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Glacier National Park
4-6 Activities
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Just as in the K-3 activities, the 4-6 activities focus on connections as illustrated in the journey of . The connections are not just biological. They are also economic, political, cultural and spiritual. For this reason, we have intentionally widened the scope of the units and activities to a trans- or cross-discipline approach, and an .
Along with the ecosystem focus, the 7 units of the 4-6 activities also include explanations and discussion of 5 of the other significant themes for why Glacier is protected as a national park- biodiversity, wilderness, Native American connections, International Peace Park designation, and geology.
Many of the activities in this section are from the Native American Work House Curriculum.
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Unit One: The Geography of Me - A geographic look at watersheds in the W-GIPP. for teacher background information and the introduction to 4-6, Unit One.
- Activity 1: – mapping play places and fitting them into the W-GIPP watershed context .
- Activity 2: Boundaries and People – mapping watersheds on large and small scale maps – including W-GIPP map.
- Activity 3: Turning Parks into Islands – (Yukon to Yellowstone) -adapted activity that role-plays fragmentation issues around parks.
Unit Two: The Ice Spirits (from Work House) – A Native American and geologic perspective on glaciers. for teacher background information and the introduction to 4-6, Unit Two.
- Activity 1: – the physics of glacial erosion.
- Activity 2: – modeling glacial landforms.
- Activity 3: – forming mini-glaciers from water, sand and gravel.
Unit Three: Our Medicine, Our Food (from Work House)- Native American Plant lore and use. for teacher background information and the introduction to 4-6, Unit Three.
- Activity 1: – plant dispersal and ecology.
- Activity 2: – research and construction of illustrated book on Native plant uses.
- Activity 3: – bilingual approach to the meaning of plant names.
- Activity 4: – making a class book on tree identification.
Unit Four: Shared Spirits (from Work House)– local people, animals and their environment. for teacher background information and the introduction to 4-6, Unit Four.
- Activity 1: – art activity examining the roles people have in their cultures, and their relationships to animals.
- Activity 2: – research activity on Peace Park animals.
- Activity 3: – pantomime on ecological concepts.
- Activity 4: – art activity on WGIPP animal habitat components.
- Activity 5: – mural of changes in a beaver pond area.
- Activity 6: – physical education activity on ecological systems.
- Activity 7: – outdoor game on the changes in a beaver meadow.
- Activity 8: – applying succession modeling to human towns.
Unit Five: Winter Wanderings – winter, and adaptations to cold and snow. Click here for teacher background information and the introduction to 4-6, Unit Five.
- Activity 1: – creating a diorama of life under the snow.
- Activity 2: – examining microclimates under the snow.
- Activity 3: – field trip examining real tracks and their stories.
- Activity 4: – art project with animal tracks.
Unit Six: Skyscrapers: Cities in the Old Growth – studies in old growth forest. for teacher background information and the introduction to 4-6, Unit Six.
- Activity 1: – vocabulary charades game.
- Activity 2: – 3D art project on parts of trees.
- Activity 3: – components of old growth forests and related conservation issues.
- Activity 4: – classroom study on role of earthworms.
- Activity 5: – creative dramatics exercise on tree growth.
- Activity 6: – role play of life, death and decomposition in the forest.
- Activity 7: – exercise making a group poem.
- Activity 8: – observation and memory exercise on individual characteristics of trees.
Unit Seven: The Peace Park: A Climate Laboratory – student research and climate studies in the W-GIPP. for teacher background information and the introduction to 4-6, Unit Seven.
- Activity 1: - climate concepts charades game.
- Activity 2: – probability exercise on prediction of future climate.
- Activity 3: – art and puzzle exercise on climate interactions.
- Activity 4: – fast-moving tag game on the carbon cycle.
- Activity 5: – holistic thinking field trip on the complexity of social and climate conditions.
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Activities from the Glacier Teacher's Guide Seven units include lessons on: bears, rocks, decomposition and habitats. more... | | Activities from the Glacier Teacher's Guide Five units cover topics such as interrelationships, watersheds, and the concept of peace more... | |
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Did You Know?
Grizzly bears in the park have a wide variety of food sources, including glacier lily bulbs, insects, and berries. They may also make an early season meal of mountain goats that were swept down in avalanches over the winter.
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Last Updated: December 05, 2007 at 10:27 EST |