exPLore WiTh Your senses - National Park Service€¦ · Planning Your Trip ... Animals and Their Senses ... • For more information about the park (Things to Know Before You Come)

RangeR Led PRogRam: exPLoRe With YouR SenSeS 1 PaRkS aS CLaSSRoomS gReat SmokY mountainS nationaL PaRk

Theme: Five SensesGrade LeveL: KindergartenBesT Time To PLan TriP: Spring or Fall

sTaTe CurriCuLum sTandards = Tennessee (KinderGarTen)

Science Embedded Inquiry •Observetheworldoffamiliarobjectsusingthesensesandtools(GLE0007.Inq.1) •Recognizethatbothnaturalmaterialsandhuman-madetoolshavespecific characteristicstodeterminetheiruse(GLE007.T/E.K-2.1)Interdependence •Knowthatpeopleinteractwiththeirenvironmentthroughtheirsenses (GLE007.2.2)TheEarth •Identifynon-livingmaterialsfoundonthesurfaceoftheearth(GLE0007.7.1)PhysicalScience •Describeanobjectbyitsobservableproperties(GLE0007.9.1)Energy •Identifythesunasthesourceofheatandlight(GLE0007.10.1)

engliSh •Developcriticallisteningskillsessentialforcomprehension,problemsolvingand taskcompletion(GLE0001.2.1) •Developcriticalspeakingskillsessentialforeffectivecommunication(GLE001.2.2)

uniT raTionaLeGreatSmokyMountainsNationalParkisanexcellentbackdropforstudentsastheyexplorethenaturalworldwiththeirsenses.Lessonsinhistoryandanimalcommunitiesaretaughtbyparkrangersasstudentsbecomeactivelyinvolvedintouching,smelling,seeingandlisteningtotheresource.EstablishingacomfortbetweenachildandtheoutdoorenvironmentiscrucialtothefutureoftheNationalParkService.Achildwholearnstosafelyexploretheoutdoorswithadultsmaybecomeintriguedandexcitedtoexploreothernaturalareasintheirowncommunity.Thisloveoftheoutdoorsissometimeslostbythedrawoftoday’sentertainmenttechnologysuchascabletelevision,computersandelectronicgamingsystems.ThepurposeofthistripistocreateanawarenessofthenaturalworldandencouragefuturelearningthroughfamilyactivitiesinGreatSmokyMountainsNationalPark.

exPLore WiTh Your sensesRanger Led

Program


UnitRationale/StateCurriculumStandards......................... 1TableofContents..................................................................... 2PlanningYourTrip................................................................... 3Safety.......................................................................................... 4MaptoCadesCove.................................................................. 5MaptoSugarlands.................................................................... 6

Pre-SiteActivitiesAnimalsandTheirSenses....................................................... 7-12

On-SiteActivitiesatCadesCoveParkRangerDirectedLessons............................................... 13SensoryRope............................................................................ 13SoundsoftheForest................................................................ 13NatureDetectives..................................................................... 13HugaTree................................................................................. 13

On-SiteActivitiesatSugarlandsParkRangerDirectedLessons............................................... 14SensoryRope............................................................................ 14SoundsoftheForest................................................................ 14NatureDetectives..................................................................... 14HugaTree................................................................................. 14

Post-SiteActivitiesSchoolNatureDetectives........................................................ 15ExploreYourNationalParks.................................................. 16

AppendicesParent/ChaperoneLetter........................................................ 17ResourcesandReferences....................................................... 18

TaBLe of ConTenTs

Activity Page


PLanninG a suCCessfuL TriPexPLore WiTh Your senses

sCheduLe for a daY of aCTiviTies in GreaT smoKY mounTains naTionaL ParKMorning:

•ArriveatCadesCoveRangerStation.•Usetherestroomsatthestore.•Reloadthebustotraveltothetrailhead•Rangerleadsgroupintroductionwith“PineytheTalkingTree”.•Intwogroups,studentsparticipateinranger-ledactivities•Stayforpicniclunchonlawnorreturntoschool

PlanningaSuccessfulTrip

•TheCadesCovepicnicareaislocatedpriortotheonewayCadesCovedrivingloop.DONOTGETONTHESCENIC11MILELOOP.Instead,turnleftandfollowthesignsforthepicnicarea.Thepicnicareaislocated6mileswestoftheTownsend“Wye”.

•Thereisnocosttousethissiteorfortheprogram.Therangerswillbewaitingonyourbustopullintothepicnicarea.Rangerswillshowyouwheretopark.

