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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Photography and the National Park Service

For Teachers 9th - 12th
During the 1800s the United States was expanding westward; land was there for the taking.  Kids explore how some early photographers used their photography to influenced the US Congress to save areas like Mirror Lake. They complete a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Personal Stories of the National Parks

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore historical information about U.S. national parks using the stories of Edward and Margaret Gehrke as a primary source document. In this United States geography, history, and literacy lesson, students view the diary...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Wilderness Concept: Our National Parks, History and Issues

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the history of the National parks. In groups, they discuss the concepts of conservation and preservation. They discuss the use of natural resources and how some are renewable and non-renewable. To end the lesson, they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discovering National Parks

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students work to preserve American National Parks. In this environmental activism lesson, students research the history of the national parks and determine why they were created. Students then focus on protecting the land, using it for...
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Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

The Conservation Movement at a Crossroads: The Hetch Hetchy Controversy

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Should wilderness areas be preserved or managed? Class members examine primary source documents, including lecture notes, articles, essays and congressional records to better understand the Hetch Hetchy controversy that created a split...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Rosa Parks: Civil Rights Activist

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Scholars examine the courageous efforts made by civil rights activist, Rosa Parks. Discussion questions and a brief writing assignment follows a short film. A photograph and a silent film delve deeper into Park's history and three...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Looking for a Windshield Experience

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students identify American geography by participating in a national parks activity. In this road trip lesson, students view the Ken Burns documentary "National Parks" and identify the importance of automobiles in the park system....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

This is America

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students explore world geography by viewing a documentary film in class. In this national parks lesson, students view the Ken Burns documentary about the subject and identify the contributions of individuals in support of the parks...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ecological Decision Making

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers, beginning individually and later in small groups use the decision making model to address the question of reintroducing the wolf into Yellowstone National Park. Each small group elects a spokesperson to report to the...
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Lesson Plan
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1
Channel Islands Film

A Time Capsule of a Lost Early California Lifestyle

For Students 4th - 6th Standards
After viewing The Last Roundup, a documentary that examines the transitioning of Santa Rosa from a privately owned island to a National Park, class members adopt the point of view of Tim Vail, a member of the family that once owned the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

National Parks in Atlantic Canada

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders research and discuss factors that have an effect on the sustainability of national park ecosystems in Canada. They examine changes in thinking that have led to new park management practices.
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Lesson Plan
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Lesson 6: Biomes and Landscapes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Aside from the amazing animals in Gorongosa National Park, what else is there to discover? The sixth installment in an eight-part themed series contains an interactive map where scholars can learn more about the geographic features of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bryce Canyon National Park: Hoodoos Cast Their Spell (64)

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students explore the natural wonders of this once remote area in Utah and explore how it became a popular tourist destination in the early 20th century. They examine how the region was used by Mormon settlers, scientists and the government.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Central Parks

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students identify examples of humans altering nature and the positive and negative effects of these behaviors for both humans and nature. They assess the impact of tourism on specific national parks, as well as conservation efforts in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

U.S. Geography: The West

For Teachers K - 5th
Students explore the national parks of the American West. In this geography skills lesson, students watch "U.S. Geography: The West," and examine print and Internet sources about the national parks found there. Students feature their...
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Lesson Plan
Disney

Where Do Brown Bears Live?

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
What do brown bears in Alaska's Katmai National Park need to survive? Pupils explore the unique habitats, diet, and survival needs of this animal. They predict the consequences of removing any integral part of the bear's survival, and...
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Lesson Plan
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Lesson 4: Gorongosa's Food Webs

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Who eats who in the savannas of Africa? Explore trophic levels with part four of an eight-part series of lessons focused around Gorongosa National Park. After young explorers identify animals using trailcam images, they construct a food...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Memories from the National Sites

For Teachers K - 1st
Students write a virtual postcard. In this logo instructional activity students are introduced to the concept of postcard writing. Students research the national sites and states highlighted on quarters for that year. Students take a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Explorations in American Environmental History

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders explore the historical perspective of nature and the environment.  In this American History lesson, 9th graders examine materials in a variety of formats to understand the contexts of America's concern for the environment.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bioregion: Shark Valley Bicycle Ride

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students discuss the importance of the Everglades to the bioregion. In groups, they use the Internet to research the native types of flora and fauna and describe what happens when foreign flora and fauna enters the region. To end the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teddy Roosevelt

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students examine the life, contributions, and influence of Teddy Roosevelt. They view a slideshow lecture and take notes on a handout, filling in the blanks on the handout. Students then write a persuasive letter to a governmental...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Using Historic Digital Newspapers for National History Day

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Your learners will take a trip through history as they peruse through historic digitalized newspapers, reading real articles from such historical periods in the United States as the Temperance movement and passage of the Thirteenth...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Ecosystems, Human Activity, And Interactions, Oh My!: Human/Environment Interaction

For Teachers 5th Standards
Word clouds about ecosystems hook learners into a lesson that explores Yellowstone wildlife. Young scientists create cause-and-effect relationships after examining data and recommend solutions to their observed problems. More data...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students explore the background behind the building of the access roads to the National Park in Montana. The arguments for the building of these roads in wilderness regions and the environmental issues involved are examined.