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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stewardship of Yosemite National Park

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students devise a plan that would be true to John Muir's spirit of stewardship toward Yosemite. They analyze a core map to determine the original plan and usage of the park and compare the original plan to a current park map.
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Theodore Roosevelt's Outdoor Adventures

For Students 6th - 12th
Time for a virtual sightseeing trip. Pupils explore the Grand Canyon, Devil's Tower, and Yosemite Valley in an interactive online experience. They answer questions about the organisms in each location and draw conclusions based on their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From Yosemite to Joshua Tree

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discover diversity of plant and animal life in California's parks and compare findings to identify what makes park areas unique. Students then publish their discoveries in picture books of their own design.
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Unit Plan
National Park Service

Climate Science in Focus: A Streamflow River Study

For Teachers 9th Standards
Data speaks, but it's our job to determine what it's trying to say. Young scientists explore the changes in weather and climate using data from the Yosemite National Park in a six-day unit. Learners first compare weather and climate and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning Landscapes

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders analyze a landscape depicting Yosemite during the time of the Wild West. They compare their perceptions of the West from film and television to this representation. They observe the use of scale and color to depict size and...
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Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Location on the Earth: Longitude and Latitude

For Students 6th - 8th
To what degree do learners understand coordinates? Get them some practice in Yosemite National Park in a simple, fun interactive. Pupils explore a map and locate coordinates of popular sights within the park, then answer questions to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science: Avalanche!

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders examine avalanches after reading excerpts from John Muir's book, "The Yosemite." In small groups, they conduct experiments with flour, sugar, and potato flakes representing different snow consistencies. Then, 8th graders...
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Worksheet
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K12 Reader

What Glaciers Leave Behind

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
Glaciers may seem distant and stationary, but they are huge deposits of moving ice that have made changes to the earth's surface. Your pupils can learn about the different types of impressions left by glaciers by reading the short...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Natural or Cultural?: The Features of Yosemite Park

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students analyze a 1936 national park map of Yosemite to distinguish the natural features from the cultural features.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

John Muir in Yosemite

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students explore different ways to value the environment and participate in a simulation of a historical debate to protect Yosemite as a National Park. They are assigned various roles in the debate in which they must research and present...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geology of Yosemite

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students are shown slides of Yosemite and explore how the valley was formed by performing an experiment. Instructions on how to set up the lab are included. They can be assessed orally or by writing a report on the outcome of the lab.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Glaciers

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders summarize how Earth processes today are similar to those that occurred in the past. They read excerpts from John Muir's "Yosemite Glaciers" and explain how slow geologic processes have large cumulative effects over long...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Create a Brochure

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore the animals, plants and features of Yosemite in order to create a brochure. They, in groups, are assigned different areas of the park to create brochures for. They access websites imbedded in this plan.
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Worksheet
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

Hetch Hetchy: The Story of San Francisco's Water

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
How did San Francisco supply enough water for its residents over the last two centuries? Learn about droughts and water conservation in California, as well as specific historical events that led to the water system today. Kids read two...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life Science Terms

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars work with the teacher as they go through the vocabulary. At the end of the instructional activity they are asked to define the terms without their notes.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Born to be Wild

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students watch an episode depicting the human vs. polar bear conflict in Churchill, Canada. They conduct online research and analyze the information. They interpret the facts and use storytelling techniques and role playing to convey...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rock On!

For Teachers 4th - 6th
After five class sessions, young scientists will be able to identify common rock types: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. This plan involves hands-on activities, includes various handouts and worksheets, and requires there to be...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pre-Trip Readiness

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students demonstrate an understanding of one of the forces, floods, affecting Yosemite. After watching a video of a 1997 flood of the valley, students go to a website imbedded in this plan and answer questions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Build a Journal

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students prepare for field journaling at Yosemite Institute. They create and decorate their Institute journal giving them both a place to journal and ownership of it.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping It Out: A Post-Trip Lesson

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students make a rough map of Yosemite and add elevations to the map. They are encouraged to bring photos from the trip and add them to their map.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Illustrated Senses Poem

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Pupils choose a natural object found in Yosemite and writes a poem using their senses.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating Journals

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students take a virtual tour of Yosemite and selects photographs to use in their journal.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Images of the Parks

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore U.S. geography by completing a research project about the National Parks. In this scenery image analysis lesson, students identify the different national parks in our country and observe paintings and images by famous...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Whose Water Is It?

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students role-play as San Francisco residents in 1908 who support or oppose the building of a dam in Yosemite National Park. They create posters and write letters to representatives defending their positions.