School Groups
School Group Curriculum and Fulfilled State of California Education Standards
The following are subjects and topics that, through the course of your classes' time in the park, will be discussed in detail.
History:
- Glaciation and the story of Yosemite Valley's formation.
- The Ahwahneechee: A study of the lives of Yosemite's first people and the story of their first contact with white settlers.
- The First Tourists: James Hutchings, Galen Clark, John Muir and their contributions to the present day park.
- The changing role of the National Park Service from vacation promoters to staunch conservators of Yosemite.
- Exploring the Yosemite Cemetery: Learn about the people that first settled in the valley and how to learn history from the stones in a cemetery. This will be a very popular tour!
- John Muir and the origins of our first national park.
History Content Standards:
Third Grade: 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.2.2, 3.2.4
Fourth Grade: 4.2.1, 4.4.3
Biology:
- The diverse ecosystems of Yosemite and their dependence on one another for survival.
- The animals of Yosemite: From the brown bear to the field mouse and the mule deer to the coyote.
- The various Biotic Zones encountered in Yosemite and the animals and plants that mark them.
- The importance of fire and the benefits of containment versus suppression.
Earth Science Content Standards:
Third Grade: 3a, b, c, d
Fourth Grade: 2b, c, 5a, b, c
Fifth Grade: 3d
Sixth Grade: 1e, f, 2a, b, d
Literature and Writing:
While walking about the valley floor we will discuss John Muir and his writings based on this valley he loved so much. We will sit and take in our surroundings and use the sheer granite walls as inspiration for our own writings. Specifically, we will explore the Talus slope and discuss how all the boulders that form the slope got there and Muir's memory of the day he saw a portion of the slope form in 1877.
Art:
Yosemite has been a draw to the most acclaimed artists in the world as well as the rank amateur. While on our walk around Cook's Meadow we will discuss the elements of composing a good photograph (don't forget your camera!) and take some pictures. Don't have a camera? Yosemite has been sketched for centuries and your drawing of this wonderful scenery will surely not disappoint!
English Language Arts Content Standards:
Third Grade: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 if you want to send us some letters!
Fourth Grade: 1.2 (a, b, c, d, e), 2.1 or 2.3
Fifth Grade: 1.1, 2.1
Sixth Grade: 1.1, 2.1
The ELA component is easily adaptable for any grade level from the third grade on up. We will focus this exercise to fit your class's needs.
Tentative Schedule
There are several options for your schedule. Perhaps you want your class to meet our staff at Glacier Point to explore some of the sights on the rim above the valley? Maybe you would like to meet us at the Tuolumne Grove Trail Head for a hike into an incredible Sequoia Grove? Or maybe we meet at Big Trees State Park and head to Yosemite Valley on Day II? There are many options here. Whatever we do, our goal is to stimulate your students and inspire them to come back not to exhaust them. Please contact our office for information and ideas regarding schedules.
Price:
- $140.00 per camper. A camper is anyone attending the program. One teacher per twenty-five students is free.
What You Get:
- Comfortable accommodations in a premiere conference center set in the gorgeous foothills of the Sierra Nevada.
- Award winning evening entertainment that is tied to the curriculum of your Yosemite trip.
- Hours of program over two days imparted by passionate and talented guides who are intimately acquainted with Yosemite Valley and the subjects they teach.
- Small group sizes maximize learning and individual attention.
- Everything is planned for you. All you have to do is get to us and we take care of everything from your arrival to your final departure.
- A curriculum rooted in the educational content standards for the state of California. This means that you know that your students are gleaning information that is always on track with mandated standards.
