US National Parks Unit Study Adventures with Lizzy Jane
Our National Parks of the United States of America: Adventures with Lizzy Jane delivers — a complete, 20-week semester unit study built around 19 original hand-illustrated narrative letters written from inside twelve of America's most spectacular national parks and from seven of the remarkable people who fought to protect them. Every letter features exclusive original artwork. Every lesson plan is written and ready. Everything your student needs for a full semester of rich, cross-curricular learning is included in one beautifully crafted package. 12 NATIONAL PARKS. 7 HISTORICAL FIGURES. 20 WEEKS. The Parks: Yosemite · Yellowstone · Grand Teton · Glacier · Olympic · Great Smoky Mountains · Acadia · Zion · Bryce Canyon · Rocky Mountain · Joshua Tree · Grand Canyon The People: Nellie Bly · Theodore Roosevelt · John Muir · Thomas Moran · Sequoyah · Enos Mills · John Wesley Powell WHAT YOUR STUDENTS WILL LEARN Over 20 weeks this curriculum builds skills and knowledge across five subject areas simultaneously — which makes it particularly powerful for co-op settings where teaching time is precious and every session needs to count. Geography and Map Skills Students build a genuine mental map of the United States through weekly mapping activities, state and regional identification, physical landform labeling, and exploration of how geography shapes ecosystems, climate patterns, and human history. By the final lesson, students have placed markers on a classroom map spanning every major region of the country. Natural Science Each park lesson includes a hands-on science extension activity connecting the park's landscape to real scientific concepts students can see, touch, and test. Over the semester they work through erosion and glaciation, geothermal systems and geyser pressure, fault-block mountain formation, the rain shadow effect, intertidal zone ecology, atmospheric chemistry and natural vapor formation, frost wedging and mechanical weathering, altitudinal life zones and the tree line, desert adaptation and ecological mutualism, and geological stratigraphy. American History and Conservation The Heritage Letters make history personal. Students hear from Theodore Roosevelt about why he set aside 230 million acres of public land. They read John Muir's passionate defense of Yosemite in his own words. They discover how Thomas Moran's paintings of Yellowstone hung in the U.S. Capitol and directly influenced Congress to protect the land. They learn that Sequoyah, working alone for twelve years, created a complete writing system for the Cherokee language — and that the towering sequoia trees and the mountains of the Smokies carry his name. Every Heritage Letter turns a historical figure from a name in a textbook into a person with a story worth remembering. Writing and Language Arts Students practice postcard writing with correct address formatting and vivid descriptive language, informational writing through the travel brochure activity, sensory and creative writing through the Explorer Activity, and research-based writing and oral presentation through the capstone project. The included Postcard Writing Mini-Unit provides complete instruction from anchor chart through final draft. Visual Art Students create original illustrations of each park, study Thomas Moran's role in saving Yellowstone through art, and design their own travel brochures — developing observation skills, descriptive vocabulary, and creative confidence alongside every other subject area. WHAT'S INCLUDED -20-week teacher guide with full lesson plans for every session; -12 original hand-illustrated Adventure Letters written by Lizzy Jane from inside each national park including matching illustrated postcards featuring the same original artwork -7 original hand-illustrated Heritage Letters from the historical figures who shaped the park system; -activity packs covering postcard writing, US map skills, travel brochure, park illustration, and the Explorer sensory activity; -hands-on science extension activities for all park lessons; -Postcard Writing Mini-Unit with anchor chart, writing checklist, planning graphic organizer, and rubric; -Student Explorer Research Guide for the capstone project; a capstone presentation grading rubric;; -a parent overview letter ready to send home on the first day; a capstone parent note with full project expectations and a preparation checklist; a Parent Showcase Day invitation; DESIGNED FOR CO-OPS — BUILT FOR EVERYONE This curriculum was designed to meet the needs of homeschool co-ops that meet once weekly, classroom teachers, and homeschooling families. — The lesson structure, pacing options, parent companion documents, and capstone showcase event are all built with a classroom context in mind, but can easily be used by a single homeschooling family. Independent homeschool families will find the teacher guide does all the planning work for them — no background knowledge in geology, conservation history, or postcard writing format required. The lessons are designed to be as enjoyable for the parent facilitating them as for the students experiencing them. Classroom teachers in grades 4–6 will find the standards-aligned lesson plans, grading rubrics, and cross-curricular structure immediately useful for geography, science, and social studies units with writing and research activities included too, with built-in flexibility for both 45-minute class periods and longer block schedules. PACING AND FLEXIBILITY The standard pacing is one 60–75 minute session per week over 20 weeks — a full semester. Three additional pacing options are built into the curriculum: a condensed 16–17 week version for shorter co-op seasons; a 45-minute session adaptation that shifts the book read-aloud and science extension into a weekly Home Extension email for families (the Home Extension Guide is included); and an extended year-long option where each lesson expands to two weeks across 34 sessions. STANDARDS ALIGNMENT NCSS Curriculum Standards: Themes 2, 3, 8, 9 · National Geography Standards: 1, 4, 7, 8, 14 · NGSS: ESS2.A, ESS2.B, ESS3.C, LS2.C · Common Core ELA Grades 4–6: RI.4-6.3, RI.4-6.7, W.4-6.2, W.4-6.3, W.4-6.7, SL.4-6.4, L.3.2b Format: PDF digital download — print ready Grade Level: Grades 4–6 (adaptable for advanced 3rd grade and middle school enrichment) License: Single classroom or family use. Contact us for use in multiple classes or co-op group licenses covering multiple families. *Instant digital download. This is a non-refundable purchase due to the nature of digital download products.