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Introduction
Why Use Great Smoky Mountains National Park As A Classroom?
- Diversity: over 4,000 species of plants grow there. A walk from mountain base to peak compares with traveling 1,250 miles north. Several resident plants and animals live only in the Smokies.
- Rich cultural history. From the Cherokee Indians, to the Scotch-Irish settlers, this land was home to a variety of cultures and people. It has the largest collection of log buildings in the eastern US and richest collection of Southern Appalachian architecture in America.
- Over 10,000,000 visitors per year. The National Park Service must balance the protection of the land with the use of the people for both today and for the future. Today’s students will become tomorrow’s land managers, decision-makers, and stewards of the Park.
- An International Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site. These international recognitions represent the Smokies importance to the planet. The purpose of this United Nations program is to recognize and encourage preservation of the world's great cultural and biological areas. The United States' National Park Service is proud to steward this world-renowned site.
What is Parks as Classrooms?
The National Park Service (NPS) and the National Park Foundation, the National Parks Service's nonprofit partner, officially launched the Parks as Classrooms (PAC) program in 1992. Its objective is to introduce National Park resources to students and teachers nationwide. Today, the program encompasses over 200 park sites.
According to the National Park Foundation, the
major goals
of the program are: 1) to promote the parks as learning laboratories to
develop
greater awareness, understanding, appreciation, and commitment to the
preservation and/or restoration of the National Park System and larger
environment on which it depends; 2) to promote an improved education
system in
this country by assisting teachers in the development of more
interactive
lessons that incorporate park resources; 3) to integrate research and
interpretive programs of the Park Service into the broader educational
goals of communities and schools through
partnerships.
PAC resources include: curriculum-based education
programs,
audio-visual materials including videos, accredited teacher training
and
workshops, traveling trunks and kits, teacher and student resource
guides.
National Park Service personnel work directly with
educators
throughout the United States to provide learning materials and
experiences that
are consistent with and accentuate existing curriculum requirements.
While
these resources are a result of a partnership between national park
sites and
neighboring school districts, the final products often have wider
applications
and provide a connection to national curriculum standards.
The Parks as Classroom Program, which resulted
from the
cooperative relationship between Great Smoky Mountains National Park
and Pi
Beta Phi Elementary School, differs from others in the United States in
that
the curriculum produced includes both ranger and teacher directed
on-site field
trips. Although the teacher-directed units encourage and motivate
teachers to
educate beyond a classroom with limited National Park Service
involvement, they
still encourage teachers to seek resources and advice from the Great
Smoky
Mountains National Park education staff when needed.
The National Park Service has considerable expertise in bringing
a resource alive through interpretation. Teachers have the ability to
design
formal curricula that fits their school’s need. By merging the two, we
have the
best of both worlds.
Adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited National Park in America, is the gateway community of Gatlinburg. This small community supports Pi Beta Phi Elementary School serving approximately 450 students in grades K-8th. Historically, some of the families whose children attend our school lived in communities now dissolved within the park boundaries. This along with the proximity of the school to the Park and the community’s tourism-based economy ties our students to the Park in a unique bond.
In 1991, recognition of this bond lead to the
creation of a
close working partnership between the staff members of the school and
the
visitor’s services division of the Park. The program was initiated
through the
joint leadership of the school’s principal, Glenn Bogart, and then
Chief of
Visitor’s Services, Gene Cox. The vision shared by these leaders was
that of
two institutions collaborating to more completely fulfill their
separate yet
shared missions.
To bring that vision to life, a committee was
formed
representing each organization. This steering committee created a
mission
statement, objectives and rationale that served to guide the
collaborative
efforts to come. These principles reflect the convergent aims of both
organizations to educate our youth in a conservation ethos that will
empower
them to protect and serve the needs of the environment and their fellow
citizens.
With the creation of these objectives, the stage
was set for
a radical overhaul of educational practices in both the school and the
Park. In
the process of planning for change, the steering committee made a
commitment to
holistic, interdisciplinary instruction.
To facilitate this change from more traditional, textbook
teaching, six
themes were chosen around which all instruction would be organized. The
themes
were “interactions”, “patterns”, “structure/order”, “change”, and
“culture”. In
later years, the themes were condensed into three themes: “diversity”,
“connections”, and “the National Park Service”.