•Safetyisoftheutmostimportance,especiallyinaNationalPark.Besuretoreadthesafetyinformationprovidedonthefollowingpage.Youmaywishtotakethepagewithyouonyourtriporsendittoyourchaperonespriortotheon-siteexperience.

aT Cades Cove aT suGarLands

sCheduLe for a daY of aCTiviTies in GreaT smoKY mounTains naTionaL ParKMorning

•ArriveatSugarlandsVisitorCenterforrestrooms•Reloadthebustotraveltothetrailhead•Rangerleadsgroupintroductionwiththe“TalkingChimney”•Intwogroups,studentsparticipateinranger-ledactivities•Stayforpicniclunchonvisitorcenterlawnorreturntoschool

PlanningaSuccessfulTrip

•TheSugarlandsVisitorCenterislocated5minutesfromdowntownGatlinburgonHighway441.IftravelingviatheGatlinburgby-pass,thevisitorcenterisonemileintotheparkaftertheby-passends.

•Thereisnocosttousethissiteorfortheprogram.Therangerswillbewaitingonyourbustopullintothevisitorcenter.Rangerswillshowyouwheretopark.

•Safetyisoftheutmostimportance,especiallyinaNationalPark.Besuretoreadthesafetyinformationprovidedonthefollowingpage.Youmaywishtotakethepagewithyouonyourtriporsendittoyourchaperonespriortotheon-siteexperience.


safeTY ConsideraTions and oTher imPorTanT informaTion •GreatSmokyMountainsNationalParkisafederallyprotectedpublicusearea.Pleasehelptherangerskeepalloftheplantsandanimalsprotectedintheparkbynotpickingtheplantsortakinganythingfromthepark.

•Pleaseremindyourstudentstowearappropriatefootwearandclothingforthisextendedoutdoorexperience.Flipflops,slip-onshoes,orsandalsarenotappropriatefortheprogram.

•Temperaturesinsomepartsoftheparkcanbe10-15degreescolderthanatyourschool.Longpantsandlayersaresuggestedfortheprogram.Pantsarethebestprecautionagainstcooltemperatures,beestings,ticks,andpoisonivy.

•Withinthepark,cellphonesarenotalwaysreliable.Rangerswillfollowtheon-siteagenda.Ifanunexpectedproblemoccurs,rangersdocarryparkradiostomakecontactwiththeparkdispatchoffice.Fornon-emergencies,calltheParkRangerdispatchat865-436-1230orcontactaparkemployee.

Animals and Plants of Concern in the park

•Allanimalsintheparkarewildandtheirbehaviorsareunpredictable.Treatallanimalswith caution.

•Venomoussnakes-TwospeciesofvenomoussnakesliveintheSmokies,thecopperheadand timberrattlesnake.Studentsshouldbecautiouswheretheyplacetheirhandsandfeet.

•Insects-Yellowjacketwaspsaretheinsectsofgreatestconcern.Theybuildnestsinthe groundalongtrailsandstreamsandareaggressivewhendisturbed.Stingscauselocalswelling andcanleadtosevereallergicreactionsinsensitiveindividuals.Suchpersonsshouldcarry epinephrinekits.

•PoisonIvy-Poisonivyisathree-leavedplantwhichcangrowonthegroundaswellason “hairy”vinesuptrees.Toavoidchancesofanallergicreactionwearlongpants,stayontrails, andavoiddirectcontactwithvegetation.Ifcontactoccursorisaconcern,washaffectedparts incoldsoapywaterimmediately.

•Itisextremelyhelpfultorangersleadingtheprogramforstudentstowearclearlylabelednametagswithfirstnamesonly.

•Petsarenotallowedonmostparktrails.Pleasedonotbringthemonthefieldtrip.

•Formoreinformationaboutthepark(ThingstoKnowBeforeYouCome)pleasevisitthepark’swebsite:http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/things2know.htm


maP To Cades Cove


maP To suGarLands


Objectives: Aidstudentsinlearninghowanimalsusetheirsenses.

Materials: •Coloringpages(included)

Background:Allanimalshavesenses.Thoughtheymaynotlooklikeyouorme,abear,afrog,andabirdallhavepartstotheirbodywhichhelpthemlearnabouttheirenvironment.GreatSmokyMountainsNationalParkishometoover17,000knowndifferenttypesofanimalsandplants.Thelivingthingsoftheforestandthestreamsneedtomakeorfindenergyfromthesun,theplantsandsometimesfromotheranimals.Howdoesaraccoonfindfood?Howdoesabirdmakeanest?Howdoesadeerlistenforitsmotherintheforest?Theanswertoallofthequestionsisthesame:animalsusetheirsensestosurvive.

