Corona Del Mar- a Tide Pool Adventure

Corona Del Mar is a serene site to have a field trip with your students. The beach is peaceful, beautiful, and educational for all children, young or old. It is a perfect site to visit for students who are egar and excited to learn about the ocean and the tiny creatures in it.

What special benefits could my students gain from visiting this fieldtrip site?

For some students the beach is something they know but have never seen. By visiting Corona Del Mar, I want my students to gain a greater appreciation for the ocean and sea life. The tide pools, at Corona del Mar, will show students the different animals and ecosystem in the ocean. It is a beautiful quiet place where students will be able to take the time to see, smell, taste, and hear the ocean.

What would I need to do to adequately prepare my students before the visit (consider adaptations for English learners and students with special needs)

For the students to understand and appreciate the ocean I will have a habit lesson before the trip. I will discuss the oceans and how humans and their pollution have affected them. In the classroom students will view different videos, and other visuals, about the pollution. The visuals will enable English Learners to see the decrease in animal life in tide pools.

Before the field trip, I will hand out permission slips and recruit parent volunteers to help in supervision of the students. This will help in supervising special needs and help English learners understand tasks. The students will need to bring their science journals for an assignment at the beach. I will also pack sunscreen for the students and hats. If students are unable to pack a lunch, I will provide sandwiches and water for the students. This will keep them alert and aware of their surroundings, cutting down on accidents.

What resource materials (including online materials- provide links when possible) are available to assist my preparation, teaching?

At the beach there is a booth with information about the tide pools. The booth had pictures of different animals descriptions. My students and I will stop at the booth and view the information provided.
The videos and websites I will use to prepare my students are:
www.pbs.org/kqed/oceanadventures/educators/
www.ecoearth.info/oceancoralreefs/
These videos and websites will enable English Learners to see the decrease in animal life in tad pools. From these videos and pictures, from the websites, students will research an animal that lives in the tide pools. They will draw pictures of their habitat and write a story.

What will I do to debrief students after I have attended the field trip?

While at the beach students will draw in their journals of what they see. We will discuss what they see and what they do not see. After the discussion, students will have free time at the beach to experience it. At school, students will then describe in their journals the impact humans have had on the ocean and aquatic life.

The start to an exciting day....

As I arrived at Corona del Mar I could smell the beach from PCH. I parked off Poppy Ave and walked down to the sandy coast. The salty air brushed against my face and I was excited to see the tide pools and the little creatures that inhabit them. I walked down the steep hill to the sand and met an informational tide pool booth. I took pictures of the booth because it was very informational and thought my students will like to see it. Then I made my trek to the tide pools.

A small mistake....

At first I went to my left, North (I think), and found the rocky terrain to be difficult to walk. I thought to myself, “I’m going to die and this is probably not a good path for my students.” I stopped to take pictures of the waves crashing upon the rocks, then made an about face and headed south (I think). I had difficulty in my sandals so I took them off and squished my toes in the sand. Consequently, it felt like I was walking through the fiery pits of hell. After scaring people with my inappropriate language they went back onto my feet. Then I headed to the larger tide pools.

I found my little creatures....

Since the terrain was easier to walk along, I decided to chart this path for my students to take on their quest of tiny sea creatures. I walked along the rocks straining to see any interesting animals to photograph. After I almost fell to my death, I found to crabs looking at me oddly. I took their pictures and headed on in my journey. It was difficult to find any sea creatures and it made me disappointed and upset. A few years ago I saw these tide pools with sea creatures fighting with knives for a space to live. Now I only found two crazy crabs, tiny fish, and hermit crabs. While sitting on a rock , pondering, I thought about different discussion questions I could bring up with my students about the lack of creatures. After, I took a few more pictures then heat was turned up and I started to drip sweat. It was gross.

I almost didn't make it...

Since I do not sweat, I thought it was odd and decided to go home. However, I saw that I was far from the ramp up to civilization. My hike back was like an odyssey through Death Valley. Sweat was dripping from places I did not know could drip sweat when I reached the base of Everest back to my car. The hill was so steep that if I had stopped I would have rolled down the hill back to the sand. I did not give up my fast walking skills until I had reached the top. I danced like Rocky until the stares of strangers made me stop. I walked back to my car and decided that my students would enjoy a day at the beach.