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Red Rock Canyon
West Charleston Boulevard
(702) 363-1922
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 Red
Rock Canyon is a National Conservation Area located 11 miles west
of Las Vegas on West Charleston Boulevard. The
Children's Discovery Guide is available at the Visitor's Center
near the entrance to the Scenic Drive.
Temperatures may be cooler than temperatures in
the Las Vegas Valley. The trail is particularly busy in the spring
and fall, so reservations must be made early. It is encouraged (not
required) that teachers who would like to take their students on
a field trip take a class offered by The Friends of Red Rock. For
more information about the class or to arrange a field trip, call
363-1922.
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In ancient times, Southern Nevada was under
water. Evidence of this ancient sea can be found in this area. The
sea beds were lifted above the water as mountains formed. In more
recent times, running water and wind have shaped the mountains,
and washes have formed to carry the water and rocks far from their
original sites. Ancient sand dunes solidified into sandstone, and
layered sandstone rocks are plentiful in the canyon.
The Red Rock area receives more rain and snow than
Las Vegas. Students may look for evidence of water in the area.
This additional moisture allows larger native plant forms, such
as the juniper, to grow.
You will find a variety of cacti in this area. Students
may observe the adaptations these plants have made in order to conserve
water and survive. They also may see evidence of ancient human life
(petroglyphs).
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| Science students will be able to: |
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(4) 2.1 Investigate, describe,
compare and contrast identifiable structures and characteristics
of plants and animals [NS 6.4.2]
(4) 2.2 Investigate and describe
the behavior of individual organisms when influenced by internal
cues and by external cues [7.4.1]
(4) 3.1 Investigate, compare, contrast,
and describe the properties of rocks and minerals
[NS 10.4.1]
(4) 3.2 Compare and contrast the
location of landforms [NS 10.4.2]
(4) 3.3 Investigate and describe
the composition of different soils [NS 10.4.4]
(4) 4.1 Investigate and describe
the variables that affect the survival of organisms within an ecosystem
[NS 15.4.2]
(4) 4.4 Observe, investigate, and
describe how some environmental changes occur quickly and some occur
slowly [NS 17.4.2]
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| Social Studies students will be able to: |
(4) 2.15 Compare
job opportunities available in rural, suburban, and urban areas of
Nevada
(4) 3.20 Explain the location and
distribution of a specific ecosystem in Nevada and the United States
[NS 3.4.4] |
| Science students will be able to: |
(5) 2.6 Investigate
and describe how some environmental conditions are more favorable
than others to living things [NS 7.5.3]
(5) 2.8 Explain how living things
may be classified on the basis of similar features, behavior, and/or
habits [NS 8.5.2]
(5) 2.11 Classify animals and plants
according to their physical characteristics [NS 9.5.1]
(5) 2.13 Investigate and describe
how individuals of the same kind differ in their characteristics and
sometimes the differences give an advantage in surviving and reproducing
[NS 9.5.3]
(5) 3.2 Investigate and describe how
erosion and deposition rates can be affected by the slope of the land
and by human activities [NS 10.5.2]
(5) 3.3 Investigate and describe how
the surface of the Earth, including the ocean floor, has varied topography
[NS 10.5.3]
(5) 3.8 Explain that the surface of
the Earth changes due to a variety of factors [NS 12.5.1]
(5) 3.9 Investigate and describe how
fossils are evidence of past life [NS 12.5.2]
(5) 3.13 Investigate and describe
how change is an ongoing process that can be seen throughout the natural
world [NS 13.5.5]
(5) 4.1 Investigate and describe interrelationships
and interdependence of organisms with each other and with non-living
parts of their habitats [NS 15.5.1]
(5) 4.2 Investigate and describe how,
for any particular environment, some kinds of plants and animals survive
well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all [NS 15.5.2]
(5) 4.4 Investigate and describe how
the local ecosystem has unique characteristics
[NS 15.5.4]
(5) 4.10 Investigate and describe
that ecosystem have components that can be observed to change, while
other components appear to stay the same [NS 17.5.2] |
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