Our annual insane one-day field trip of taking 100 students to Yosemite National Park is coming-up (every year I say I won’t do it again!).
In preparation for it, I’ve decided to put together a “The Best…” list of useful sites for students to view.
The first section relates specifically to Yosemite, while the second part includes resources about other U.S. National Parks, too.
Here are my picks for The Best Places To Learn About Yosemite And Other U.S. National Parks (and are accessible to English Language Learners):
YOSEMITE:
The New York Times has an interactive feature on Ansel Adams’ famous photographs. Click the spot on the Yosemite map that’s shown, and you’ll see the picture that Adams snapped of that area.
The L.A. Times has a slideshow of projects built at Yosemite by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
The New York Public Library has a collection of the earliest photographs taken at Yosemite.
Yosemite National Park, Closed on Its 123rd Birthday is a slideshow from The Atlantic.
Here’s an exercise designed for English Language Learners focusing on reducing cars at Yosemite.
Yosemite Crowding is the title of another online activity designed for ELL’s.
EL Civics has a short PowerPoint presentation of Yosemite images.
Here’s a reading comprehension exercise about Yosemite.
Look at some panoramic photographs of Yosemite here
Yosemite National Park: 120 Years in Pictures is a slideshow from TIME Magazine.
Four Seasons In Yosemite is an incredible slideshow from the Los Angeles Times.
Here’s a timelapse video of Yosemite:
Check out this neat timelapse video of Yosemite:
OTHER U.S. NATIONAL PARKS:
EL Civics has a National Parks Lesson specifically designed for English Language Learners.
The Los Angeles Times has an audio slideshow featuring several National Parks.
Here are 3D images from various National Parks.
National Parks Crumbling? is an activity for English Language Learners.
U.S. National Parks: A Camping Tour is a slideshow from The New York Times.
12 Rugged Adventures Through Exquisite National Parks has some beautiful pictures and short text.
National Parks: America’s Best Idea is the Ken Burns’ film on PBS. Its website is filled with great resources, including video clips.
Nature Valley Trail View offers neat panoramic tours of the Grand Canyon, Great Smokies and Yellowstone.
Source: onlinempa.unc.edu
Love this “‘drop politics’ & go camping” letter from Teddy Roosevelt to John Muir! https://t.co/54HZ7QW6ms #NPS100 pic.twitter.com/iv040bcYE6
— Andy Revkin (@Revkin) August 25, 2016
America’s natural heritage is an interactive from The Washington Post.
National Parks, 100 Years In is from The New York Times.
National Park Service turns 100, and some sites are showing their age is from The Washington Post.
Here’s an interactive from The Associated Press on the National Parks.
America the beautiful, live-streamed is from Vox.
Google Unveils Impressive Site: “The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks”
An Explorer’s Ode to America’s National Parks is a photo gallery from The Atlantic.
Can you name these national parks just by looking at their maps? is from The Washington Post.
Explore new sites, relive old hikes for National Park Week is from Google.
The Hidden Worlds Of National Parks is an interactive from Google.
As always, feedback is welcome.
If you found this post useful, you might want to look at all the previous over 200 “The Best…” lists and also consider subscribing to this blog for free.
Thanks for all these great links! I’ve recently posted a series of lesson ideas on the National Parks that may be helpful to anyone planning a unit:
http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/story.php?itemID=17857
I especially like this site for copyright free images of the parks:
http://photo.itc.nps.gov/storage/images/index.html
The original Native people of Yosemite were Paiutes. Miwoks were the scouts for the Mariposa Battalion and workers for the gold miners. Chief Tenaya was the founder of the Paiute Colony of Ahwahnee, he spoke a Paiute Jargon and after the death of his and his band the surviviors of Tenaya’s band were taken back to Mono Lake and absorbed into the Mono Lake Paiute populatin where Chief Tenaya was born. Tenaya means our father in Paiute. In olden times Miwoks were the enemies of the Paiute people and feared them. They were afraid to enter Yosemite and called Tenaya’s band “Yosemite” which in the Southern Sierra Miwuk language means “They are Killers” or “The Killers”. Miwoks came in later with military after the Paiutes were cleared out and stayed, but they are not the original Indians of Yosemite.
great list!
i’m trying to visit all 391 national parks, and have a blog about it
http://www.acadiatozion.com/
it has an article, photos about each national park, and monuments, historic sites, battlefields are currently being added.
People can also post their own tips about each park, so please come visit and add your two cents!