Outdoor Education West LA

For students whose dream classroom is the great outdoors! This track takes advantage of Southern California’s unique landscapes, nearby national parks, and recreation centers—as well as learning about the environmental history and future of our local environment. We connect our students to local curricular and extracurricular learning activities of all kinds, from scuba, kayaking, and marine biology to hiking, rock climbing, and camping.

Below is a sneak peek of the curriculum for Outdoors and Sustainability. In the 9th grade year, students will be doing interdisciplinary studies through the theme of Water—in the first quarter, the unit will focus on California’s Fresh Water as described by our curriculum outline:

Unit 1: California’s Fresh Water

In this unit, 9th graders will learn about introductory chemistry, measurement, ancient history, and current events through the lens of water. Lessons will emphasize non-fiction reading and research skills, basic principles of fieldwork and laboratory work, and engineering applications of mathematics and technology.

Driving Questions:

  • What is water, and what impurities can be found in it?
  • What is potable water, and how do we create it?
  • How have ancient, historical, and modern societies related to and distributed water?
  • Where does the water we drink come from?

Learning Goals:

Upon completion of Unit 1, students will be able to:

  • Identify the unique physical & chemical properties of water that contribute to its fundamental role in life and Earth systems.
  • Define and measure the potability of water, and take part in the debate about public access to drinkable water.
  • Analyze different historical human societies’ relationship to water, available resources, and water infrastructure.
  • Predict how availability of and demand for water resources is expected to change over the next 50 year.
  • Explain how the water they drink is collected and processed, and what local political and scientific issues are relevant.

In this unit, 9th graders will learn about introductory chemistry, measurement, ancient history, and current events through the lens of water. Lessons will emphasize non-fiction reading and research skills, basic principles of fieldwork and laboratory work, and engineering applications of mathematics and technology.