Under Museum Staff or Volunteer direction, teachers and parent volunteers lead student activities. Programs include hands-on materials, student workbooks and a teacher's guide. All programs are conducted in one of the Museum’s exciting galleries.
A BUG'S WORLD
Within the setting of the Museum’s Bug Room, students will learn about the adaptive features of a variety of insects and spiders by examining both live insects and mounted specimens. Students will discover which insects may be found in their backyards and possibly even in their homes! They will study insect characteristics, see how insects eat, learn what insects do to protect themselves and how insects are beneficial to people.
Book early! This program is always a sell out!
Best Curriculum Fit:
Science Topic 2E - Small Crawling and Flying Animals
Length/Time of Year:
2 hours September 22, 2008 - June 12, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
30
Number of Supervisors :
5 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
ABORIGINAL PEOPLE AND THE FUR TRADE
This program is rich in hands-on materials and engaging stories of people who lived during the Fur Trade. Students will learn how life changed for Aboriginal people and for the fur traders during the fur trade period. Some of the topics that will be covered are: a trade ceremony between Anthony Henday and the Blackfoot, the roles of Aboriginal women and men in the Fur Trade, residential schools, treaties and the killing of the Bison. This program is conducted in the Syncrude Gallery of Aboriginal Culture.
Best Curriculum Fit:
Social Studies General Outcome 4.2 - The Stories, Histories and Peoples of Alberta Social Studies General Outcome 4.3 - Alberta: Celebrations and Challenges
Length/Time of Year:
2 hours September 22, 2008 - June 12, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
45
Number of Supervisors :
5 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
ALBERTA'S FIRST PEOPLE
What is a seasonal round? Why were natural resources important to Aboriginal people and how were they used? Students will learn about the people who lived in this region before European contact. They will compare lifestyles of Aboriginal people in southern and northern Alberta and discover, in part through investigation of hands-on items, how these people used the natural resources around them. This program is conducted in the Syncrude Gallery of Aboriginal Culture.
Best Curriculum Fit:
Social Studies General Outcome 4.1 - Alberta: A Sense of the Land Social Studies General Outcome 4.2 - The Stories, Histories and Peoples of Alberta
Length/Time of Year:
2 hours September 22, 2008 - June 12, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
45
Number of Supervisors :
5 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
BROKEN PROMISES - RENEWED HOPES
By researching people and events in Alberta during the latter part of the 19th century, students develop and present a "Heritage Moment" from a First Nations perspective. Students will examine the signing of the treaties, Métis settlements and scrip, resistance to government policy, residential schools, the Indian Act and the impact of farming and mining on Aboriginal people. The program will conclude with a discussion of how these historical events still affect Aboriginal communities today. This program is conducted in the Syncrude Gallery of Aboriginal Culture.
Best Curriculum Fit:
Social Studies General Outcome 7.2 - Following Confederation: Canadian Expansions
Language Arts - General Outcome 2 (Comprehend and Respond Critically), General Outcome 4 (Clarity and Artistry of Communication) and General Outcome 5 (Respect and Collaborate)
Length/Time of Year:
2 hours September 22, 2008 - June 12, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
30
Number of Supervisors :
5 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
BUDDING BOTANISTS
Your budding botanists will be introduced to major plant groups: vascular plants, mosses and lichens. Through hands-on activities students will see how mosses come back to life and determine how much water lichen can absorb. They will learn to identify and describe the parts of flowering plants and mosses; learn how plants reproduce; learn the life cycles of flowering plants and mosses; and classify plants based on their characteristics. The importance of plants to humans, past and present, will also be investigated. This program is conducted in the Natural History Gallery.
Best Curriculum Fit:
Science Topic 4E - Plant Growth and Change
Length/Time of Year:
2 hours September 22, 2008 - June 12, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
45
Number of Supervisors :
6 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
DISASTER ZONE!
Disaster Zone! An interpreter-led tour guides students in an investigation of Alberta’s ecosystems with a focus on natural succession. In Wild Alberta, students will research and use critical thinking skills to prepare a presentation to their classmates on disturbances in nature. Topics include how fires, urban development and resource extraction affect organisms in their environments.