Procedure:UsethefollowingcolorsheetstohelpintroduceanimalsofGreatSmokyMountainsNationalParktothestudentsandtohelpreinforcetheirknowledgeoftheirownsenses.

Pre-siTe aCTiviTYanimaLs and Their senses

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Subject Area:Science

Activity time: 30minutes

Setting: Classroom

Skills: Coloring;Criticalthinking

Vocabulary: hear;see;smell;taste;touch







on-siTe aCTiviTiesParK ranGer direCTed Lessons aT Cades Cove

Objectives: Teachstudentsthatbyusingtheirsenses,theycanenhancetheiroverallexperienceinthepark.

Materials: Allprovidedbyparkrangers

Background:Thefollowingisabriefdescriptionofyouron-siteactivities.Theseactivitieswillbeledbyparkstaff,butpleasebefamiliarwiththem,astheclassroomteachermaybeaskedtoassiston-site.

PineytheTalkingTree(10minutes)Asstudentsunloadthebus,theparkrangerwillleadtheentiregrouptothestartofthenaturetrail.Atthispointadiscussionofsafetyintheforestwilltakeplace.Studentswillbeaskedtoidentifytheir5senses.Theparkrangerwillthenleadtheentiregroupdownthepavedpathtomeetthe“TalkingTree”.The“TalkingTree”willtellashortstorytothestudentandaskforresponsestoseveralquestions.

Thegroupwillbedividedintotwogroupsandwillfollowtheparkrangerstoparticipateinthefollowingactivities:

SensoryRope(20minutes)Studentswillbeaskedtoclosetheireyesandfeeltheirwayalongasensoryropetotouchandsmellobjectsoftheforest.Afterallhavewalkedalongsidetherope,therangerwillaskforguessesfromthegroupastowhatwasdiscoveredwiththeirsenses.

SoundsoftheForest(20minutes)StudentswillsitandlistentoavarietyofrecordedanimalsoundsfromGreatSmokyMountainsNationalPark.Therangerwillaskstudentswhichanimalismakingtherecordedsound.Therangerwillshowstudentsaphotographofthecorrectanimal.

NatureDetectives(20minutes)Studentswillbeshownthepropertechniquesofusingamagnifyingglass.Studentswillthenreceiveamagnifyingglassandwillbedirectedtosearchtheforestfloorusingonlytheireyestouncoverthemicroscopicworld.Studentwillbeaskedtoreportbacktotherangerwithverbalde-scriptionsoftheirfindings.

HugaTree(20minutes)Thisactivityreinforcesaruleofsafety.Ifapersonbecomeslostinthewoods,rememberto“HugaTree”.Bystayinginoneplace,alostvisitorcanbelocatedeasierbyrescueteams.Therangerwilldemonstratehowto“HugaTree”,thenstudentswillparticipateinagamewherepairedstudentsgettofindatreebyusingtheirsenseoftouch.



Activity time: 1.5hours

Classsize:Maximumof50

Setting: Outdoorsinthepark

Skills: Communicating,Criticalthinking;Describing;Listening;Observing

Vocabulary: animal;color;community;compare;family;hear;nature;observe;respect;rules;see;senses;shape;size;smell;soil;taste;touch


on-siTe aCTiviTiesParK ranGer direCTed Lessons aT suGarLands

Objectives: Teachstudentsthatbyusingtheirsenses,theycanenhancetheiroverallexperienceinthepark.

Materials:Allprovidedbyparkrangers

Background: Thefollowingisabriefdescriptionofyouron-siteactivities.Theseactivitieswillbeledbyparkstaff,butpleasebefamiliarwiththem,astheclassroomteachermaybeaskedtoassiston-site.

TheTalkingChimney(10minutes)Asstudentsunloadthebus,theparkrangerwillleadtheentiregrouptothestartofthenaturetrail.Atthispointadiscussionofsafetyintheforestwilltakeplace.Studentswillbeaskedtoidentifytheir5senses.Theparkrangerwillthenleadtheentiregroupdownthepavedpathtomeetthe“TalkingChimney”.The“TalkingChimney”willtellashortstorytothestudentandaskforresponsestoseveralquestions.Theparkrangerwillthenleadthegroupbacktothestartofthetrailagaintodividethegroupinto2smallergroups.

