Archive for the ‘4-5’ Category

Delta Dilemmas

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Once built, the Central Valley Project and the California State Water Project had unforeseen effects on the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, particularly on its historic salmon runs. The Delta is the hub of the state’s massive water distribution system, with much of the estuary’s water supply pumped to other locations. View this segment to learn how

  • engineering has forever changed the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta ecosystem.
  • dams and other components of the water projects interrupt the life cycles of salmon and other fish.
  • managing the effects of California’s water projects on ecosystems has cost billions of dollars.

Download the Viewing Guide for pre- and post-viewing discussion questions, activities, and additional resources to use with students.

The Sinking Delta

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Most of the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta has been reclaimed for agricultural use, which has led to subsided land. View this segment to learn

  • about the tidal freshwater marshes that used to exist in the Delta.
  • how the construction of levees has altered the Delta.
  • how reclamation of the marshes led to subsidence of the land.
  • why subsided land makes levees prone to break.

Download the Viewing Guide for pre- and post-viewing discussion questions, activities, and additional resources to use with students.

Restoring San Francisco Bay

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Agencies and organizations are currently working to restore tidal marsh around San Francisco Bay. View these segments to learn

  • how historical ecologists use a variety of historical documents to piece together how an ecosystem used to function for restoration purposes.
  • how dredge material is moved to the Hamilton Field Restoration Project to fill in subsided lands and restore tidal marsh.
  • about the restoration of the South Bay salt ponds.
  • about the importance of San Francisco Bay to migrating birds.

Download the Viewing Guide for pre- and post-viewing discussion questions, activities, and additional resources to use with students.

Moving California’s Water Supply

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Together, California’s Central Valley Project and State Water Project stand as an engineering marvel that endowed the state with the ability to move water from the north to the arid south, permanently transforming California. View this segment to learn about

  • Robert Bradford Marshall’s network of dams and canals designed to move Northern California water to the Central Valley.
  • the rapid growth of California’s agricultural industry following the construction of the Central Valley Project.
  • California’s two water projects that bring fresh water for drinking from the San Francisco–San Joaquin Delta to 23 million people throughout the state.

Download the Viewing Guide for pre- and post-viewing discussion questions, activities, and additional resources to use with students.

The Reber Plan: A Big Idea for San Francisco Bay

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

In the years after World War II, John Reber proposed a plan that would have drastically changed the San Francisco Bay Area. View this segment to learn about

  • John Reber and his ideas about nature and the Bay.
  • the details of John Reber’s plan and how it would reshape the Bay.
  • the Bay Model and its impact on the Reber Plan.

Download the Viewing Guide for pre- and post-viewing discussion questions, activities, and additional resources to use with students.

The Oaks of Oakland

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Oak trees are an integral part of the ecology of California. At one point, Oakland and Alameda were home to an impressive stand of live oak trees. View this segment to learn about the incredible oak woodland that was once in Oakland and Alameda.

Download the Viewing Guide for pre- and post-viewing discussion questions, activities, and additional resources to use with students.

The Greatest Shipbuilding Center in the World

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

The San Francisco Bay Area played a critical role in World War II as the “greatest shipbuilding center in the world.” View this segment to learn about

  • the bombing of Pearl Harbor from a Bay Area perspective.
  • the significance of Henry Kaiser and San Francisco Bay Area shipyards in World War II.
  • the role women played in the shipbuilding industry.

Download the Viewing Guide for pre- and post-viewing discussion questions, activities, and additional resources to use with students.

Discovering San Francisco Bay

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Upon reaching the San Francisco Bay, Spanish explorers came upon the largest inland network of tidal wetlands and marshes they had ever seen. View these segments to learn

  • how Portolá discovered the San Francisco estuary by mistake.
  • how the appearance of the San Francisco Bay Area has changed dramatically since its discovery.
  • why the San Francisco Bay–Delta region is one of the most productive ecosystems in the western Americas.

Download the Viewing Guide for pre- and post-viewing discussion questions, activities, and additional resources to use with students.

Cultivating an Abundant Bay

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

The early human inhabitants of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Ohlone and the Coast Miwok, cultivated an abundant environment. View this segment to learn

  • about shellmounds and other ways in which California Indians affected the landscape.
  • how the native people actually cultivated the land.
  • ways in which tribal members are currently working to restore their lost culture.

Download the Viewing Guide for pre- and post-viewing discussion questions, activities, and additional resources to use with students.

A Unique Estuary

Monday, March 8th, 2010

The San Francisco Bay is a unique and biologically productive estuary. View this segment to learn

  • about the size and scope of the estuary.
  • about the Mediterranean climate of the Bay Area.
  • that the estuary is a biologically productive region.

Download the Viewing Guide for pre- and post-viewing discussion questions, activities, and additional resources to use with students.