Flexibility for weather conditions, bus problems, etc…is essential to having an enjoyable visit to the park. No two school programs are exactly alike, but the following schedule represents a typical trip.
8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Travel to the Park
Teachers can be making sure students have nametags and know their group assignments. Each student should also know what their expertise within their group will be for the day--tree ID expert, data recorder expert, plot locator, etc...
9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Meet at Designated Site
Rangers will meet the bus and talk with teachers and chaperones about the schedule for the day. There will be an introduction to the National Park Service and to Glacier National Park. Students will have time for a bathroom break. Classes will be split into groups.
10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Bus(es) travel to trailheads for hiking to data collection sites.
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Data Collection
Rangers will meet the bus and talk with teachers and chaperones about the schedule for the day. There will be an introduction to the National Park Service and to Glacier National Park. Students will have time for a bathroom break. Classes will be split into groups.
12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Lunch
12:30 - 1:15 p.m. - Complete Data Collection
Each class will discuss their findings from the morning with the ranger. Students will have time to run calculations and answer questions and come up with their own questions about forest succession.
1:15 - 1:45 p.m. - Wrap-up, Bus departs with bathroom break at visitor center
Ranger(s) review educational objectives for the day and engage all of the students in a fun activity to assess their learning. Optional: groups who went to different locations compare data.