Best Curriculum Fit:
Grade 7 Science Unit A - Interactions and Ecosystems (Social and Environmental Emphasis)
Junior High Environmental and Outdoor Education
Language Arts - General Outcome 2 (Comprehend and Respond Critically)
Social Studies Goal - Responsible Citizenship, Participation Skills and Inquiry Strategies
Length/Time of Year:
2 hours September 22, 2008 - June 12, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
30
Number of Supervisors :
3 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
FOREST FORENSICS
This program encourages students to investigate forests in Wild Alberta by using their observation skills to uncover clues about serious threats to the natural world. In groups, students will investigate (C.S.I. style) forest "crime scenes" related to Alberta's forests today by focusing on the effects of Mountain Pine Beetle and Forest Tent Caterpillar infestations. Students will also explore the effects of fire on forests and will search the gallery for clues to a puzzle that reveals something of the complex and essential relationships which forest species have with fire. In the program's introduction and conclusion we will also introduce some of the other important relationships we have with our forests such as recreation and forestry. The Forest Forensics program is a great way to introduce or review two science topics at once.
Best Curriculum Fit:
Science Topic 6D - Evidence and Investigation
6E - Trees and Forests
Length/Time of Year:
2 hours September 22, 2008 - June 12, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
30
Number of Supervisors :
3 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
JOURNEY THROUGH GEOGRAPHY
Students need more than a map to fully appreciate the wonders of Alberta. The Wild Alberta gallery is the perfect place in which to explore Alberta's six natural regions. In groups, students research the natural regions with the help of specimens, maps and Museum display. They will learn about the characteristics (e.g., geology, climate, plants and animals) of these regions, about natural resource use and habitat conservation. Teachers comment that this program is a tremendous introduction or wrap-up to this Social Studies topic!
Best Curriculum Fit:
Social Studies General Outcome 4.1 - Alberta: A Sense of the Land
Length/Time of Year:
2 hours September 22, 2008 - June 12, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
30
Number of Supervisors :
6 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
KANATA: STORIES OF THE LAND AND ITS' PEOPLE
Learn about the stories which Aboriginal people passed from generation to generation and how these stories reflect the dynamic nature of First Nations cultures. Discover how the land taught the first people how to live within their environment. Learn about foods that were unique to different regions of Canada and how First Nations people organized themselves and developed technologies to best utilize the resources available to them. We discuss west coast food such as salmon, shellfish and seaweed and go on to learn about the three sisters from the great lakes region. Students will investigate the extensive trade networks of First Nations people to understand how trade linked Aboriginal people with the rest of the world. There will also be time for students to enjoy the play of indigenous games and sports. This program takes place in the Syncrude Gallery of Aboriginal Culture.
Best Curriculum Fit:
Social Studies General Outcome 5.2 - Histories and Stories of Ways of Life in Canada Specific Outcomes - 5.2.1, 5.2.2, 5.2.4
Length/Time of Year:
2 hours September 22, 2008 - June 12, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
45
Number of Supervisors :
5 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
MYSTERIES IN STONE
Students will learn to describe and classify rocks based on given properties and tests and will identify minerals based on colour, texture, lustre and hardness. They will see how rocks and minerals are used in everyday life and hear folklore about gemstones. Programs are conducted in the Museum’s outstanding Natural History Gallery.
Best Curriculum Fit:
Science Topic 3A - Rocks and Minerals
Length/Time of Year:
2 hours
September 22, 2008 – March 27, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
45
Number of Supervisors :
6 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
OUR LEARNING PATHS
Through stories and hands-on activities in the Syncrude Gallery of Aboriginal Culture, students will be introduced to some First Nations children and their families and friends from the city, a reserve and a Métis settlement. Students will compare life in the past with that of today and will see that Elders in these communities play an important role in passing on values and traditions.
Best Curriculum Fit:
Social Studies 1.1 My World: Home, School and Community Social Studies 1.2 Moving Forward with the Past: My Family, My History and My Community
Length/Time of Year:
1 hour September 22, 2008 - June 12, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
30
Number of Supervisors :
4 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
RESPECTING BIODIVERSITY
What is biodiversity? Do we have it in Alberta? Give your students a rich science inquiry experience that will enable them to answer these questions. Students will tour the aquatic environments in Wild Alberta and will work in teams to explore habitat diversity, species, and the impact of human activity on biodiversity.
