Superior Snowshoe

Class Description:

Class Description: An Outdoor Recreation Class:
Lake Superior’s history began as a crack in the continental crust over a billion years ago. Its waters and shores have provided resources for Native Americans and Europeans alike. The class will be snowshoeing to a vantage point overlooking Lake Superior. Students will learn the basics of snowshoes and the art of travel in using them. Students will ponder Superior’s influence on us and ours on it. We want students to know where the lake has been and where it is going. The lake’s immensity and fragility must be understood in order to appreciate and protect it.

Total time: 3 hours (2 1/2 hours outdoors)
Audience: 6-20 students, 4th grade through adult
Activity level: strenuous
Travel: 3 miles
Total Uphill Travel: 300 feet

Outcomes

Upon completion of the Superior Snowshoe Class, students will be able to:

Identify and name the five Great Lakes.

Compare the characteristics Lake Superior and Lake Baikal.

Express the value of Lake Superior in terms of its immensity and grandeur.

Compare and contrast different materials and styles of snowshoes and bindings.

Demonstrate the ability to maneuver across the snow on snowshoes.

Evaluate the advantages of snowshoes for winter travel.

Recommend the equipment necessary for a safe winter snowshoe hike.

Minnesota Graduation Standards

The Superior Snowshoe class will provide students with guided practice, in an authentic setting, to support the following Graduations Standards. We have chosen one to three “major focus” standards per grade level. Due to the holistic nature of environmental education, several other standards, not listed here, are addressed as well.

H.S. Decision Making: Physical Education and Fitness (B)

6-8th Decision making: Physical Education and Fitness (6)
6-8th Sciences: Earth Systems

4-5th Decision making: Physical Education and Fitness (6)
4-5th Sciences: Living and Non-living systems (4, 5)

Wolf Ridge Curriculum Concepts

• Ecosystems -All living and nonliving components of an environment interact with one another to form an ecosystem.
• Outdoor Recreation- Lifelong participation in outdoor physical activities promotes a healthy relationship between people and the environment.
• Outdoor Recreation- Using physical skills allows us to reach remote natural areas, and gain a sense of place.
• Outdoor Recreation- Outdoor experiences and behaviors help develop an outdoor ethic.

Classroom Connections*

• Journal page download
• Pre-visit activities
• Post-visit activities
• Links to Lake Superior and snowshoe information and activities on the web

*requires Wolf Ridge password