THIRD GRADE NATIONAL PARKS CURRICULUM REACHES NEW HEIGHTS

By Sarah Hibshman Miller '98

There is no better setting to immerse yourself in the study of National Parks than at Laurel’s Butler Campus! With 150 acres of lush forest, natural resources like streams, and diverse ecosystems, Butler is almost like its own National Park! This is why in 2020, Third Grade teachers Karen Yusko and Kimberly Green launched the National Parks learning unit, a perfect tie-in to experiential learning at Butler.

This 16-week study incorporates social studies, math, science, reading, writing, and art, allowing students the opportunity to learn about many different aspects of National Parks. Third Grade teacher Kimberly Green focuses on social studies and writing during the unit. “I lead the girls through a whole group study of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, our local National Park, help them conduct independent research of another National Park, and give girls opportunities to showcase their learning through writing and hands-on projects like salt dough maps, batiks (an Indonesian method of hand-printing textiles by coating with wax the parts not to be dyed) and dioramas,” she said.

Third Grade teacher Lindsay Penkala focuses primarily on reading during the National Park unit. “I lead the girls through novel studies using the books Magic Treehouse: Camptime in California by Mary Pope Osborne and Wishtree by Katherine Applegate. We read the books together and the girls answer text-dependent questions in their reading journals throughout the novel study. They also participate in different writing activities, including, writing a final paragraph where they choose their favorite quote from Wishtree and make connections to it, a shared writing activity where we write an ode to National Parks, and last, they will write a creative story with their chosen National Park as the setting,” explains Ms. Penkala.

Science and math are led by Abbie Bole, Grades 3-5 science and math teacher. Ms. Bole says she finds science concepts related to the National Park each girl studies. For example, students investigate the geology that creates many of the natural features within the parks. After students experience weathering, erosion, and deposition firsthand in the Butler Campus streams, they understand how the Grand Canyon was created and why we have arches in Arches National Park. Similarly, after studying volcanoes students understand the origin of geysers in Yellowstone National Park and also how the mountainous landscapes were created in the national parks of the western United States.

Ms. Bole also highlights “interesting features at Butler that make this campus special.” Each National Park exists because of a unique natural, cultural or historic feature, and Ms. Bole wants students to understand they can also experience interesting natural history on the Butler Campus. This includes learning about local geology by finding fossils in footpaths, or looking for evidence of glaciation just steps from Reid Lodge.

How the National Park Unit has Evolved

Four years ago, the unit began as a research project that culminated in a diorama, a student-written non-fiction book, and a dance performance inspired by nature poems (led by dance teacher Ida Porris). Each year, the curriculum has become more interdisciplinary. “One year, the class read the Magic Tree House book, Camp Time in California, which follows the story of Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir’s camping trip in Yosemite,” said Ms. Green. “Another year, we added creating batiks of an important feature of the park, and the following year, we invited a batik artist to the classroom to show us her art and techniques. It has become a very dynamic unit that allows students to show what they know in many different ways,” she continued.

When the pandemic hit and Laurel moved Grades 3-5 out to the Butler Campus, the learning unit further evolved. “New teachers entered the picture and brought new passions and teaching strengths to help forge connections between the National Parks and their areas of expertise,” said Ms. Bole. Over time, geology has been added to the mix as well as a maple sugaring mini-unit where students visit Butler’s maple grove and learn about the history of maple sugaring. They get to tap maple trees and make their own syrup with the help of Laurel alum and former faculty member Hope Ford Murphy ‘73.

Why is this Unit so Unique?

Like so much of Laurel’s curriculum taught at Butler, the National Parks unit is highly interdisciplinary. “Although the learning is social studies and science focused, we also tie in art and world languages when students sketch and watercolor birds from each student’s chosen National Park and then label their bird’s physical structures using French or Spanish vocabulary,“ said Ms. Bole. “Science incorporates math when students graph syrup-tasting results, measure bird features, and weigh eggs like ornithologists. Lastly, students self-choreograph dances designed around bird behaviors and adjectives describing birds.”

Laurel is very deliberate on the path of learning for students. “The National Park unit comes after a unit in which we look at Butler as our local community,” said Ms. Green. “We study the plants and animals that call Butler home and then connect this with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.”

This study helps students realize similarities across regions of the United States. The trees in Cuyahoga Valley for instance, are similar if not the same to those found at Butler. “We can actually head out into the woods at Butler and identify the trees here on campus, or as we read about the animals that live in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, girls recognize that they are the same animals we see scurrying around Butler, like squirrels, white-tailed deer, or snapping turtles. It is very interconnected,” continued Ms. Green.

Why It’s a Favorite

The National Park unit has become a much anticipated favorite for Third Grade students. When they receive their National Park, it is typically accompanied by cheers and applause. “The day they are “matched” with their park feels a bit akin to a national sports draft day,” said Ms. Bole.

The big finale is the Third Grade National Park Visitor Center, which takes place in March. Students—or National Park Experts—share research, art, and more about the National Park they researched over a three-month period. Each year the Visitor Center has evolved into something even more interactive, with a variety of activities for visitors to participate in, including maple sugaring.

“Parents love exploring the exhibits with their daughters and always express how impressed they are with how much work students have done in such a short amount of time,” said Ms. Green. “It is the kind of event where parents leave with knowledge they didn’t have coming in. Everyone is learning and having so much fun doing it.”

This unit and the Visitor Center are not just a favorite for students and parents, teachers enjoy it as well and find new ways to evolve the learning from year to year. “I love when students find rocks around campus and want help with identification,” said Ms. Bole. “I also love hearing students observe and point out examples of geology they learn about in class—‘Look, Mrs. Bole it’s ice wedging!’ or ‘There’s a glacial erratic!’ It’s so fun to have them be engaged in the natural world even when they are not IN science class!”