Lesson Plan

Explore With Your Senses: Field Trip Preparation - Kindergarten (Tennessee)

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A park ranger helps two young boys look at life on a moss-covered log
Students explore life on a log as part of their Kindergarten field trip in the Smokies.

NPS Photo

Grade Level:
Kindergarten
Duration:
30 minutes
Group Size:
Up to 60
Setting:
classroom
National/State Standards:
Science
Embedded Inquiry
• (GLE 0007.Inq.1)
• (GLE 007.T/E.K-2.1)
Interdependence
•(GLE 007.2.2)

Overview

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an excellent backdrop for students as they explore the natural world with their senses.
This unit is broken into three parts. The overall unit involves a trip to the park and is accompanied by one preparation activity and two wrap-up activities.
This is the field preparation activity of the unit. 

Objective(s)

1) Describe different animals that live in the park.
2) Understand how these animals use their senses to survive
3) Discover how they can use their 5 senses to safely explore the natural world around them.

Background

All animals have senses. Though they may not look like you or me, a bear, a frog, and a bird all have parts to their body which help them learn about their environment. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to over 17,000 known different types of animals and plants. The living things of the forest and the streams need to make or find energy from the sun, the plants and sometimes from other animals. How does a raccoon find food? How does a bird make a nest? How does a deer listen for its mother in the forest? The answer to all of the questions is the same: animals use their senses to survive.

Teachers coming on the accompanying field trip should download our complete field trip packet that includes all of the lessons: Explore With Your Senses pre-site lesson, information and directions about the field trip and Explore with Your Senses Wrap-up part 1 and 2 post site lesson.

Download the full Explore With Your Senses Field Trip packet here (includes Preparation and Wrap-up lessons).
Link to the Explore With Your Senses Pre Site
Link to the Explore With Your Senses Wrap-up Part 1 and Part 2 lessons.

Materials

The full packet includes five coloring sheets of animals that live in the park and how they use their senses for survival, bat color sheet, black bear color sheet, bobcat color sheet, raccoon color sheet, red fox color sheet.

Procedure

Park Connections

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to over 17,000 known different types of animals and plants. The living things of the forest and the streams need to make or find energy from the sun, the plants and sometimes from other animals. How does a raccoon find food? How does a bird make a nest? How does a deer listen for its mother in the forest? The answer to all of the questions is the same: animals use their senses to survive.

Vocabulary


Senses, Hearing, Smelling, Tasting, Touching, Feeling

Last updated: April 14, 2015