Project Crystal

Welcome to Project Crystal!

Three students gather around a research plot at the Project Crystal research site, recording their observations on a clipboard.

During this environmental education program, fifth-grade scientists are invited to take part in ecological research in Crystal Cove State Park’s Moro Canyon!

As young scientists help Crystal Cove Conservancy, Crystal Cove State Park, and UC Irvine study the best way to restore native habitats, they’ll learn about concepts like, plant ecology, food web dynamics, and how we can use science ideas to protect our wild places.

This program is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards for fifth grade. The curriculum includes six learning modules, each with 2-3 hours of flexible activities to incorporate into your online or in-person classroom. The program also includes two optional in-person or virtual field trips so that your students can connect with Crystal Cove Conservancy staff in the field in Moro Canyon.

Please visit our field trip page for information on booking in-person field trips.

How to Join

If you have any questions about the program, feel free to contact Brent Castanon, Education Coordinator, by emailing brent@crystalcove.org.

Teacher Professional Development

We highly recommend that all teachers, educators, and parents who will be facilitating Project Crystal attend two professional development sessions.  The “Project Crystal” workshop gives an introduction to the Project Crystal research project and curriculum, and supports your scientists in thinking about how best to represent data through statistics, making graphs, and using their graphs as evidence to support a recommendation. Teachers who are planning to participate in in-person field trips are strongly encouraged to attend an in-person training in Moro Canyon! 

2024-2025 Workshop Dates:

Webinars:

  • Wednesday, October 23, 2024 from 4:30pm-5:30pm
  • Wednesday, January 15, 2025 from 4:30pm-5:30pm

In-person workshops (recommended for teachers participating in field trips):

  • Saturday, January 18, 2025 from 9:00am-1:00pm

All teacher workshops are free to attend. Click here to register!

Project Crystal Curriculum

If you want to check out the previous Project Crystal program, check out the 2023-2024 project page here! 

Teacher & Educator Resources

Module 1: Exploring Moro Canyon

Module 1 Lesson Guide (PDF)

OR

Module 2: Making a Model

Module 2 Lesson Guide (PDF)

Module 3: Digging Deeper (optional)

Module 3 Lesson Guide (PDF)

  • Reflect: What is something new you learned that you are going to add to your model?

Module 4: Making Our Hypothesis

Module 4 Lesson Guide (PDF)

Module 5: Collecting Our Data

Module 5 Lesson Guide (PDF)

  • Reflect: What did you observe at the research site? What do you think our next step should be, how can we answer our research questions?

Module 6: Analyzing Our Data

Module 6 Lesson Guide (PDF)

  • Reflect: What trends did you see in the data? What is your recommendation to the land managers at Crystal Cove State Park?

Module 7: Designing an Experiment at Your School

Module 7 Lesson Guide

  • Reflect: What plant adaptation did you compare? What plant at your school had the most bird attacks on clay caterpillars?
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