Before Google, before Sillicon Valley, before the Gold Rush, the San Francisco landscape was a biome filled with grizzly bears, mule deer, tule elk, coyotes, gray fox, gophers, and moles. To explore the early days of yesteryear, kids...

Sixth graders make a model of a watershed. In this geography instructional activity, 6th graders view a shaded relief map of California and locate landmarks. Students examine the San Francisco Bay Watershed by following the journey...

Although the instructional activity is specifically about the San Francisco Bay area, it's good enough to be adapted to any local region. Children research what the landscape in San Francisco was like prior to settlement, they consider...

Students investigate scale models while attending a field trip within the San Francisco Bay Area.  In this oceanography lesson, students identify the currents of the Bay Area and discuss how they are created by different tides....

Learners write from an animal's perspective. In this writing lesson plan students explore the landscape of San Francisco prior to the arrival of the explorers. Learners research animals indigenous to the area.

Learners investigate water pollution prevention. In this ecology wastewater lesson, students activate prior knowledge about sewage, then view a video explaining the waste water sewage system used in the San Francisco Bay area. Learners...

Students examine relief maps of California and discuss the San Francisco Bay watershed. Discussion continues with the class helping complete a journey of water through seasons in a "finish my sentences" style lecture. They label rain...

Fifth graders analyze paintings that share a common theme of San Francisco as seen by some of the first travelers who arrived there. In this art history lesson plan, 5th graders consider the experiences involved with the arrival to a new...

Students discover the ocean life of the San Francisco Bay. In this ocean instructional activity, students take a Discovery Voyage of the Bay ecosystem through the Marine Science Institute. Also available are inland voyages, ocean labs,...

Students investigate the history of San Francisco, California and then create recipes from the area, including a Monte Cristo Sandwich, Sourdough Bread, and a Golden Gate Burger.

Students compare recent and historic maps to explore landscape changes. Using photos provided, students identify prominent features on the maps. They discuss differences in landscape, human impact on watershed, and changes in natural...

Students investigate the San Francisco Bay Estuarine Research Reserve and watershed. In this estuary and watershed lesson plan, students complete 4 activities to better understand estuarine systems. They include studying the San...

Students investigate why San Francisco grew so quickly during the Gold Rush. They

Students create a mental map of San Francisco. They compare it with actual topographical maps of the city. Then they label various locations on the San Francisco Hillshade map and locate watershed boundaries.

Students locate important landmarks on a map and explore the watersheds in California. In this watershed lesson plan students complete a worksheet and discuss what they learned. 

Third graders examine the San Francisco oil spill and the effects it has had.  In this investigative lesson students view a demonstration on oil clean up and how it works.  They see how wildlife is rehabilitated, how the oil is...

Students examine the role that racism played in the growth of the Bay Area. They discover how turn-of-the-century boosters promoted a vision of the Bay Area. They study the American Indian Movement's takeover of Alcatraz Island in 1969,...

Students explore the impact of the 1906 earthquake on the population of San Jose. They explore two different perspectives of earthquakes. Students write a news bulletin as if they were reporting on the earthquake. They are then...

Not all technology is digital. Teach learners about the low-tech maker movement with a photo essay about six artisans from California and two articles about the local creator movement. After tackling the photo essay in small...

Thirsty plants soak up every bit of a rainfall, but what happens to the rain that hits the roof? Calculate the amount of rainwater from your school's roof with an Earth science activity, which brings measurement skills, observation...

A great way to incorporate math into life science, this lesson plan has learners measure migratory routes on a map and calculate the actual distance that shorebirds on the routes would cover. Learners compute the distance covered in both...

Learners use documents from California As I Saw It: First Person Narratives, 1849-1900 , in American Memory to create a script depicting the motivations, expectations, fears, and realizations of immigrants who settled California between...

Students examine the destruction caused by earthquakes. In this community safety lesson, students examine the risk involved in living in an earthquake zone and how to prepare for future earthquakes.

Learners study the causes of electricity shortage in California in 2000-2001. In this social studies activity, students evaluate the effect of the deregulation process. They discuss the actions taken by the government to solve the crisis.