While passing around a fossil collection, students learn what a fossil is, how it is made, and how Montana's past environment was different than it is today. Students visit two recycling centers learning what items can be recycled, what happens to recycled items, and limitations to recycling in Montana. At the sanitary landfill students see what happens to garbage when it leaves our houses, and discuss how we could reuse items so they don't end up there. Rock Lesson Students learn how to identify rocks using a scientific key and identifying their distinguishing features. Pond Study Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge provides the setting for this study of water fowl and aquatic organisms.
Students learn about bird habitat while identifying the birds at Benton Lake.
They then net aquatic organisms and determine the quality of water based on the types of organisms found. 4th grade Astronomy Students take a journey to the stars in a portable planetarium where they learn how to locate constellations in the night sky and some of the stories behind the constellations. Star finders, observation logs, and star charts are some of the tools students learn to use. A slide presentation shows other objects that can be found out amongst the stars. At the Water Purification Plant, students study the importance of water conservation.