During the first year, teams from the first,
fourth, and
sixth grades piloted this process by creating three units and
field–testing at
least one of them. These teams worked independently under the oversight
of the
original steering committee. The following year, the entire
instructional staff
began working on the project. A park service employee and one of the
teachers
from the pilot groups joined each grade level to share the earlier
experiences
and to promote coordination. The process of curriculum reorganization
included:
(1) writing a rational for each unit, (2) writing a detailed site
description
of the area in the Park used for on-site instruction, (3) detailing the
Tennessee curriculum objectives to be taught, (4) constructing pre-test
and (5)
writing of all the pre-site, on-site, and post-site lessons. A standard lesson plan following the
Tennessee Instructional Model was used. Teachers were employed for one
week in
the summer as part of this effort. During the school year, substitutes
were
used to free teachers for planning and writing, again for approximately
one
week. This process took three years to complete.
By the fourth year, all grade levels had planned six thematic units and were using these throughout the academic year to teach the traditional subject matter in non-traditional ways. Students were taking part in three to six field trips in the Park to study the themes.
In 1996 the National Park Service Education
Program, which
included NPS staff and formal educators, conducted an extensive
evaluation of
the project. The evaluation team analyzed and documented the following
project
areas: program as implemented (including strengths, weakness, and
recommendations), perceptions of the program by stakeholders (teachers,
parents, students, NPS staff), recommendations (K-8), and the impact of
the
program. This evaluation set the stage for three major events in the
life of
this project. (1) A revision in the mission and goals, (2) beginning
revisions
in the units, and (3) the recognition that a full time project
coordinator was
needed to facilitate coordination between Park Service and school staff
and to
provide curricular revisions.
The first PAC Project Coordinator was hired in 1997 after funding was secured from the Friends of the Smokies, a not-for-profit support group, and the Gatlinburg Board of Education. Again, both National Park Service and school staff conducted the development of the job description, and hiring process.
The last years of the project have involved continual revision and updating units in anticipation of publication and replication of the project within other schools surrounding Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is also the hope of the current steering committee, that schools and National Parks in other regions can use this park/school partnership as model to further their educational goals.
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Mission Statements
Mission Statement for the National Park Service
“To conserve the scenery and the natural and
historic
objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of
the same
in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the
enjoyment of future generations.”
Mission Statement for the Parks As Classrooms Project
The Pi Beta Phi Project creates connected learning experiences for grades K-8 that utilize the cultural and natural resources of (the) Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The lessons are multi-disciplinary, hand-on adventures that empower students to become effective stewards of the park. The partnership allows students to participate in service learning activities that require them to put their knowledge of the critical issues facing the park into constructive actions.
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Parks as Classrooms Goals
Pi Beta Phi Elementary School/Great Smoky Mountains National Park Partnership
1) To ensure that students develop a complete understanding of the opportunities provided by Great Smoky Mountains National Park for education, recreation, and personal enrichment.
3) To help students become aware of the biological diversity within the Park and the organization of natural communities and their ecological interactions.
4) To instill in students an appreciation for the unique cultural heritage of the southern Appalachians.
5) To provide opportunities for students to demonstrate stewardship of the Park through service learning activities coordinated by Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
6) To engage students in a wide variety of non-traditional learning experiences that involve the use of all appropriate technological tools, integrate learning across traditional subject areas, and take advantage of the natural and cultural resources of the Park.
7) To maintain a working relationship between Park staff and teachers for the exchange of ideas and information.
8) To increase the awareness of students about the mission of the National Park Service and to provide career investigation opportunities for students.
9) To ensure this program remains true to its mission by conducting comprehensive evaluations of student performance and outcomes, analyzing the data collected, sharing these analyses with all appropriate stakeholders, responding to identified areas of need, and sharing the benefits of the partnership with other agencies, schools, or park units.
