Lesson Plans and Worksheets
The ideas found have helped me to present material to students using many different modalities that help keep learning fun!
- Franklin, MA
- 09-15-11
Urban Parks Teacher Resources
Find teacher approved Urban Parks educational resource ideas and activities
Seventh graders conduct a wildlife inventory at Field's Grove. In this life science instructional activity, 7th graders create a poster presentation about organisms found in the area. They turn in project-planning sheets before the trip.
Engage your class in a series of activities, each related to the use or analysis of symbols used to convey patriotic or national concepts. They identify different national symbols and explain their meanings, discussing the importance of symbols. Pupils also analyze images and songs for symbolic meaning, analyze the poem "The New Colossus," and finish by creating a symbolic poster.
Did you know that an acre of trees can absorb as much carbon dioxide as a car emits in 11,000 miles of driving? Such fun facts abound in a short reading comprehension passage detailing the benefits of parks and rooftop gardens. After reading the passage, students are tested on their ability to recall facts, to draw inferences, to compare and contrast information, and to describe the organizational structure of the passage. The precise explanations included in the answer key detail why one answer is correct and the reading strategies used to determine the correct response.
Students become more aware of the need for, and the problems of, wilderness areas which are located close to urban centers. They watch a video on Yellowstone National Park, then study the parks within Indiana.
Take a calming walk through nature in this ELD lesson. With three Houghton-Mifflin stories ("Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night," "Exploring Parks with Ranger Dockett," "Around the Pond"), readers compare and contrast details, as well as separate fact from opinion. Differentiated instruction between Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced levels provides increasingly challenging reading and writing ELD standards.
Seventh graders are introduced to the topic of ecology with hands-on opportunities. They are provided with visual reference points from a professional park ranger. They relate the ecology unit to their own experiences through the use of a neighborhood park.
Seventh graders organize the data and information collected on the Field Grove's ecosystem. In this ecology instructional activity, 7th graders create a product that promotes environmental awareness. They present their recommendations to class.
Young scholars will learn scientific inquiry through activities such as collaborative research groups using inquiry-based learning strategies, learning centers, field study of a vernal pool (including data collection techniques and seasonal documentation), journal writing, and computer-based data analysis and presentation.
Students examine the history of the National parks. In groups, they discuss the concepts of conservation and preservation. They discuss the use of natural resources and how some are renewable and non-renewable. To end the lesson, they research the role of Gifford Pinchot and the Hetch Hetchy controversy and discuss with the class.
Seventh graders participate in a field trip and collect owl pellets. In this ecology lesson students take what they collected and dissect the pellets to see what is in it and what the owl has been eating.