At the Museum | Wayfinders
Comparing Animals (K.01)
North Carolina Science Standards:
Kindergarten: 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.05
Building an understanding of what makes animals unique and similar is the first step in appreciating the diversity of life on Earth. The Museum houses numerous animals that children can observe and learn from. This Wayfinder will guide your class through Carolina Wildlife and the Magic Wings Butterfly House in search of a variety of animals to study.
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Understanding Weather (K.02)
North Carolina Science Standards:
Kindergarten: 2.02, 2.03
Weather is an important part of our lives. Understanding it can help us to make decisions that affect our daily routine as well as decisions that could save our lives. The ABC News Channel 11 Weather area at the Museum is a great place to begin discovering weather, from the everyday to the extreme. This Wayfinder will guide your class through the exhibits in the ABC News Channel 11 Weather area as they explore meteorology.
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The Needs of Living Things (1.01)
North Carolina Science Standards:
Grade 1: 1.01, 1.02, 1.03
Learning to observe and care for living things builds an appreciation for the importance of protecting wildlife. The Museum houses numerous animals that children can observe and learn from. This Wayfinder will guide your class through Carolina Wildlife, the Magic Wings Butterfly House and the Bayer Crop Science Insectarium as they investigate what living things need to survive.
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Describing Earth Materials (1.02)
North Carolina Science Standards:
Grade 1: 2.01, 2.02
Observing and interacting with rocks and minerals allows students to notice details in objects that they may take for granted in their daily lives. Understanding that even rocks are different from one another initiates thinking that certain materials are used for their unique properties. This Wayfinder invites your class to explore the Museum's geology space and interact with a variety of rocks and minerals from around the world.
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Life Cycles (2.01)
North Carolina Science Standards:
Grade 2: 1.01, 1.02, 1.03
A life cycle is the complete sequence of events from birth to death of an organism. For insects, this lifecycle involves rapid change from the larva to adult called a metamorphosis. The human life cycle also has different stages from babies to children to teenagers, adults to parents, older adults/grandparents. In this Wayfinder students are challenged to learn about life cycles as they explore our Magic Wings Butterfly House and the Bayer Crop Science Insectarium.
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Air All Around (2.02)
North Carolina Science Standards:
Grade 2: 2.01
Although air is invisible, we can still feel it and see its effects on the world around us. In this Wayfinder, students are encouraged to learn about how air interacts with our lives and with nature by exploring the exhibits in Catch the Wind.
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Animal Behavior and Adaptation (4.01)
North Carolina Science Standards:
Grade 4: 1.01, 1.02, 1.03
Structural and behavioral adaptations help an animal to survive in the
wild. Identifying and studying these adaptations allows us to learn
about both the animal and its habitat. In this Wayfinder, students will
observe animals in Explore the Wild/Carolina Wildlife and the Butterfly House to better understand the complimentary relationship between an organism and its environment.
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Rocks and Minerals (4.02)
North Carolina Science Standards:
Grade 4: 2.03, 2.04, 2.05, 2.06
Rocks and minerals are a vital component of our daily lives –
supporting our massive buildings, seasoning our food, fortifying our
bones and teeth, and providing glamorous decorations to adorn our
bodies. With this Wayfinder, students will explore and interact with
the rocks and minerals in the Museum's geology collection and discover
what makes each unique.
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Ecosystems (5.01)
North Carolina Science Standards:
Grade 5: 1.01, 1.02, 1.05
The Museum of Life and Science's Explore the Wild wetland
habitat is home to its very own ecosystem. Using this Wayfinder as a
guide, students will explore important concepts such as how ecosystems
support a wide variety of organisms, how organisms interact within an
ecosystem, and how organisms depend on one another to provide balance.
A visit to the man-made environment of the Magic Wings Butterfly House will provide a chance to consider how this artificial environment may differ from a natural ecosystem.
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Understanding Land Forms (5.02)
North Carolina Science Standards:
Grade 5: 2.01, 2.02, 2.06
The Earth is constantly changing. From Earth's very origins, strong forces have been shaping and reshaping the land. This Wayfinder will guide your class to many Museum exhibits in our main building and show students how natural, earth-changing forces such as wind, water and gravity influence the land surface that we live on.
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Scientific Inquiry (6.01)
North Carolina Science Standards:
Grade 6: 1.01, 1.02, 1.04, 1.05
Learning to follow the scientific method is important for producing
verifiable science. The more practice that students have following the
steps of the scientific method, the better they will be able to
understand and interpret scientific findings. This Wayfinder takes you
to the Seed Tower in Catch the Wind and challenges students to design
and perform an experiment to determine the most successful natural seed
design for a tree dispersing its seeds in the wind.
Understanding the Lithosphere (6.03)
North Carolina Science Standards:Grade 6: 3.01, 3.02, 3.04
One of the greatest observations from the 19th century was that the same forces that can be observed today have been shaping our world for billions of years. Observing and understanding earth-changing forces such as wind and water is a chance to look into the past and forward into the future. This Wayfinder will guide your class to many Museum exhibits in our main building as they explore the rock cycle, earthquakes and more.
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Population Dynamics (6.07)
North Carolina Science Standards:Grade 6: 7.01, 7.02, 7.03, 7.05
The Museum of Life and Science's Explore the Wild nature park is home to its very own ecosystem. This Wayfinder leads your class to the wetland area to observe and interact with nature while exploring relationships and stability in ecosystems. In the Magic Wings Butterfly House, students will have a chance to consider how this artificial environment may differ from a natural ecosystem.
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Scientific Inquiry (7.01)
North Carolina Science Standards:
Grade 7: 1.01, 1.02, 1.04, 1.05
Learning to follow the scientific method is important for producing
verifiable science. The more practice that students have following the
steps of the scientific method, the better they will be able to
understand and interpret scientific findings. This Wayfinder takes you
to the Seed Tower in Catch the Wind and challenges students to design
and perform an experiment to determine determine the most successful pod location on a seed’s “wing” for a tree dispersing its seeds in the wind.
Scientific Inquiry (8.01)
North Carolina Science Standards:
Grade 8: 1.01, 1.02, 1.04, 1.05
Learning to follow the scientific method is important for producing
verifiable science. The more practice that students have following the
steps of the scientific method, the better they will be able to
understand and interpret scientific findings. This Wayfinder takes you
to the Seed Tower in Catch the Wind and challenges students to design
and perform an experiment to determine determine determine the most successful seed shape for a tree dispersing its seeds in the wind.