Curriculum Connections: Making the Most of National Park Experiences

Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site preserves the home of Henry W. Longfellow, one of the world’s foremost 19th century poets. The house also served as headquarters for General George Washington during the Siege of Boston, July 1775 - April 1776.

Selections from “Creative Teaching with Historic Places:” A Thematic Issue of CRM: Cultural Resource Management Vol 23 No. 8 2000
Published by the National Park Service, Cultural Resources


by Patti Reilly

What’s the first thing you would do at the start of summer break after teaching a full year in the classroom? Most of us would select an activity that was relaxing and probably not related to school. Not so for a dedicated group of educators who participated in the Historic House Explorers Institute this past June. Teachers, museum educators, and content specialist from Massachusetts, New York, South Carolina, and Washington, DC signed up for a one-week working institute to develop a framework, methodology, and action plan for developing curriculum-based programs that teach seventh- and eighth-grade students to “read” historic homes. Sponsored by the National Park Service (NPS), Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), and the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP), the Institute focused on the use of primary sources and issues related to learning styles, standards, content and skill acquisition, and authentic assessment.

This type of collaboration is essential for the development of effective NPS education programs. Although NPS sites have great potential to teach students about concepts, people, places, and events, if programs are not based on the school curriculum, teachers will choose other options to support their course of study. Today’s educators are faced with required learning standards, lack of transportation funds, and a host of issues vying for their limited time; they cannot experiment with programs not designed to meet their needs. Educators at the Explorers Institute recommended that curriculum-based programs should:

• Be relevant to what schools teach
• Be curriculum-based, to justify the trip
• Correlate with standards with a matrix
• Include pre- and post-materials for preparation and reinforcement
• Be facilitated by trained personnel knowledgeable about learning styles, standards, and developmental stages
• Offer a tiered program and provide options
• Be accessible to meet a diverse range of physical abilities and learning styles
• Incorporate hands-on learning
• Utilize a collaborative approach

Both schools and the NPS benefit from this approach. As Kelly Fellner, supervisory park ranger at Longfellow National Historic Site, and a participant at the Institute stated, “Curriculum-based education programs allow teachers and park educators to speak a common language which results in more enriching experiences for schools and the site.”[1]

One of Acadia's many carriage road bridges; Bubble Pond bridge circa 1929. NPS photo.

The Explorers Institute is one example of park efforts to develop more effective education programs. Parks as Classrooms and Teaching with Historic Places offer teachers an array of materials and programs targeted at specific grades and subjects areas. From Acadia National Park’s “Carriage Road Explorers,” to Boston National Historical Park’s People and Places Program, to the Eisenhower Academy: An Institute for Middle and Secondary Teachers, to “Weir Farm: Home of an American Impressionist,” we can find inter-disciplinary features and a mix of services for teachers and students.

Understanding what the phrase curriculum-based education programs means is an important first step in the development processes. According to the NPS Servicewide Interpretive Development Program, developed to foster professionalism in interpretation, curriculum-based programs:

• Are based on park resources and relevant to park interpretive themes
• Link park themes with national and state standards
• Involve educators/group leaders in planning and development
• Include pre-visit materials that prepare learners for the program
• Include post-visit materials that extent learning beyond the program
• Address different learning styles
• Include an evaluation mechanism
• Link learning experiences directly to clear objectives

The NPS Northeast Region’s Road Ahead: A Strategy to Achieve Excellence in Interpretation and Education, unveiled in 1997, promotes the concept of life-long learning and the development of curriculum-based education programs. Setting a goal for every park in the Region to have a curriculum-based program will result in both stronger partnerships between schools and NPS sites and also more connections among the sites. Stretching from Maine to Virginia and including 22% of the national public school enrollment – approximately 11 million students – the Region has a significant opportunity to reach out and establish ties with diverse communities.

The Strategy calls for parks to develop Comprehensive Interpretive Plans (CIP) to guide each park’s interpretation and education program. Involving the education community in this process is critical. Understanding the unique aspects and strengths of each site will help avoid competition with other organizations and also suggest possible partnerships. Uncovering untold stories and exploring multiple points of view make the sites more relevant to students. The new (1996) NPS thematic framework is an excellent tool available to help educators/park staff develop stories about people, place, and time.

Education Centers are an important component of the Road Ahead strategy. Centers have special resources that expand a park’s capabilities in offering a broader menu of educational programs and services. The Tsongas Industrial History Center is a collaborative project of the University of Massachusetts Graduate School of Education and the National Park Service at Lowell National Historical Park. The Center encourages the teaching of industrial history in a hands-on way through on- and off-site education programs for over 50,000 students annually. Dr. Peter O’Connell, director of the Tsongas Industrial History Center, summed up the benefits of curriculum-based programs in the following words:

“If national parks and museums are to be essential educational partners with schools, our educational programs, curriculum materials, and workshops must help teachers do better what teachers have to do – help students attain the curriculum standards mandated by the state as part of education reform. Our education programs also have to satisfy kids’ standards as well – they must be engaging, meaningful, involve the use of great objects and historical structures, and be different than what can happen in the classroom. If we are truly curriculum-based and teacher- and student-centered, teachers will want to bring classes every year and students will want to visit national parks with their parents to participate in other experiences not possible on a single school visit.” [2]

…

Taking advantage of new and emerging technologies is a big challenge for schools and parks. Distance learning is an exciting new venue for interactive programs and for reaching students who may not have an opportunity to visit the site. Over 300,000 students turned into a live satellite broadcast from Gettysburg National Military Park that allowed students to travel back in time to July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. The program also included web-based activities leading up to the live event. In another example, with the support of Virginia’s First Lady Roxane Gilmore, George Washington National Monument posted the lesson plans for “How Math and Science Changed George Washington’s Life” on the state’s education web site. Working with state public and private agencies, parks can expand the reach of programs, secure additional support to sustain the program, and explore options for future collaborations.

Getting the word out to educators about these and other curriculum-based programs is no easy feat. Exploring the Real Thing, a guide to the national park sites in Massachusetts, provides teachers with a description of park education programs, a list of teacher-recommended resources, and descriptions that tie sites to the curriculum, target audience, class size, costs, availability, accessibility, and logistical information. …

Developing curriculum-based programs is the cornerstone for a solid foundation for park education programs. Providing relevant resource-based experiences for people of all ages will ensure a continuum of opportunities for citizens to support their own learning objectives through the national parks and to find meaning in their national treasures. Offering curriculum-based programs, especially for school age children will help foster stewardship during the formative stages of adulthood and also enhance the quality of public education.

Notes
[1] Personal communication
[2] Personal communication

At the time of publication, Patti Reilly was the program manager for Interpretation and Education, Boston Support Office, National Park Service.