"Calling Nature Home: Restoring Environmental Justice in an Urban Wetland"

Environmental Education Curriculum

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LEJ's unique K-12 curriculum focuses on environmental health and justice, with lesson modules that directly address the daily lives of urban children and youth. While the modules were created for the natural areas in southeast San Francisco, many of the activities can be applied to any wetland area. The 2nd edition has been completely revised, and each module is matched to California State standards.

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Purchase Entire Book Includes Introduction, Glossary, Field Guide, and all Pre-Trip, Field Trip, and Post-Trip modules shown below.

The Basics

Pre-Trip Classroom Activities

Module Name	Overview	Grade Level
Field Trip Preparation FREE Click to Download	Heron's Head Park and Candlestick Point State Recreation Area are natural areas that contain some of the few wetlands in San Francisco. As stewards of the parks, we must be respectful of the plants and animals, including other humans we will encounter. This activity prepares students for a field trip to Heron's Head Park or Candlestick Point. Students will collectively create a set of agreements to act in respectful and responsible ways during the field trip.	Gr. K-12
Native Species Web	Students investigate native flora and fauna by modeling the web of interaction in a native ecosystem. They learn about invasive species by modeling the chang in biodiversity that takes place when invasive species are introduced into a habitat. Each student represents a biotic or abiotic component of the ecosystem in order to draw relationships between the different factors. We will examine urbanization, native species within local ecosystems, and habitat restoration.	Gr. 4-8
Watershed in Your Hand	Heron's Head Park and Candlestick Point State Recreation Area are natural areas that contain some of the few wetlands in San Francisco. As stewards of the parks, we must be respectful of the plants and animals, including other humans we will encounter. This activity prepares students for a field trip to Heron's Head Park or Candlestick Point. Students will collectively create a set of agreements to act in respectful and responsible ways during the field trip.	Gr. 3-12
Wild in the City	San Francisco's environment has been dramatically altered over the past 200 years. But some natural areas remain in the midst of the urban landscape. This is a standard pre-trip activity for a field trip to Heron's Head Park or Candlestick Point. This activity can also be conducted prior to a trip to any natural area in San Francisco.	Gr. 3-12
Beaks and Feet	In this activity, students will play a game that will visually and kinesthetically demonstrate that different bird beaks are adapted for different types of food.	Gr. 3-8
Assessment	In this activity, students will evaluate their knowledge of environmental justice issues and ecological concepts related to the San Francisco Bay Area and the San Francisco Bay estuary.	Gr. K-12
Wetland Metaphors	Students learn about the important functions that are served by wetlands. Salt marshes are important wetlands that can be found around the San Francisco Bay Estuary.	Gr. 4-12
Who Dirtied the Water?	Everyone contributes to pollution in the San Francisco Bay in a variety of ways. In this activity, students help act out a story about the history of pollution in the San Francisco Bay. Students play the polluters and pour "pollutants" into a jar of water that represent the Bay.	Gr. 2-6
Principles of Environmental Justice	The Principles of Environmental Justice assert that all people have a right to their basic needs, which are currently distributed inequitably. This lesson introduces students to these principles through case studies and a class discussion.	Gr. 7-12