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Thematic Descriptions and Diagrams
Cluster Themes:
The goal of the unifying concepts for K-2, 3-5, 6-8 grade clusters is to guide the student through a process that begins in k-2nd grade with the awareness of cultural and natural resources in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The next cluster of years (3-5th grade) moves them toward more information and subsequent knowledge about the resources and critical issues. This process culminates with the motivation of 6-8th grade students beyond awareness and facts to stewardship and service to the park and community.
Unit Topical Focus:
Each grade level has 3-6 units that have a topical focus such as resource management issues, insects and spiders, forest recreation, community helpers, and Native American culture. Each unit is also interdisciplinary and contains many activities that are correlated to the Tennessee Curriculum Framework.
Thematic Strands:
All unit activities weave together with three themes:
1) Diversity-activities that illustrate the wide array of habitats, species, societies, technologies and cultures in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
2) Connections-activities that highlight ecological, technological and social-cultural systems as interactive and interdependent.
3) National Park Service-activities that will illustrate the National Park Service as a system, teach about the mission, and provide knowledge about park careers, critical issues, and management concerns.
Parks As
Classrooms Thematic Diagram
10)
Because
the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is
so special, each unit has a Smokies Unique Sheets with information or articles related to
the unit topic and specific to
the park.
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General Information
Safety
Although any field trip experience can pose certain safety concerns, preparation of instructional staff, volunteers, and students can render them virtually risk free. Take time to share the information below with ALL the adults and students participating in Parks As Classrooms field trips.
Safety issues
include:
Stinging insects.
Poison Ivy and some other irritating plants.
Moss or algae covered rocks that become slippery.
Getting lost.
Certain health conditions of members of the group such as asthma, heart condition, or sever allergies.
Ways to Avoid
Dangers:
Stay together as a group.
Don’t run or play rough.
Read all trail signs.
Know how to identify poison ivy.
Do not feed or get near wildlife.
Know about serious physical conditions of all participants and be prepared for treatment of that condition.
Avoid getting lost
by:
Hiking with a group at all times.
Staying on established, marked trails at all times.
Reading and understanding all trails signs.
Taking an appropriate map and knowing how to read it.
Letting others know where you are and when you will return: adopt the buddy system.
If you are lost: Stop, wait, and blow your whistle
As the leader
(teacher), you should always carry:
A First-aid Kit
Cellular phone
Map
Students should
always carry:
A daypack
Water
Lunch or snack
Whistle
Rain gear
To prepare adult volunteer and students for field experiences in the Park review and distribute copies
of page 12. It is a good idea to provide this document to parents at the first of the school year.
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Field Trip Requirements for Great Smoky
Mountains
National Park
It is absolutely imperative that teachers contact the education staff at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park before planning a field trip even if the unit is teacher directed. The NPS education staff can provide additional information about the site such as scheduled or unscheduled maintenance and repairs, special events, or closings due to natural disasters. This staff would like to keep a record all the educational functions in the Park. These statistics are vital to providing federal funding for the Park. All units have a section labeled “Preparing for the On-site Experience” that include the appropriate National Park Service Staff to contact and their phone numbers. In some cases, teachers will contact both education staff and other unit related NPS staff.
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We’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the Parks As Classrooms Curriculum Guide. Over the past ten years, Phi Beta Phi Elementary School teachers, students, the principal and the resource education team at Great Smoky Mountains National Park have volunteered their time to write, pilot test, field test, edit, and review the contents of Introductory Handbook and Curriculum Guide.
We are especially grateful to the Friends of the Smokies and the Gatlinburg School Board for their financial support of the Parks As Classrooms Project. Their continued support has made us realize our goal of producing quality documents that serves as an example of what park/school partnerships can do together for education in their communities.
Additionally, we’d like to take all the other Great Smoky Mountains National Park employees who assisted in program presentations or served as sources of information such as personnel from resource management and science and visitor services. They have provided some of the most exciting experience for students in the Park.
Lastly, a thank you is in order for all the parents and adult volunteers that read scripts, lead hikes, dressed in costumes, donated goods or services, or served as chaperones on field trips. Their contributions to this project have been important in the continual improvements to the activities in the curriculum, special events at school, and service projects inside the Park.
Dana Soehn
Parks As Classrooms Project Coordinator
Pi Beta Phi Elementary School, Gatlinburg, TN