Curriculum Materials

Cape Lookout has several curriculum guides designed to allow teachers to bring the seashore to the classroom and the classroom to the seashore. Pre-visit, on-site, and post-visit activities are based on the North Carolina Standard Course of Study* for Social Studies (2006) and Science (2004). They are available for download individually or as part of the whole guide.

These curriculum materials are designed to be used in conjunction with either a class visit to the park or a Ranger visit to the class. To schedule an on-site visit or a Ranger led school site program, contact the park at [phone].

* Updates for the new Core and Essential Standards will be made before the beginning of the 2012-13 school year.

 

Learning about the duties of lighthouse keepers and their families on the Keeper's Quarters porch.

Topics in Science (6th, 7th, or 8th grades):

• Wild Horses
• Barrier Island Geology
• Marine Ecosystems
• Preservation vs. Recreation

Topics in Social Studies (1st, 2nd, 4th, or 5th grades):

• Lighthouse Technology
• Life of a Lighthouse Keeper
• Lighthouse Fee Waiver Materials

Coming Soon:
Lighthouse Fee Waiver Guide for 4th grade
Life on the Outer Banks (science and social studies) for Kindergarten, 4th grade, and 6th grade

Please Note: Some of these guides are in the process of being completed.

Other Materials from Cape Lookout

The popular Traveling Trunks program can also be used as a precursor to a park visit. These curriculum guides available online on the traveling trunks page.

Junior Ranger Adventures booklets provide additional on-site activities which are ideal for school groups visiting the park.

Additional Online Materials

 

Views of the National Parks is an online resource from the NPS exploring several different parks and themes and includes multimedia presentations and curriculum guides.

The Coastal Geology theme is an excellent science lesson on the processes that shape barrier islands and other coastal features. The lesson plan for this theme can be found in the Teachers Lounge section or it can be downloaded here (79 KB).

Designed for high school and upper middle school students, the Coastal Processes and Conflicts curriculum materials from Eastern Carolina University highlight erosion and other natural processes on North Carolina's Outer Banks.

The National Environmental Education Foundation has curriculum materials for grades K through 12 on several topics including Endangered Species, Environmental Health, and Water.

The Teaching with Historic Places website, from the NPS, provides social studies teachers with more than 130 lesson plans indexed by location, topic, and skills learned.

Class activities on oceans and the atmosphere can be found a module called Earth's Fluid Spheres in the American Geological Institute's curriculum materials.

The EPA's Environmental Kids Club contains a large collection of activities that can be used in the classroom. The Water page has a book of activity pages on coastal North Carolina.

The National Park Service also provides an Environmental Education Reading List.

Virtual Urchin is a collection of resources and online activities from Stanford University which use sea urchins as a case study in anatomy, ecology, and the use of microscopes.