Overview
The South Florida Museum proposes a partnership with SDMC for 4th grade students, with a focus on Nature of Science,
Earth & Space and Environmental Science core concepts. The Museum will offer a new, comprehensive two hour field
trip program, complemented by bi-annual professional development opportunities, pre- and post-visit activities for
students, and web-based Q&A support. The Museum offers the program to 4th grade students free of charge, and the
Manatee Education Foundation has agreed to fund transportation costs.
The Museum will dedicate staff and volunteer time for program development and implementation, commit museum,
aquarium and planetarium resources to the program, and block off field trip dates to accommodate the entire 4th grade
population. In return, we request that SDMC sanction the program as mandatory for the District’s 4th grade classes.
Program Narrative
Together, the South Florida Museum, Bishop Planetarium and Parker Manatee Aquarium constitute a set of resources
that allow for a uniquely comprehensive survey of 4th grade learning objectives. Working from the Manatee Core
Curriculum, we have developed a field trip program that addresses major concepts introduced in Units 1-5 of the 4th
grade course of study in science (and borrowed a couple of standards from the 5th grade). We’ve reorganized the
sequence of concepts to create a narrative structure for the field trip that traverses scales from the galactic to the
species level.
We begin in the Bishop Planetarium, where we are able to provide students with an unparalleled, immersive exploration
of the space sciences at the galactic, solar system and Earth-Moon system levels.
We will create a customized planetarium presentation that addresses both 4th and 5th grade standards. Using our three
dimensional fly-through map of the Milky Way and our solar system, we will introduce students to the physical
structure of the Milky Way, briefly compare it to nearby galaxies [SC.5.E.5.1], then focus on the Sun as one star in our
galaxy and our solar system as one of many solar systems in the galaxy. A fly through our solar system will include the
Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt (comets and dwarf planets), the outer planets and some of their major moons, the asteroid
belt, the inner planets and Earth [SC.5.E.5.2, SC.5.E.5.3]. By addressing the 5th grade standards and placing our solar
system in a galactic context, we can more effectively address SC.4.E.5.1, showing how our view out into the galaxy
changes as Earth orbits the Sun over the course of a year while also introducing the concepts of Earth’s revolution and
rotation. We will then shift to a focus on the rotation of Earth and the apparent motions of the sun, stars and moon
[SC.4.E.5.4, SC.4.E.5.3]. The moon’s phases will then be addressed with views over the course of a month and a year
[SC.4.E.5.2]. Pre- and post-visit activities reinforcing the planetarium experience will be provided.
Our exploration continues in the Museum, where focus shifts to Earth, Florida and Florida’s Ecosystems. The Museum
provides opportunities to explore Earth’s structure, processes of change on the planet’s surface, the geologic and
environmental origins of Florida’s natural resources, the flow of energy through ecosystems and the impact humans can
have on ecosystems.
We will introduce the structure of Earth with our Meteorite exhibit, which features an Iron/Nickel meteorite with a
composition similar to that of Earth’s core. Using a model of Earth’s interior, we can explore the flow of energy from the
core to the crust, the driving force for the formation of igneous and, through plate tectonics, metamorphic rocks
[SC.4.E.6.1, SC.4.P.11.1, SC.4.P.11.2]. In our Florida: Land of Change exhibition, we shift our focus to Florida, where we
investigate the development of the peninsula from the formation of sedimentary limestone and the ongoing
accumulation of clay and sand derived from weathering and erosion of the Appalachian Mountains [SC.4.E.6.4,
SC.4.P.10.4]. We can then look at natural resources associated with Florida’s geology (phosphate, limestone, oil, silicon
and water) [SC.4.E.6.3 , SC.4.E.6.6].
Our exploration of Florida’s ecosystems will focus on our Environmental Wing, with particular attention paid to the Pine
Uplands, River (fresh, brackish, salt marsh) and Gulf Waters exhibitions. Students will investigate each ecosystem,
mapping the flow of energy from the sun through producers and consumers, recognizing that the general concepts of
energy flow and food webs hold true for all habitats [SC.4.L.17.2, SC.4.L.17.3]. Our focus will then shift to the Pine
Uplands, where we will explore the effects of rapid change in an ecosystem, which led to the decline of species such as
the Florida panther and the gopher tortoise [SC.4.L.16.2, SC.4.L.17.4].
The last exploration will take place in the Parker Manatee Aquarium, where students will encounter live manatees and
discuss their status as an endangered species with Aquarium staff. Particular attention will be paid to rehabilitation and
conservation efforts [SC.4.L.17.4].
Nature of Science standards will be highlighted throughout the field trip.
