Literature Comes to Life for Cole 2nd Graders at The Discovery Center

When it comes time for second grade teacher Cindy Vickery to teach pond life to her students, she knows The Discovery Center will bring her lessons right off the page. Each year, second grade students from Cole Elementary travel to The Discovery Center for a field trip to supplement their pond literature unit. While teaching important reading skills, these teachers also focus on the second grade science standards, which include studying the life cycles of different plants and animals such as those found in a pond.

“Right now, we are reading the non-fiction stories “Exploring Parks with Ranger Docket” and “Around the Pond” in the Houghton Mifflin reader,” said Cole Elementary teacher Cindy Vickery. “One of the second grade science standards is ‘plants and animals have predictable life cycles’, so we bring the kids here every year to catch their attention. The "pond life class" really brings the non-fiction literature to life for them.”

Each year, Vickery and her fellow second grade teachers bring the students to The Discovery Center for a pond life class, as well as a weird science class and a walking tour of the park’s grounds. While the pond life class reinforces the non-fiction readings in the pond life unit, the teachers also enjoy teaching the children about the life cycles of other living things as they tour the sprawling Discovery Center grounds.

“Plant life is also part of the second grade science standards,” said Carla Parada, grade level chair for second grade at Cole Elementary. “The tour explains these standards in a fun and exciting way.”


Executive Director Janet Berry teaches second graders about the redbud plants at The Discovery Center

Vickery also enjoyed taking the grounds tour with her students. “Touring the grounds with a guide is really great,” she said. “It’s a great way for them to learn about the life cycles of all living things, and how all of the different plants and animals they encounter all need the same things to survive.”

The tour provides room for imaginations to run wild as students explore many different areas of the park. During their stop at the authentic Miwok teepees, students even stopped to play with acorns gathered from surrounding Oak trees, pretending to grind them into meal. After moving on to The Discovery Center’s Walden Pond, however, the students got to have even more hands-on fun as they learned about the life cycle of living things with Discovery Center educator Helen Gates.


Students took a moment to grind an acorn meal just like a Native American might have done

“The pond life class teaches how every member is important to maintaining the health of an ecosystem,” said Gates. “In this class, the kids learn the importance of each plant and animal, and how to respect life of all shapes and sizes.” After the engaging lesson from Gates, students got the opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with the many different creatures in the pond. Armed with fishing nets, each child had the opportunity to look for tadpoles and other pond creatures.


Educator Helen Gates teaches the second graders about the different parts of the pond’s ecosystem

Vickery believes the pond life class is key to developing an interest in the classroom material. “The beauty of this class is that it allows us to make the non-fiction fun and exciting for the kids. We are then able to read and refer to our Harcourt science text and integrate science with literature.”

Parada agrees that the annual field trip is an excellent addition to their classroom teachings. “It’s really difficult to find field trips that fit into our second grade curriculum,” she said. “We’ve been coming here for eight to ten years because it really supports our curriculum, and really piques the kids interest in science.”


The pond life class helps Cole teachers meet their second grade science standards

The Discovery Center offers a variety of classes to support the science standards established by schools in the Central Valley. Designed to offer children a glimpse of the wild, a trip to the park is an excellent complement to any science unit. “You have so many kids who otherwise wouldn’t have an opportunity to come to a place like this,” Vickery said. “The "cactus garden" is so uniquely California, and it’s great for kids who might otherwise never get to see a desert.”

To arrange an exciting "field trip" for your students, or to learn more about how The Discovery Center’s classes can help you fulfill your classroom science standards, please call us at 559-251-5533. Our Suitcase Science program also brings our exciting lessons directly to your school site, making it easy and stress-free for you to bring science to life for your students.