During the summer of 2000, a group of teachers and students from
District 51 worked with faculty and students from Mesa State College
in Grand Junction, Colorado, on a project funded by the Colorado
Institute of Technology. The goal of the project was to show teachers
how field trips could be used to teach children science.
The project team took four field trips during a five-week period.
The teachers and Mesa State students produced field guides for
these trips. These guides contain a narrative description of the
trip, data sheets of selected flora and fauna found in the field,
and general tips for teachers wanting to take their students to
the field. The team also included some general information about
ecosystems in Colorado and a history of the Grand Valley. There
is an extensive bibliography in each guide that can be used to
find sources for more information.
As you read the field trip narrative, you will notice that some
words are printed in color and underlined (i.e. talus).
These terms are explained in the glossary and can be found by
simply clicking on the word. Other underlined words in color denote
hyperlinks to pictured datasheets of plants, insects, and fish,
or new pages with information on ecosystems, history, etc. We
hope you find these guides useful teaching tools for science.
We'll see you in the field.
The Project Team:
