flowers and return it to their hive.
~30 minutes

FIELD EXPERIENCE: Painting Like Pollinators
Students become bees and butterflies, using paint to mimic the process of pollination in a hands-on creative art experience.
Artwork will be displayed in the Visitor Contact Station.
~60 minutes

NEXT GENERATION STANDARDS:
K-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
1-LS1-1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures anad Processes
Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow and meet their needs.
2-LS2-2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and Dynamics
Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.

 

Painting With Pollinators

NPS Photo

Making Bees and Butterflies

NPS Photo

Painting With Pollinators Artwork

NPS Photo

 

Sprouts & Larvae

GRADE LEVEL: Upper Elementary - Third Grade through Fifth Grade

CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION: Creature Creators
Students will gather evidence about real-world pollination and seed dispersal strategies to inform their own animal design.
~50 minutes

FIELD EXPERIENCE: Seeds on the Move
Students will sketch a variety of seeds observed at the park, noting features that help them move or spread. In small groups, they will build models representing different seed dispersal methods (such as wind, water, animals or gravity). Groups will then test thier models for effectiveness and suggest improvements.
~60 minutes

NEXT GENERATION STANDARDS:
3-LS1-1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles, but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction and death.
4-LS1-1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior and reproduction.
5-LS2-1 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and Dynamics
Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers and the environment.

 

Seedlings & Pupae

GRADE LEVEL: Middle School - Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade

CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION: Garden Guardians
Students will apply science, design and sutainability principles to create their own pollinator habitat within real-world environmental challenges.
~60 minutes

FIELD EXPERIENCE: CSI: Special Outdoor Unit
Students will observe and record detailed observations about plants on the phenology walk, contributing their data to a national database to support scientific research.
~90 minutes

NEXT GENERATION STANDARDS:
MS-LS1-4 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants, respectively.
MS-LS2-2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and Dynamics
Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple eosystems.
MS-LS2-4 Ecosystems: Interations, Energy and Dynamics
Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological componenets of an ecosystem affect populations.

 

Plants & Pollinators

GRADE LEVEL: High School - Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

FIELD EXPERIENCE:
Students will visit an established pollinator-friendly area to observe pollinator behavior, plant diversity and ecosystem interactions.

CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION:
Students will use observations from the Field Experience visit, research and ecological design principles to create a plan for a pollinator habitat on their own school grounds. Thier design will incorporate native plants, habitat structures and other strategies to support local pollinators. Students will also mentor younger students by participating in the Reading with the Ranger program to share the importance of pollinators and by supervising and assisting younger students during work days in the school's pollinator habitat area.
~ongoing throughout the school year

NEXT GENERATION STANDARDS:
HS-LS2-6 Ecosystems, Interactions, Energy and Dynamics
Evaluate the claims, evidence and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.
HS-LS2-7 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and Dynamics
Design, evaluate and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.
HS-LS2-8 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and Dynamics
Evaluate evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species' chances to survive and reproduce.