Eachsmallgroupwillfollowtheparkrangerstoparticipateinthefollowingactivities:

SensoryRope(20minutes)Studentswillbeaskedtoclosetheireyesandfeeltheirwayalongasensoryropetotouchandsmellobjectsoftheforest.Afterallhavewalkedalongsidetherope,therangerwillaskforguessesfromthegroupastowhatwasdiscoveredwiththeirsenses.

SoundsoftheForest(20minutes)StudentswillsitandlistentoavarietyofrecordedanimalsoundsfromGreatSmokyMountainsNationalPark.Therangerwillaskstudentswhichanimalismakingtherecordedsound.Therangerwillshowstudentsaphotographofthecorrectanimal.

NatureDetectives(20minutes)Studentswillbeshownthepropertechniquesofusingamagnifyingglass.Studentswillthenreceiveamagnifyingglassandwillbedirectedtosearchtheforestfloorusingonlytheireyestouncoverthemicroscopicworld.Studentwillbeaskedtoreportbacktotherangerwithverbalde-scriptionsoftheirfindings.

HugaTree(20minutes)Thisactivityreinforcesaruleofsafety.Ifeverapersonbecomeslostinthewoods,rememberto“HugaTree”.Bystayinginoneplace,alostvisitorcanbelocatedeasierbyrescueteams.Therangerwilldemonstratehowto“HugaTree”,thenstudentswillparticipateinagamewherepairedstudentsgettofindatreebyusingtheirsenseoftouch.



Activity time: 1.5hours

Classsize:Maximumof50

Setting: Outdoorsinthepark

Skills: Communicating,Criticalthinking;Describing;Listening;Observing

Vocabulary: animal;color;community;compare;family;hear;nature;observe;respect;rules;see;senses;shape;size;smell;soil;taste;touch


Objectives: Teachstudentsthatthroughcarefulobservation,therearemanythingswaitingtobediscovered.

Materials:•Magnifyingglassesreceivedfromfieldtrip•Inventorylist•Trashbags

Procedure:JustasmanyexcitingdiscoveriesweremadeduringtheclasstriptoGreatSmokyMountainsNationalPark,therearemanyplacestoexplorewithinyourschoolyard.Allowstudentstousetheirmagnifyingglassesbackatschooltomakeaninventorylistjustliketheoneinthenationalpark.

Oncecompleted,askstudentsifthelistlookedlongerorshorter.Wereanyofthesametypesofitemsfound?Whyorwhynot.?Isyourschoolyardbiggerorsmallerthanthenationalpark(theparkis500,000acres).

WhilevisitingGreatSmokyMountainsNationalParkstudentsheardfromparkrangersabouttheimportanceofkeepingtheforestcleanoftrash.Whenpeoplevisitspecialplaceslikenationalparks,theyshouldbesuretopackoutalloftheirtrashandgarbage.

Schoolsarealsospecialplacesthatshouldbekeptclean.Asaservicelearningopportunityarethereplaceswithinyourschoolthatstudentscouldhelptocleanup?Anytrashontheschoolgrounds?Litterinthehalls?Findanopportunityforstewardshipandencouragestudentstokeeptheirschoolclean.

PosT-siTe aCTiviTYsChooL naTure deTeCTives


Subject Area: Science

Activity time: as times allows

Setting: Outdoorsintheschoolyard

Skills: Communicating,Criticalthinking;Describing;Listening;Observing;

Vocabulary: animal; color; compare; nature; ob-serve; see; shape; size; soil


PosT-siTe aCTiviTYexPLore Your naTionaL ParKs

Objectives: To teach students about the various aspects of the National Park Service.

Materials: internetaccess

Background:TheGreatSmokyMountainsareworldrenownedfortheirdiversityofplantandanimalspecies.Thisgreatvarietymakestheparkanexemplaryoutdoorlaboratoryforthestudyofrelativelyundisturbednativeflora,fauna,physicalenvirons,andprocessesoftheSouthernAppalachians.TheparkisthelargestfederallypreservedandprotecteduplandareaeastoftheMississippiRiverofferingparkvisitorsarefugefromthestressesofeverydaylife.

