Discover NC! Swain County

Great Smoky Mountains

Bryson City, NC (http://www.nps.gov/grsm/forteachers/index.htm)

Provider: National Park Service

Resource summary

• Appropriate grades: 3–8
• Subjects: science (biology and life science, environmental science, natural history)
• Provider: National Park Service

More from LEARN NC

• Mountain dialect: Reading between the spoken lines This lesson plan uses Chapter 13 of Our Southern Highlanders (available online) as a jumping-off point to help students achieve social studies and English language arts objectives while developing an appreciation of the uniqueness of regional speech patterns, the complexities of ethnographic encounter, and the need to interrogate primary sources carefully to identify potential biases and misinformation in them. Historical content includes American slavery, the turn-of-the-century, and the Great Depression.
• Ecosystem problem solving Students will apply their knowledge of ecosystems and the interdependence of plants and animals to creatively solve problems.
• Dynamic dialect: Horace Kephart and our Southern Highlanders Students will read an excerpt from Horace Kephart's Our Southern Highlanders and explore how language and dialect have changed over the years.

More on the web

• If a tree falls in the forest... Students will explore the role that forests play in their own lives by listing everyday products made from trees. Then students will research and categorize less common products that may be less familiar to them.
• Explore the Fantastic Forest An interactive map and a virtual forest take kids through a treasure hunt for special forest "finds." After answering a mystery question, kids can assemble their own forest setting.
• American Field Guide A collection of online videos that explore many aspects of America's wilderness from animals to earth and space to public policy.
• NatureWorks Learn about animal adaptations, habitats and interdependence or go straight to the facts about North American animals and birds.

Smoky Mountain Classrooms are environmental education programs available to area schools in North Carolina and Tennessee. The programs utilize Park Rangers as primary instructors with assistance from teachers. The Park's outdoor "classrooms" become the teaching resource. These k-8 programs reflect North Carolina and Tennessee curriculum objectives and educational goals. There is no charge for these programs. Topics range from the interdependence between plants and animals in their habitats to learning how the forest was both a supermarket and a drugstore to mountain communities.

For more information, contact the Park's education office at (865) 436-1292 or send e-mail to: GRSM_Education@NPS.gov.