National Parks

Grade 4

One hour

Why United States National Parks?

Julie Deignan-Haynes

Shiloh Village School

AAM affiliation- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

jdeignan@shi85.org

 

 Description: 

Students will look at two photographs, listen to writings of Thoreau, and complete a three Venn diagram to discover a similar theme: nature.  Students will deduce that the times and events  led John Muir and other Americans to want to preserve our natural lands.  This is an introduction to learning about our first national park, Yellowstone, in the second lesson,  and other National parks in the third lesson.

 

State Standard:

16A2c-Ask questions and seek answers by analyzing data from historic documents, images, and other literary and non-literary sources

16E2b-Identify individuals and events in the development of the conservation movement including John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, and the creation of the National Park System

17A2a-Compare the physical characteristics of places including soil, land formations, vegetation, wildlife, climate, and natural hazards

18B2b-Describe the way institutions meet the needs of society

 

 Objective:

Students will analyze pictures and poetry to determine the cause of the beginning of our National Parks system.  Students will complete a 3-Venn diagram noticing similarities and differences between each media.  Students will view a photograph of John Muir, the father of our national parks system, to recognize him as a pioneer and leader in our National Parks system.

 

 Resources

  

 

Beam, George L."Beauty - Grace - Speed - Power from Artist's Proof Patroness of Travel." 1925-1930. History of the American West, 1860-1920: Photographs from the Collection of the Denver Public Library [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hawp:@field(NUMBER+@band(codhawp+00135794)) ] [codhawp 00135794] (April 5, 2004).
 
   listen

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wish to speak a word for Nature, for absolute freedom and wildness, as contrasted with a freedom and culture merely civil,--to regard man as an inhabitant, or a part and parcel of Nature, rather than a member of society. I wish to make an extreme statement, if so I may make an emphatic one, for there are enough champions of civilization: the minister and the school-committee, and every one of you will take care of that.

"Gentle breeze, that wanderest unseen,
And bendest the thistles round Loira of storms,
Traveller of the windy glens,
Why hast thou left my ear so soon?" (p.206)

Thoreau, Henry, D. "Excersions." 1862. The Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920.  [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/consrv:@field(DOCID+@lit(amrvrvr01div10))] (April 5, 2004).

 
 

Image, Source: b&w film copy neg.

 

 ______________. "John Muir, full-length portrait, facing right, seated on rock with lake and trees in background." 1902.  The Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920. [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/consrvbib:@field(NUMBER+@band(cph+3b00011))]. [b&w film copy neg.) cph 3b00011] . (April 5, 2004)

 

Methods:

Students will view two photographs and listen to a poem.  They will be given a 3 Venn diagram to fill in information that they discover in each of the medias. 

  1. Pass out Venn diagram.
    2. Link to 3 venn diagram
  2. Review the meaning and purpose (finding similarities and differences) of the Venn diagram.
  3. Have students label the sections of the Venn as:  poetry,poster,picture.
  4. Show the first photograph - the train -and give student about 5 minutes to look and record information.
  5. Show the second photograph - John Muir sitting- and give students time to record information.
  6. Listen to the recordings of Thoreau –give students time to record information.
  7. Discuss the differences that the students noted on their Venn diagrams.  See if the students can guess at a year that the pictures were taken.
  8. Ask students to volunteer the similarities that they saw in the three items.  List the words the students volunteer on the board. 
  9. Ask the students if they would like to visit any of the places that they heard about or saw?
  10. Ask the students to think about the possibility that those places were not available for them anymore?
  11. Discuss that Americans saw those pictures and heard those words and wanted to be able to have that space available for their ancestors—thus the National Parks system!

 

Evaluation:

The 3-Venn diagram will be collected and assessed on the inclusion of at least 2 points in each of the following ideas—

poetry-10 points

          people-10 points

          poster- 10 points

          nature -10 points

 

Key words: 

preserve, John Muir, national parks, Henry David Thoreau, nature