Youandyourstudentscanlearnmoreaboutthisspecialplace



Activity time:30minutes

Setting: Indoors

Skills: Varying skills de-pending on activities se-lected

Vocabulary: Varying vocabulary depending on activities selected

aswellasparticipateinon-lineactivitiestofurtheryourknowledgeService,Smithsonian,NationalScienceFoundation(NSF),andNationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministration(NASA).Goto:http://www.free.ed.gov/

oftheNationalParkServiceandotherfederallyprotectedlands.Pleasecheckoutthefollowingwebaddresses:

Especially for KidsTolearnhowtobecomeawebrangerfortheNationalParkService,goto:www.nps.gov/webrangersTolearnhowtobecomeaJuniorParkRangeratGreatSmokyMountainsNationalParkorotherparks,goto:www.nps.gov/learn/juniorranger.htm

Especially for TeachersForacomprehensiveunderstandingofthebackgroundanddevelopmentoftheNationalParkService,thatisperfectforteachersandothersthosewhoneedthemaximumamountofaccurateinformationintheminimumamountoftime,goto:http://www.ParkTraining.orgTheU.S.DepartmentofEducationispleasedtoannouncethenewlyremodeledandupdatedFederalResourcesforEducationExcellence(FREE)website.Itnowprovidesricher,moreexpansiveresourcestoteachersandstudentsalike.Thereareover1,500resourcestotakeadvantageofatFREErangingfromprimaryhistoricaldocuments,lessonplans,sciencevisualizations,mathsimulationsandonlinechallenges,paintings,photos,mappingtools,andmore.ThiseasilyaccessibleinformationisprovidedbyfederalorganizationsandagenciessuchastheLibraryofCongress,NationalArchives,NationalEndowmentfortheHumanities(NEH),NationalGalleryofArt,NationalPark


ParenT/ChaPerone LeTTer

GreetingsParents/Chaperones:

ParkrangersarepleasedtobepresentinganeducationalprogramtothestudentsinGreatSmokyMountainsNationalPark.Inordertoachievethegoalsforasuccessfulprogram,theparkrangerswillneedyourassistanceinthefollowingways:

(Thesepointswillhelptoensurethatparkrangersandteacherswillbeableeffectivelyconducttheles-sonsandactivitiesthroughoutthetrip.) -Theprogramwillbeconductedoutsideandtherewillbesomehikingthroughout thetrip.Prepareyourstudentwithappropriatefootwear,longpants,layers,and raingear.

-Ifyourchildisbringingalunchfromhome,werecommendthatstudentsbring watertodrinkandalunchwithminimalpackaging.Softdrinksareusuallyleft unfinishedbystudents,andremainingsugarydrinkscannotbepouredoutonthe ground.(Minimallypackagedlunchesleadtolesstrashbeingleftbehindor scatteredbythewind.Additionally,thisreducestheaccumulatedtrashtobe disposed).

Ifyouareachaperoneattendingthefieldtrip:

-Pleasebeanactivepartofthelessons.Keepupwiththegroupandlistentothe informationbeinggiveninthecasethatyoumaybecalledupontoassist(handing outmaterials,sub-dividinggroupsetc.).

-Pleasedonotholdconversationswithotherchaperonesoruseacellularphonewhilethe rangersareteachingthestudents.

-Refrainfromsmokingduringthetrip.Ifyoumustsmoke,pleasealertarangerorteacher andremoveyourselffromthegroup.

-Pleasebeawarethattheprogramwillbeconductedoutsideandthattherewillbesome hikingthroughoutthetrip.Prepareyourselfwithappropriatefootwear,longpants,layers, andraingear.

-Werecommendthatparentsandstudentsbringasmalltowelintheirbackpacksto sitonatlunch(therearenopicnictablesattheprogramsite).

Thankyouforyourneededassistance.Welookforwardtomeetingyouontheprogram!

Sincerely,

TheEducationStaffatGreatSmokyMountainsNationalPark


resourCes and referenCes

Aloian,Molly,andBobbieKalmon.TheLifeCycleofaFlower..CrabtreePublishingCompany,2004.

Artworkon pages7-11bySharonKim,GreatSmokyMountainsNationalPark.

Condon,Marlene.TheNatureFriendlyGarden.StackpoleBooks,2006.

Mazer,Anne.TheSalamanderRoom.DragonflyPaperbacks,1994.

Press,JudyandBetsyDay.AnimalHabitats.WilliamsonBooks,2005.

VanCleave,Janice.PlayandFindOutAboutNature.Jossey-Bass,1997.

Documents

exPLore WiTh Your senses - National Park Service€¦ · Planning Your Trip ... Animals and Their Senses ... • For more information about the park (Things to Know Before You Come)