Ballona Wetlands (Rosalyn Montgomery)
Reviewed by:
Rosalyn Montgomery, Science Teacher at Emerson Community Charter Middle School
Location:13110 Bluff Creek Dr., Los Angeles, Ca 90094
GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 33.969288 | Longitude: -118.423795
Description: Ballona Wetlands has 3 regions that you can visit: the salt marsh, the fresh water marsh, and the discovery park. Students can walk through the discovery park and follow signs that identify the various species of the marsh. Students can also learn about the changes in the marsh land over time. Native and non-native plants and animal species are pictured and labeled. The discovery park is free and always available to the public. It is a great place to start any field-trip to the marsh. This field trip guide primarily focuses on the Discovery park and the fresh water marsh. From the discovery park, students can also observe the riparian corridor, the riparian forest and the bluffs. The mission of this field trip is to expose middle school students to a natural preserved habitat found in the greater Los Angeles area. Another mission is to present an example of mans impact on preserving and restoring a habitat. The students can also learn the history of the area as well as future plans. The salt water marsh is also available by appointment with a guide.
Audience: Middle school science teachers should take students to this location because it gives students an opportunity to experience a habitat and food web native to California. The middle school NGSS standards culminates with human impact on the environment. This site allows students to observe food webs, collect data on native and non-native species, and to see the positive and negative effects of mankind on the natural environment.
A physics teacher would benefit visiting the Mount Wilson Observatory because they could witness practical examples of interferometry at the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA), and reflective optics (Hooker and Hale telescopes).
An environmental science teacher would benefit by a visit to Mount Wilson because it provides local examples of chaparral and mixed coniferous forests, air and light pollution, inversion layers, mountain building (transverse ranges), earthquake faults (San Gabriel fault), rock cycles, and many other phenomenon.
Science Concepts Addressed:
Science & Engineering Practices
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Analyzing data in 6–8 builds on K–5 experiences and progresses to extending quantitative analysis to investigations, distinguishing between correlation and causation, and basic statistical techniques of data and error analysis.
Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for phenomena.
Engaging in Argument from Evidence
Engaging in argument from evidence in 6–8 builds on K–5 experiences and progresses to constructing a convincing argument that supports or refutes claims for either explanations or solutions about the natural and designed world(s).
Evaluate competing design solutions based on jointly developed and agreed-upon design criteria.
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 6–8 builds on K–5 experiences and progresses to include constructing explanations and designing solutions supported by multiple sources of evidence consistent with scientific ideas, principles, and theories.
Construct an explanation that includes qualitative or quantitative relationships between variables that predict phenomena.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms
Animals engage in characteristic behaviors that increase the odds of reproduction.
Plants reproduce in a variety of ways, sometimes depending on animal behavior and specialized features for reproduction.
LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Organisms, and populations of organisms, are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors.
In any ecosystem, organisms and populations with similar requirements for food, water, oxygen, or other resources may compete with each other for limited resources, access to which consequently constrains their growth and reproduction.
Growth of organisms and population increases are limited by access to resources.
Similarly, predatory interactions may reduce the number of organisms or eliminate whole populations of organisms. Mutually beneficial interactions, in contrast, may become so interdependent that each organism requires the other for survival. Although the species involved in these competitive, predatory, and mutually beneficial interactions vary across ecosystems, the patterns of interactions of organisms with their environments, both living and nonliving, are shared.
LS2.B: Cycle of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
Food webs are models that demonstrate how matter and energy is transferred between producers, consumers, and decomposers as the three groups interact within an ecosystem. Transfers of matter into and out of the physical environment occur at every level. Decomposers recycle nutrients from dead plant or animal matter back to the soil in terrestrial environments or to the water in aquatic environments. The atoms that make up the organisms in an ecosystem are cycled repeatedly between the living and nonliving parts of the ecosystem.
LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience
Biodiversity describes the variety of species found in Earth’s terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems. The completeness or integrity of an ecosystem’s biodiversity is often used as a measure of its health.
LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans
Changes in biodiversity can influence humans’ resources, such as food, energy, and medicines, as well as ecosystem services that humans rely on—for example, water purification and recycling. (secondary)
ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions
There are systematic processes for evaluating solutions with respect to how well they meet the criteria and constraints of a problem. (secondary)
Crosscutting Concepts
Cause and Effect
Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems.
Patterns
Patterns can be used to identify cause and effect relationships.
Stability and Change
Small changes in one part of a system might cause large changes in another part.
Connections to Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World
The use of technologies and any limitations on their use are driven by individual or societal needs, desires, and values; by the findings of scientific research; and by differences in such factors as climate, natural resources, and economic conditions. Thus technology use varies from region to region and over time.
Connections to Nature of Science
Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World
Scientific knowledge can describe the consequences of actions but does not necessarily prescribe the decisions that society takes.
Give examples of specific science concepts that may be addressed by visitng the field trip site and explain how they are addressed. For example, the following science concepts can be addressed by a field trip to the Mount Wilson Observatory.
Reflector telescopes: Mount Wilson Observatory manages th 60" Hale Telescope and the famous 100" Hooker telescope.
Speed of light: The speed of light was calculated by an experiment conducted atop Mt. Wilson by Michelson.
Solar activity: The solar telescopes study helioseismmology and changes in the sun's nature.
Expanding universe: Edwin Hubble proposed that the universe is expanding by discovering redshift when viewing through the Hooker telescope.
Galaxies, nebula, etc: Many of these have been discovered or characterized by astronomers working at the Mount Wilson Observatories.
Biomes and Ecosystems: One travels through chaparral and mixed coniferous forests when traveling to Mount Wilson.
Study Guide:
Discovery Park has Wifi Available. The Google Form Below can be used as a guide for students as they go through the park and the freshwater marsh.
Google Docs Field Trip Guide can be downloaded by students ahead of time into their google drive. They can answer questions and upload pictures offline while exploring and the data will be pooled when internet is available.
Informational map: A map of the field trip site with key features labeled.
Tasks: At least three tasks for the students to perform while at the field trip site.
Observations: A minimum of 10 observational questions that can only be answered if students have visited the site.
Higher Order Questions / Activities: A minimum of 3 higher order questions or activities that can only be answered if students have visited the site.
Photographs: Include a minimum of five good, unique photographs that highlight science concepts listed above. Make certain to explain each photograph and the science concepts illustrated.
For additional information: The Ballona Wetlands is an active nature preserve/ restoration project. For more information about field trips and how you can help, please visit the sites provided.