Teacher Resources

 

NPS: War of 1812 Bicentennial

It has been nearly 30 years since we've won our Independence. But, will we see our democratic experiment survive? More…

For more information on War of 1812 sites and Bicentennial Events across the US and Canada be sure to visit our links page here.

Teaching With Historic Places

Teaching With Museum Collections-provides lesson plans for educators to use National Park Service collections in student-centered activities.

Teaching with Museum Collections object-based learning emphasizes the links between the "real things;" - National Park Service collections and America's history. Collections connect students to their past, rich and varied cultures, momentous events, inspiring ideas, and the places where the nation's history happened.

National Park Service collections include over 100 million cultural objects, natural history specimens, documents, and photographs. They are located at over 320 national park sites in the very places where the objects were made, used or collected. Teaching with Museum Collections lesson plans highlight park interpretive themes, increase understanding of park resources, and link to national education standards.

Invasive Species

Alien Invasions: Plants on the Move: weed curriculum for grades K-12
Invasive weeds are the single most serious threat to biodiversity that our country faces today. As invasive weeds out-compete native plants, wildlife habitat is destroyed and degraded, soil erodes, and the aesthetic value of land decreases. Invasive weeds are also an economic burden, costing landowners and government agencies billions of dollars annually to control weeds and in the loss of crops and forage. This curriculum is designed for teachers who want to integrate the topic of invasive weeds in the classroom, develop weed awareness, and provide students with an understanding of the serious problem of invasive weeds.

Climate Change, Wildlife, and Wildlands

The new "Climate Change, Wildlife and Wildlands Toolkit for Formal and Informal Educators," is now available and is an updated and expanded version of the popular, award-winning "Climate Change, Wildlife and Wildlands Toolkit for Teachers and Interpreters" that came out in 2001.

The kit is designed for classroom teachers and informal educators in parks, refuges, forest lands, nature centers, zoos, aquariums, science centers, etc., and is aimed at the middle school level. The National Park Service partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and six other federal agencies, to develop this kit. The kit will aid educators in teaching how climate change is affecting our nation's wildlife and public lands, and how everyone can become "climate stewards."

The kit contains:

• A 12 minute video introducing climate change issues as they affect wildlife and wildlands
• An overview of the science of climate change
• Case studies on 11 ecoregions highlighting regional impacts to habitats and wildlife, and information on what people can do to help
• A glossary of climate change terms to build vocabulary
• Classroom activities keyed to national science standards, developed by participants in the 2008 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program
• Additional hands-on activities and formal and informal educator resources

Climate Change Wildlife and Wildlands Teachers Guide. A description of the Toolkit and how it can be used by both formal and informal educators

National Park Service: For Teachers

The For Teachers section of the National Park Service includes everything from lesson plans based on national curriculum standards to professional development opportunities to college-level historic preservation course outlines, the National Park Service has tools that can help enliven classroom presentations and engage students in learning about history.

LearnNPS

If you are a teacher searching for classroom materials, a student doing research, or a person looking for a place to spend some time, have some fun and learn in the process, LearnNPS is for you.

All Hands on Deck - USS Constitution Museum Educator Page

Educators' Page of the Michigan Commission on the Commemoration of the Bicentennial of the War of 1812

For Teachers - Fort McHenry NM and Historic Shrine

For Teachers - Horseshoe Bend National Military Park

For Teachers - River Raisin National Battlefield Park

Teacher Resources - USS Constitution Museum