Field Trip for Teachers at Berkeley Natural History Museums

Field Trip for Teachers at Berkeley Natural History Museums

Normally closed to the public, the University of California Museum of Paleontology, the Jepson and University Hebaria, the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, and the Essig Museum of Entomology opened their doors to CRS and our teacher members for our fall 2017 Field Trip for Teachers.  

	Berkeley Museums of Natural History

Using Collections in the Classroom

Background on how and why collections are important to scientists

• Natural history collections –- why are they relevant? A curator at the Horniman Museum tells us why natural history collections are important to research — and to the public
• What’s Hiding in the Museum? (Discovering new species that have been in the collection for decades)
• Videos on Herbariums starring two graduated students from the University and Jepson Herbariums
  • Science IRL: Plant Collecting and Herbarium Research Part 1
  • Science IRL: Plant Collecting and Herbarium Research Part 2
• Doing Natural History: the Journey of an Animal in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (UC Berkeley)
• Behind the Scenes: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Research and Collections  – Beyond the Museum’s exhibitions lies a labyrinth of hallways, vast storage rooms and busy offices, all filled with the sights and sounds of discovery.  

Activities Making and Using Your Own Classroom Collections

• Create a Classroom Exhibit: Rocks and Minerals
• Creating a Herbarium Classroom Collection: Lesson for grade 3-5 herbarium collections
• Cross-Cutting Concept Scavenger Hunts:
  • Find examples of Structure and Function in the items in the collection. ie adaptations
  • Pattern scavenger hunt: Observe two plants – list 3 ways they are the same and 3 ways they are different

Using the UC Berkeley Campus for Science Field Trips

Science Field Trip Programs on the UC Berkeley Campus

• UC Museum of Paleontology  – Located on the 1st floor of the Valley Life Sciences Building. A limited number of docent led field trips about fossils and the fossilization process are available. Tours are designed for grades 2 and up. (Spring 2023 – Program not active at this time)
• UC Botanical Gardens  – Located on Centennial Drive above Memorial Stadium. A variety of tours are available about plants and ecosystems. They can be tailored to your grade level and educational needs.
• Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology  – Located on Bancroft Way at College Avenue. Tours provide students with learning experiences linked to the Museum’s collections of objects from ancient, historic and contemporary societies around the world. (Spring 2023 – Museum currently closed to the public)
• Lawrence Hall of Science – Located on Centennial Drive above Memorial Stadium and past the UC Botanical Gardens. Take a self-guided tour of the museum exhibits or schedule a hands-on science or engineering lab experience or planetarium show for your class.

Do-It-Yourself Field Trips on the UC Berkeley Campus

• Science Collections in Hallways of Valley Life Sciences Building (Floors 1,2,3) – Map of Hallway Collections
  • Microscopes: Compare and contrast the different microscopes.
  • Skeletons: Observe structure and function. How are the feet and toes of the different skeletons the same? How are they different? What do the differences tell you about the animals? Related Lessons:
    • Diversity lesson plan
    • Form and function (adaptation) lesson plan  
    • Dinosaur based lessons plans that you can adapt and use to augment what you see on campus.
• Explore Strawberry Creek
  • Walking tour:  http://strawberrycreek.berkeley.edu/content/strawberry-creek-walking-tour-campus-natural-history
  • General information: http://strawberrycreek.berkeley.edu/node/14
  • Events:  http://strawberrycreek.berkeley.edu/node/25
  • Reinventing Storm Water: A Tour of the UC Berkeley Campus – Walking tour of sustainable practices http://strawberrycreek.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/database/docs/lidpamphlet.pdf
• Hayward Fault
  • Fault Walking tour of Campus: http://seismo.berkeley.edu/docs/HF_Tour_Stadium-1.1-Protected.pdf
  • Fault information and walking tours in other locations: http://seismo.berkeley.edu/hayward/hayward_tours.html  and http://www.geologyfieldtrips.com/hayward.htm#san
• CITRIS Tech Museum http://citris-uc.org/headquarters/tech-museum/ – Located on the main level/third floor of Sutardja Dai Hall. Self-guided tours weekdays from 9:00am-12:00pm and 1:00pm-4:30pm. No RSVP is necessary but still best to call ahead at (510) 664-430 to confirm availability if you are planning a visit.
• Campanile   https://visit.berkeley.edu/campus-attractions/campanile – Hours: M-F 10:00 am-3:45 pm, Sat 10:00 am-4:45 pm, Sun 10:00 am-1:30 pm & 3:00-4:45 pm. Cost: $4-5 general admission credit cards or apple pay only.  Accessibility:  The observation platform is not wheelchair accessible, as there are 38 steps from the top of the elevator to the observation platform. The Campanile esplanade and lobby displays are accessible by wheelchair. Restrictions:  Backpacks, large bags and other large items are not permitted on the observation platform and cannot be stored in the Campanile lobby.
• Whispering Bench – The Whispering Bench, also known as the Jubilee Bench, is located just down the steps from the Campanile on UC Berkeley’s campus. The bench was given its name when students discovered they could sit across from each other at opposite ends of the semicircle-shaped bench and clearly hear each other’s voices without having to speak louder than a whisper. Make sure you try this trick the next time you’re on campus!
• Walking tour of Berkeley Bears: https://stories.lib.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Bear_Walking_Tour.pdf
• Make Your Own Experience: A walk through campus is a great chance to make observations of different locations.  Here are some resources that might help you plan for productive observations and documentation.
  • Science Notebooks: The California Academy of Sciences has a great resource on science notebooks https://www.calacademy.org/educators/science-notebook-corner
  • Scientific Illustration: John Muir Laws is a great resource on learning how to observe and draw from your observations. https://johnmuirlaws.com/
  • Squirrel Observation Lesson plan and tools: There are lots of squirrels on campus that you can observe and maybe compare to observations of squirrels at your own school or home. https://nhm.org/sites/default/files/2019-04/squirrel_observation_lesson_plan.pdf

Maps of the UC Berkeley Campus 

• Interactive Campus Map 
• Map that Includes the locations listed above