Celebrating Ecosystems: Earth Day 2024

Grades 4-6: Interactive livestream

Overview

Planet Earth is the only planet that supports a diverse system of life: plants, animals, and us! If we listen closely, the Earth has a lot to tell us about how we can help support its biodiversity. Let’s do science together, so we can better understand, respect and protect Earth's amazing ecosystems.

Through scientific observation and inquiry, we will investigate ecosystems of Northern California, where the California Academy of Sciences partners with local communities and caretakers. What can we learn from them, especially youth, as they connect with nature today? At the end of the program, students will reflect on how we can all celebrate the Earth by continuing to care for our Earth’s ecosystems every day.

Schedule: Monday, April 22, 2024

This program is designed for grades 4-6, but all are welcome.

10 am PT, presented in English

Registration is now closed, but we will be sure to post the recording before noon on Monday, so others can watch at a time that fits their bell schedule.

Extension activities for students

Teachers can find optional extension activities that are designed to be self-directed by the students or used as class group work and may be built upon by the teacher if they desire.

If you have time before the livestream, as a class, submit quick responses to a few questions on this Mentimeter poll.

How does it work?

This program lasts approximately 45 minutes, is taught by a team of professional educators, and is broadcast to multiple classes at the same time via YouTube Live. Students will interact with the educators through browser-based polls and hands-on activities.

The program also works well for classes who meet asynchronously because the link for the recording will be shared.

NGSS connections

Performance Expectation

5-ESS3-1.

Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.

Crosscutting Concepts

Systems and System Models: A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions.

Connections to Nature of Science

Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World

Disciplinary Core Ideas

ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems: Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on the land, vegetation, streams, ocean, air, and even outer space. But individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments. (5-ESS3-1)

Connection & technology information

A week before the session, registered parties will receive an email containing the unique YouTube Live destination for the broadcast. If you registered on behalf of multiple classes, forward this along to your buddy teachers.

We highly recommend testing—in advance of the program date—whether the device you plan to use can access YouTube Live. If you can see our Live Penguin Cam, you should also be able to watch other Academy livestreams.

Sorry! The Academy cannot control your district’s security settings.

If you or your students cannot access the Students tab above, you must contact your IT department to whitelist this website.
If you or your students’ district devices cannot access YouTube Live or YouTube videos, you can instead play the embedded Recording, which we will post within 48 hours of the broadcast.
Our programs are designed so that students can participate asynchronously; all interactive aspects such as Mentimeter polls and Padlet student submissions remain active through the semester.

If you have questions or need us to resend the email (check your junk folder first!), please contact us at distancelearning@calacademy.org. We recommend adding that email address to your contacts to help ensure our messages are accepted by your district's email domain.

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