photos by Larry Cruikshank/ViewTop, Grand Canyon National Park ranger Krystina Webster talks to fifth-graders at Tobler Elementary School, 6510 Buckskin Ave., about life at the canyon, Feb. 22. Gifted and Talented Education program students at the school are preparing for a trip to the Grand Canyon in April. Right, student Veronica Gura prepares to answer a question about a trap during the lesson.
photos by Larry Cruikshank/ViewTop, Grand Canyon National Park ranger Krystina Webster talks to fifth-graders at Tobler Elementary School, 6510 Buckskin Ave., about life at the canyon, Feb. 22. Gifted and Talented Education program students at the school are preparing for a trip to the Grand Canyon in April. Right, student Veronica Gura prepares to answer a question about a trap during the lesson.
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It was a heated battle. They all used their wits, but in the end, only one could come out on top. The fifth-graders were split in two, water versus rock.
Inside room 26 of Tobler Elementary School, Grand Canyon National Park ranger Krystina Webster captivated her audience. Cheri DiMartino's Gifted and Talented Education program students watched Webster's every move while she described ancient cultures that once resided in the Grand Canyon.
The elementary students are studying national parks this year and Webster's presentation coincided with class lessons they have been working on since last year, when DiMartino taught the kids about Anasazi archaeology.
As the fifth-graders sat in a semi-circle around Webster, she discussed climate change within the Grand Canyon, in addition to relating what their lives might be like if they lived in the region during the time of the Anasazi people.
"I think the Anasazi are cool because they made a lot of handmade things that we take for granted because we can just go buy them at the store," said fifth-grader Rebecca Anderson.
In April, DiMartino's class will go on a field trip to the Grand Canyon to continue their national parks study, courtesy of a Target field trip grant.
"This gives us a more wide view of what we're going to be learning while we're there," Rebecca said.
During her lesson, Webster also demonstrated a game to the students that might have been played hundreds of years ago, a stick relay, and then gave the children a chance to play it with each other.
"The kids are so excited," DiMartino said. "It's so cool for me to see them so excited about learning."
Students at Tobler, 6510 Buckskin Ave., also have studied Death Valley, Glacier Bay and Yellowstone national parks.
"We learned about a ton of national parks this year," fifth-grader Kara Hoofman said. "I think it's cool because we're learning about the history of America."
At the end of her program, Webster divided the children into two groups and quizzed the students on their knowledge of the Grand Canyon region and its people. After the two sides, water and rock, battled it out, the answer was clear: all were knowledgeable about the Grand Canyon.
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