Throughout the field trip experience, students will be engaged in a variety of learning activities. Specially trained
facilitators will present information, engage students in discussion, and provide opportunities for free and directed
investigations and data gathering (written and video documentation). We will provide teachers with an opportunity to
preview the field trip experience (4th grade teacher open houses in the fall and spring) and provide suggested pre- and
post-visit activities designed to prepare students for the field trip and provide a structure for analyzing and synthesizing
data and observations back in the classroom. Museum staff will be available for web-based question and answer
sessions with classes as they engage in post-visit activities.
Manatee Core Curriculum Alignment
I.
Earth, Space and Seasonal Changes - Planetarium
a. Galaxy* - Planetarium
i. SC.5.E.5.1 Recognize that a galaxy consists of gas, dust and many stars, including any objects
orbiting the stars, identify our home galaxy as the Milky Way
b. Solar System**- Planetarium
i. SC.5.E.5.2 Recognize the major common characteristics of all planets and compare/contrast the
properties of inner and outer planets
ii. SC.5.E.5.3 Distinguish among the following objects of the solar system - Sun, planets, moons,
asteroids, comets and identify Earth’s position in it
c. Apparent motion of stars, sun, moon - Planetarium
i. SC.4.E.5.1 Observe that the patterns of stars in the sky stay the same although they appear to
shift across the sky nightly, and different stars can be seen in different seasons.
ii. SC.4.E.5.4 Relate that the rotation of Earth (day and night) and apparent movements of the Sun,
Moon, and stars are connected.
d. Sun/Earth System - Planetarium
i. SC.4.E.5.3 Recognize that Earth revolves around the Sun in a year and rotates on its axis in a 24hour day.
e. Moon Phases - Planetarium
i. SC.4.E.5.2 Describe the changes in the observable shape of the moon over the course of about a
month.
II.
Earth’s Physical Structure - Museum
a. Structure of Earth & Rock Cycle – Meteorite Exhibit, Model of Earth’s Interior
i. SC.4.E.6.1 Identify the three categories of rocks: igneous (formed from molten rock),
sedimentary (pieces of other rocks and fossilized organisms), and metamorphic (formed from
heat and pressure)
ii. SC.4.P.11.1 Recognize that heat flows from a hot object to a cold object and that heat flow may
cause materials to change temperature
iii. SC.4.P.11.2 Identify common materials that conduct heat well or poorly
b. Weathering and Erosion – Florida Land of Change Exhibition
i. SC.4.E.6.4 Describe the basic differences between physical weathering (breaking down of rock
by wind, water, ice, temperature change, and plants) and erosion (movement of rock by gravity,
wind, water, and ice)
ii. SC.4.P.10.4 Describe how moving water and air are sources of energy and can be used to move
things.
c. Florida Resources – Florida Land of Change Exhibition, River Heritage Exhibition
i. SC.4.E.6.3 Recognize that humans need resources found on Earth and that these are either
renewable or nonrenewable
ii. SC.4.E.6.6 Identify resources available in Florida (water, phosphate, oil, limestone, silicon, wind,
and solar energy).
III.
Interdependence – Museum & Aquarium
a. Flow of energy in Florida ecosystems – Pine Uplands Exhibition, Riverine Exhibition, Gulf Waters
Exhibition
i. SC.4.L.17.2 Explain that animals, including humans, cannot make their own food and that when
animals eat plants or other animals, the energy stored in the food sources is passed to them.
ii. SC.4.L.17.3 Trace the flow of energy from the Sun as it is transferred along the food chain
through the producers to the consumers.
b. Impact on ecosystems – Pine Uplands Exhibition, Gulf Waters Exhibition, Parker Manatee Aquarium
i. SC.4.L.16.2 Explain that although characteristics of plants and animals are inherited, some
characteristics can be affected by the environment
ii. SC.4.L.17.4 Recognize ways plants and animals, including humans, can impact the environment.
IV.
Nature of Science – these standards will be reinforced throughout the program
i. SC.4.N.1.1 Raise questions about the natural world, use appropriate reference materials that
support understanding to obtain information , conduct both individual and team investigations
through free exploration and systematic investigations, and generate appropriate explanations
based on those explorations.
ii. SC.4.N.1.3 Explain that science does not always follow a rigidly defined method, but that science
does involve the use of observations and empirical evidence
iii. SC.4.N.1.4 Attempt reasonable answers to scientific questions and cite evidence in support
iv. SC.4.1.5 Compare methods and results of investigations done by other classmates
v. SC.4.N.1.6 Keep records that describe observations made, carefully distinguishing actual
observations from ideas and inferences about the observations
vi. SC.4.N.1.7 Recognize and explain that scientists base their explanations on evidence
vii. SC.4.N.2.1 Explain that science focuses solely on the natural world
viii. SC.4.N.3.1 Explain that models can be three-dimensional, two-dimensional, and explanation in
your mind, or a computer model