Upper Newport Bay

Upper Newport Bay is the largest wetland in Orange County. Coastal bluffs, marshes, mudflats, and open water provide a wide diversity of habitats for your students to explore. Inside the Outdoors ® at Upper Newport Bay gives your students the opportunity to learn how a wetland ecosystem functions, discover its inhabitants, and imagine living as Gabrieliño Indians.

Curriculum enrichment for 4th grade:
California Science Content Standards Life Sciences, Investigation and Experimentation
2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 3c, 6a

Fourth grade students participate in the following four learning stations during this full day program:

Birds
Preserved bird parts and visual aids are used to teach students characteristics of birds. Using binoculars, students observe live birds and identify their adaptations. Students also learn about the importance of Upper Newport Bay as a wetland habitat along the Pacific Flyway.

Ecology
Students discover the roles organisms play in the estuary ecosystem and explore in the mud to find evidence of the organisms.

People
Students become amateur archaeologists as they dig in an “ancient” Native American midden and “discover” artifacts from long ago. Students compare different aspects of modern society with the Tongva’s and Ajacheman’s way of life hundreds of years ago.

Plants
By participating in a scavenger hunt, students identify wetland plants and learn about their unique adaptations. They also learn that some plants and animals depend on each other for survival.