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National Park Service Day

National Park Service Day is held annually on August 25th, the anniversary of the date in 1916 when President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act. Treat your students to a virtual trip with many of the sites and resources shared this week. 

Grades 5-12

National Park Service

This website provides comprehensive information on planning a park visit, exploring nature, and getting involved as a volunteer. Choose from a variety of lesson plans sortable by subject, grade level, and Common Core Standards.

Grades 4-12

The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks

Take your students on a remarkable journey in these 360-degree videos. Guides take viewers into the most exciting yet largely unknown places in six different park locations. Choose a park to begin your journey, view a short introduction, and then explore!

Grades 1-12

Geology and Ecology of National Parks - 3D parks

Make landforms and geology real to your students. Explore this rich collection of 3D photography and tours of the geology of U.S. National Parks. Use these activities with students of all ages. Choose a national park to view or print pictures.

Grades 6-12

Women's History - National Sites

Explore this list from the National Park Service that includes links to dozens of locations where significant events in American women’s history took place. Share these exciting locations during Women's History Month or at any time.

Grades 6-12

Olympic

The National Parks Conservation Association offers this site about the coastal habitats of Olympic National Park. Read a mystery about the Lady of the Lake with your students. There is also information about the risks flying tours pose to the park.

Grades 1-12

NPS for Teachers

This site has many options for educators. You can find resources by subject, grade level, or Common Core standard, or use the search bar for specific topics like virtual field trips, George Washington, biology, geometry, or any other topic.

Grades 4-12

Open Parks Network

Discover over 350,000 digitized images of cultural heritage objects and 1.5 million pages of literature from the National Park Service. Save this site and use it throughout the year to find images and other primary sources for United States locations.

Grades 6-12

Tour of National Parks Geology

Enjoy this virtual tour that explores the geology and unique features of U.S. national parks. Choose from various categories to find links to parks with that geologic theme, then share the images and descriptions with your class.

Grades 1-12

Park Service Images, Webcams, and Videos

Did you know the National Park Service has a gigantic collection of public domain images, audio, and webcams from the national parks? Use the menu bar on the left to search the site by type or location. Use this collection for research and projects.

Grades 4-12

Anyplace America

Browse this extensive list of free topographical maps of the United States. Choose maps by water, land, or man-made features. Scroll down to view many national parks. Use this site when teaching about landforms, bodies of water, or geographic features.

This Week at TeachersFirst

Our Summer OK2Ask sessions may have ended, but you can keep learning by viewing our on-demand session archives. We are also sharing an informative blog post and ask for your input on our weekly poll.