Parks As Classrooms Video - TN K-5

This short video highlights the main themes, activities and lessons for Elementary grade levels in Tennessee. The video assists with fieldtrip planning by demonstrating the variety of park educational offerings and providing a sense of program setting and location. Each of the featured programs has a complete downloadable lesson plan with information about the in-park field trips as well as background materials and pre and post visit activities for your students.

 

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  Parks As Classrooms - TN K-5

  Parks As Classrooms offers a variety of programs for Tennessee elementary school students.

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  Video Transcript

  How would you like to have a waterfall in your classroom, or seven hundred and fifty white tailed deer, or a million blooming wildflowers, or the largest collection of historic log buildings in the east? You can have all of these resources and more when you bring your students to a Parks as Classrooms program at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
  
  It only makes sense that a national park that is known internationally for its spectacular biological diversity and historic preservation also be recognized as the perfect living lab and classroom.
  
  At Great Smoky Mountains National Park we serve over fifteen thousand students a year in a K through 12 curriculum that’s very hands on and it progresses from awareness, to knowledge, to stewardship. Students learn to appreciate the wonders of nature and heritage while learning in the very heart of the resource. We teach the state mandated standards of learning using park resources to meet the teacher’s classroom goals.
  The programs are developed jointly by teachers and park educators and they include pre-visit, post-visit activities, along with assessment tools.
  
  Our programs in Tennessee strive to meet state curriculum standards through hands-on learning.  Rangers  actively engage with students, as students connect with the environment around them.
  
  Kindergarten:  Kindergarten students  explore a forest environment in a safe and inviting manner.  Park  Rangers teach students that using their senses while in the park  can enhance their overall experience.
  
  First Grade:  During our program designed for 1st graders , students examine the characteristics of animal groups. A short hike provides a natural backdrop for discovering the various habitats of reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish, insects, and mammals.
  
  Second Grade: In our second  grade program, students focus primarily on the rich cultural history  of the Appalachian Mountains.  Students travel  back in time to experience family life in the late 1800s.
  
  Third Grade:  3rd grade students study the diversity  within Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  As scientists, students investigate  stream, forest, and soil habitats through hands-on activities.
  
  Fourth and Fifth Grade: For 4th and 5th  grade classes, our staff offers programs designed to make real- world connections with science and history through the use of park resources.
  
  Contact park staff for more information about any of these programs.
  
  Parks as Classrooms programs usually run from 10am to 1pm with lunch in between activities in locations around the park where restrooms are accessible. Group size is typically 60 students with chaperones required. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is able to offer the Parks as Classrooms programs free of charge through the generous support of Great Smoky Mountains Association, Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and a variety of other donors.
  
  We often have funding to off set transportation costs. We are always adding new program offerings; currently we are working on programs on climate change and archaeology. So check out our website for the latest offerings and information on how to sign up your class.