Classroom Lesson Plans

We have several lesson plans that can be used independently in the classroom to bring the seashore to your students.

 

Learn about the wild horses on Shackleford Banks:

Humans and Horses: This unit asks students to investigate Cape Lookout National Seashore's rules for viewing the wild horses of Shackleford Banks.

By the unit’s end, students will be able to:

• • Measure and use a 50-foot length of rope in different scenarios to learn to “eyeball” the safe distance when interacting with Shackleford Horses
  • Analyze body language in different situations to conclude what a horse is trying to “tell” you, and
  • Devise a plan to respond appropriately in each situation to ensure horse and human safety

Download the lesson plan and support materials: Humans and Horses lesson plan summary (pdf, 0.98 MB) ; How Far Is Too Far? (pdf of powerpoint presentation, 1.14 MB ); Horse Communication (pdf of powerpoint presentation, 533 kb)

Past, Present, and Future: This unit covers 6th-8th grade social studies relating everything back to the horses of Shackleford Banks, NC. The lesson plan has several activities to get students discussing and creating maps, charts, graphs and historic narratives that explain historic events.

By the unit’s end, students will be able to:

• Use different sources of information from multiple perspectives to understand a particular event or issue.
• Distinguish between primary and secondary sources of infomration
• Understand how charts, graphs and historical narratives can be used to explain historical events.

Download the lesson plan and support materials: Past, Present, and Future lesson plan (pdf, 1.12 MB); Wild Horses of Shackleford (pdf of powerpoint presentation, 670 kb)

Shackleford Banks Horse Genetics and Evolution: This unit covers 6th-8th grade genetics and evolution relating everything back to the horses on Shackleford Banks, NC. The students will be able to construct arguments based on evidence that organisms and landforms change over time and recognize patterns of heredity from Punnett Squares and Pedigree Analysis.

By the units end, student swill be able to:

• Analyze the relationship between genetic variation and an organism's ability to adapt to its environment.
• Recognize patterns of heredity from Punnet Squares and Pedigree Analysis
• Understand that geology, fossils, genetic variation, and comparative anatomy provide evidence of biological and geological evolution

Download the lesson plan and support materials: Horse Genetics and Evolution lesson plan (pdf, 1.52 MB); Wild Horses of Shackleford Banks (pdf of powerpoint presentation, 670 kb); Horse Evolution (pdf of powerpoint presentation, 1.58 MB); Genetics Pedigree Analysis (pdf of powerpoint presentation, 1.19 MB); Genetics Mendel and Punnett Square (pdf of powerpoint presentation, 2.36 MB); Genetics Wrap Up (pdf of powerpoint presentation. 1.13 MB)