K-3 Activities

The significant resources protected in Glacier can be grouped under the themes of: wilderness, Native American connections, biodiversity, ecosystem connections, cultural resources from the 19th & 20th centuries, and International Peace. The K-3 activities of the Glacier teacher's guide focus mainly on the themes of: wilderness (& wild animals), ecosystem connections (web of life), and geology.

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Unit One: You Are Here

This unit focuses on the geographic perspective of a child's world and the bigger world with Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park (W-GIPP) included.
Unit One: Background and Introduction

• Activity 1: The Big Circle - students construct a grahic representation of themselves to the universe.
• Activity 2: My World - mapping my room, my yard, my schoolroom, and schoolyard.

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Unit Two: My Home's in the Park

This unit provides and overview of Alberta and Montana wildlife.
Unit Two: Background and Introduction

• Activity 1: Who's Wild? - comparison of familiar domestic animals and wild animals of the W-GIPP.
• Activity 2: Habitat is Home - components of habitat through art and video.
• Activity 3: Habitat Hunt - outside game finding food, water, shelter and space.
• Activity 4: Is there Room for Everybody? - habitat's relationship to carrying capacity.
• Activity 5: Who Eats Who? - classifying animals by their food sources.
• Activity 6: Track Stories - picture exercise analyzing track stories.
• Activity 7: The Web of Life - rudimentary web game with pictures of plants and animals.

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Unit Three: Rottenly Beautiful; Life & Death Cycles

Life, death and decomposition are the concepts covered in this unit.
Unit Three: Background and Introduction

• Activity 1: Garbage in the Garden -students study decomposition through composting.
• Activity 2: Life in a Log - hands-on examination of rotting logs.
• Activity 3: Changes at Log City - art and social studies look at death using the book Lifetimes.

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Unit Four: The Three Bears

Exercises in this unit compare and contrast black, grizzly, and (non-native) polar bears.
Unit Four: Background and Introduction

• Activity 1: Goldilocks and the Real Bears -the story vs. bears in real life.
• Activity 2: Which Bear? - compare and contrast bear shapes, sizes, tracks, and food using cut-outs.
• Activity 3: The Bear Facts - geography and independent reading and reporting on new bear facts.

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Unit Five: Rock Park

Students do an exploration of local geologic features, developing observation skills.
Unit Five: Background and Introduction

• Activity 1: Rock Ranking - F.O.S.S adapted math activity on comparing and contrasting rock sizes, shapes, and colors.
• Activity 2: Rock Stories - multicultural introduction to rock types adapted from Keepers of the Earth.

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