Best Curriculum Fit:
Grade 9 Science Unit A - Biological Diversity (Social and Environmental Emphasis)
Jr. High Environmental and Outdoor Education
Social Studies Goal - Responsible Citizenship, Participation Skills and Inquiry Strategies
Length/Time of Year:
2 hours September 22, 2008 - June 12, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
30
Number of Supervisors :
3 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
SENSING ANIMALS
What do your students wonder about? Come to Wild Alberta, where they can use their senses to explore how animals meet their needs. This is an interactive, interpreter-led science inquiry program that will encourage your students’ natural curiosity.
Book this as a complement to a Discovery Room program or as a visit on its own!
Best Curriculum Fit:
Science Topic 1A - Creating Colour
Science Topic 1D - Senses
Science Topic 1E - Needs of Plants and Animals
Length/Time of Year:
1 hour September 22, 2008 – June 12, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
30
Number of Supervisors :
4 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
STORIES OF THE EARTH
Working in groups, students employ the archaeological techniques of investigation and analysis to identify an assemblage of artifacts once used by Aboriginal people in this region. Students will determine the time period from which these items originated and then write a story about how their items might have met the basic needs of the people who used them. This program is conducted in the Syncrude Gallery of Aboriginal Culture.
Best Curriculum Fit:
Social Studies Topic 6B - Greece: An Ancient Civilization
Science Topic 6D - Evidence and Investigation
Length/Time of Year:
2 hours September 22, 2008 - June 12, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
45
Number of Supervisors :
6 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
THE EARTH'S CRUST
What happens when the earth’s plates move? What is a rock cycle? Students will learn the answers to these questions and more. They will uncover some of the earth's geological mysteries as they sort through a miniature fossil dig and identify different types of fossils. They will examine, identify and classify rock samples. They will also learn about some of Canada’s geological resources and the products that are made from them. A highlight for the students is making toothpaste! This program is conducted in the Natural History Gallery.
Best Curriculum Fit:
Grade 7 Science Unit E - Planet Earth
Length/Time of Year:
2 hours September 22, 2008 - June 12, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
30
Number of Supervisors :
3 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
WETLAND EXPLORER
In Wild Alberta students can study wetlands without even getting their feet wet! An interpreter-led tour of the gallery will introduce students to a variety of producers, consumers and decomposers living in wetlands. Students visit a bog, marsh and shallow open-water wetland to learn about species in their natural habitat. They will learn how adaptations allow animals and plants to survive in wetland environments. This indoor program runs rain or shine!
Best Curriculum Fit:
Science Topic 5E - Wetland Ecosystems
Length/Time of Year:
2 hours September 22, 2008 - June 12, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
30
Number of Supervisors :
3 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
WHEN I GROW UP
Students will investigate and compare the characteristics and life cycles of insects, birds, mammals and amphibians or fishes. As researchers, students will find and observe animals in their habitats, and will see and touch items related to each animal. They will read stories, draw pictures and encounter live animals in Wild Alberta.
Book early for best times!!
Best Curriculum Fit:
Science Topic 3E - Animal Life Cycles
Length/Time of Year:
2 hours September 22, 2008 - June 12, 2009
Maximum Number of Students:
60
Number of Supervisors :
6 (plus teachers)
Cost
$4.00 per student
WILD WATER CHALLENGE
Students will gain an appreciation of the biodiversity found in Alberta’s freshwater ecosystems as they travel through Wild Alberta, from glaciers and mountain streams to lakes and sloughs. This issues-based program requires that students use research, discussion, critical thinking skills and presentations to start to develop a water action plan for Albertans.
Best Curriculum Fit:
Grade 8 Science Unit E - Freshwater and Saltwater Systems (Social and Environmental Emphasis)
Language Arts - General Outcome 2 (Comprehend and Respond Critically), General Outcome 4 (Clarity and Artistry of Communication) and General Outcome 5 (Respect and Collaborate)
Under Museum Staff or Volunteer direction, teachers and parent volunteers lead student activities. Programs include hands-on materials, student workbooks and a teacher's guide. All programs are conducted in one of the Museum’s exciting galleries.
