Jamee Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 We are road tripping across the US this summer hitting as many parks as we can. If I want to give my son high school credit for a course, how much should we be doing? Anything to add? We'll do the Geology of the National Parks GC lectures and I just ordered a Geology text. His math skills are lacking so he's not really had a physical science, and I was thinking this might be a better alternative to chemistry. (He's slowing making his way through Fred Chemustry.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 I would add in some reading and discussion. I would probably count the hours and then decide how much credit. I wouldn't be afraid to count some hiking (especially anything guided) and exploration hours, but make more of the course text, video, discussion oriented. If you count mostly text, video, lecture learning then it might be a core science geology, but it you count a lot of outdoor time then it'd be more of an elective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 https://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/usgsnps/project/home.html Also look for the "Roadside Geology" book for your area... they're a really good resource. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Seconding the "Roadside Geology" recommendation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 We're doing a semester of Geology this semester ... we're using the Professor Renton Intro to Geology great courses (I covet the National Parks one but the Renton one was available used for a reasonable price and I wanted the broader intro) ... we do a couple of lectures (they come in groups of 2-3 per topic) and then a couple of days of book work (10th grader in a college Geo text, 6th grader in Painless Earth Science plus whatever) and some kind of lab/hands on work (today is a Mass Wasting demonstration). Sometimes we add in a journal article. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Check the NP bookstores for park-specific geology books. The best one we purchased came from Grand Canyon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 (edited) My husband works for the National Park Service, and I can share what we have done in the past: We road-tripped for about a year and a half, hitting a lot of national parks and national historic sites along the way. I gave a full credit to my high schoolers and called it "Experiencing America" and listed it under the social studies heading. Here's my course description: "This nontraditional immersion course exposes the student to the many varied facets of American life which cannot otherwise be experienced except through intensive travel. By exploring the country, the student is exposed to a multitude of historical landmarks, experiences the geographic variances of the country, is exposed to multicultural diversity, and witnesses the workings of the three branches of the federal government. The student travels for a full year in two loops: Eastern United States and Western United States. MATERIALS: Passport To Your National Parks by Eastern National; various materials, maps, and guides from the National Park Service" In addition to this, with one of my high schoolers we did a half-credit course called "History of the National Park Service" which I put under the electives heading. Here's the course description for this one: "This course traces the origin of the national park idea in the mid-1800s and follows its evolution for nearly 150 years. Using archival photographs, first-person accounts of historical characters, personal memeories and analysis from more than 40 interviews, this course chronicles the steady addition of new parks through the stories of the people who helped create them and save them from destruction. MATERIALS: The National Parks: America's Best Idea (a film by Ken Burns); accompanying lesson plans available at http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/for-educators/lesson-plans/ " And lastly, with my current high schooler, I am granting a physical education half-credit for hiking. We live in a national park and do a lot of weekend hiking, so it seems apropos. Hope this helps to give you some ideas! Edited March 9, 2017 by Kinsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamee Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 Check the NP bookstores for park-specific geology books. The best one we purchased came from Grand Canyon. Do you have the title? Grand Canyon is a must see on our trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamee Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 My husband works for the National Park Service, and I can share what we have done in the past: We road-tripped for about a year and a half, hitting a lot of national parks and national historic sites along the way. I gave a full credit to my high schoolers and called it "Experiencing America" and listed it under the social studies heading. Here's my course description: "This nontraditional immersion course exposes the student to the many varied facets of American life which cannot otherwise be experienced except through intensive travel. By exploring the country, the student is exposed to a multitude of historical landmarks, experiences the geographic variances of the country, is exposed to multicultural diversity, and witnesses the workings of the three branches of the federal government. The student travels for a full year in two loops: Eastern United States and Western United States. MATERIALS: Passport To Your National Parks by Eastern National; various materials, maps, and guides from the National Park Service" In addition to this, with one of my high schoolers we did a half-credit course called "History of the National Park Service" which I put under the electives heading. Here's the course description for this one: "This course traces the origin of the national park idea in the mid-1800s and follows its evolution for nearly 150 years. Using archival photographs, first-person accounts of historical characters, personal memeories and analysis from more than 40 interviews, this course chronicles the steady addition of new parks through the stories of the people who helped create them and save them from destruction. MATERIALS: The National Parks: America's Best Idea (a film by Ken Burns); accompanying lesson plans available at http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/for-educators/lesson-plans/ " And lastly, with my current high schooler, I am granting a physical education half-credit for hiking. We live in a national park and do a lot of weekend hiking, so it seems apropos. Hope this helps to give you some ideas! This is fantastic! Thank you for the input. I really like the Experiencing America idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 Do you have the title? Grand Canyon is a must see on our trip. An Introduction to Grand Canyon Geology L. Greer Price ISBN 9780938216681 It was in a set w a book on prehistory. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamee Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 An Introduction to Grand Canyon Geology L. Greer Price ISBN 9780938216681 It was in a set w a book on prehistory. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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