Field Trip Activities

Module Name	Overview	Grade Level
Mapping Habitats	This activity allows students to take a closer look at differences between habitats. Physical differences shape the various resources that are available to wildlife in the park. Animals have adapted to particular ecological niches that can be found around the park. Reflection activities investigate ecosystem functions common to different habitats.	Gr. K-12
Mud Creature and Plankton Study	The mudflats support a tremendous amount of life. In this activity, students will search for and study the creatures that live in the mudflats of the San Francisco Bay. Students will also examine the phytoplankton and zooplankton in the open water.	Gr. 4-8
Discovering Plants	Plants are an important component of the food web, and provide many beneficial functions. This activity allows students to identify plants, and learn about their adaptations.	Gr. 4-12
Ethnobotany	Students will learn the concept of ethnobotany. The historical uses of native plants by the Ohlone Native Americans will be contrasted with modern products that people now use.	Gr. 3-12
Growing Native Plants	In this activity, students will play a game that will visually and kinesthetically demonstrate that different bird beaks are adapted for different types of food.	Gr. 2-8
Plant Survey	Quadrats and transects are methods of scientific surveying that can be used to explore biological diversity. This activity teaches students how to conduct surveys using a quadrat and introduces them to the scientific method. Students will compare levels of diversity of plant species under different ecological conditions.	Gr. 8-12
Soil	In this activity, students will learn about the ecological significance of soil. We will start with a demonstration that illustrates the scarcity of arable soil, and then learn about soil development, composition and texture.	Gr. 2-12
Bird Survey	This activity facilitates the development of bird observational skills. Students will learn about bird adaptations, and will be able to identify birds in the field. Reflection activities will allow students to think about the role that stewardship lays in providing better habitats for birds.	Gr. 3-12
Fit To Be Tide	Participating in habitat restoration projects and recreational activities in the San Francisco Bay requires an understanding of tides. Students will have an opportunity to observe tides in action.	Gr. 4-12
Treasure Hunt	Students will look for natural objects found in wetland habitats at Heron's Head Park or Candlestick Point State Recreation Area. They will be challenged to observe, listen and identify elements of the wetland environment.	Gr. K-5
What's in the Water?	A number of sources drain into the San Francisco Bay Estuary. Some of those sources carry pollution into the Bay. This activity informs students about what may be affecting water quality. The students will participate in measuring water quality to determine the health of this habitat, and how it affects plants, animals and people.	Gr. 6-12

Post-Trip Classroom Activities

Module Name	Overview	Grade Level
Crossing the Line	This is a wrap-up activity that is designed to facilitate student discussion about various issues that relate to the ecology of Heron's Head Park and Candlestick Point, and to our social and environmental responsibilities. The extent to which students support or oppose an idea is visible to everyone, and will therefore serve to get students to respond thoughtfully and honestly, and to generate meaningful dialog regarding the issues related to what was learned from the program.	Gr. 7-12
Airborne Solid Waste	Students will make simple air pollutant collection devices, hang them in various places around where they live, and collect them after a week to examine and report on their findings.	Gr. 9-12
Four Corners	This activity is designed for younger students. This is a fun game that involves movement, and will highlight what students have learned as they participated in the Heron's Head Park or Candlestick Point State Recreation Area program. Depending on the multiple choice questions that are selected, the activity can generate discussions.	Gr. K-4
Water Treatment Plants	We can appreciate water treatment plants as a natural way to keep our water supply clean. This activity allows students to conceptualize how wetland plants remove pollutants from the water, and discuss the limitations of this ability. This is a quick project that does not require much set-up or clean-up.	Gr. 3-12
Environmental Justice Sheroes and Heroes and the 4 R's of Environmental Justice FREE Click to Download	Students will further explore environmental justice themes through an introduction to leaders within the movement and through the discussion of the concept of the Four R's of Environmental Justice. Multiple learning modalities will be engaged in this lesson.	Gr. 6-12
Roots Communication	Students will have an opportunity to observe and create thought-provoking images that will allow them to reflect on their ancestral and personal connections to the environmental justice movement.	Gr. 6-12
Bioaccumulation	Students will model how toxins accumulate in a food chain through an active game that can be played inside or outside of the classroom.	Gr. 4-12
The Creation of Heron's Head Park	In this interactive activity, students recreate the community process that led to the creation of Heron's Head Park. They play the roles of community members, concerned citizens, elected representatives, and Port of San Francisco employees in an engaging and interactive activity.	Gr. 3-12
Eating Bay Fish	Students learn that fish from the San Francisco Bay may contain toxins that make them harmful to consume. They learn what species are safest to consume, and then learn of safe ways to cook and eat the fish.	Gr. 6-12