GEODETECTIVE©: UNCOVER THE PAST-DISCOVER THE EARTH-AN INTERACTIVE APPROACH TO TEACHING K-6 GEOSCIENCE CURRICULA UTILIZING AMERICA'S NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM

Bryce Canyon National Park (BCNP) has implemented a GEODETECTIVE Program, which integrates National Science Education Standards and state core science curricula. The purpose of the program is to assist educators in teaching geoscience principles utilizing critical thinking skills, deductive and inductive reasoning and problem solving.

The GEODETECTIVE Program is designed to investigate and understand the Earth through science concepts and the national parks, and focuses on grade-appropriate lesson materials utilizing team building activities, demonstrations, and experiments. The GEODETECTIVE Program contains six lessons: Earth Systems; Plate Tectonics; Landforms; Rocks and Minerals; Hydrologic Cycle; and Paleontology.

This WEB-based program (www.nps.gov/brca/geodet) contains an "educator’s" lesson page and a "student’s" page. Educators select the appropriate lessons for their grade level based upon core curriculum standards. The "student’s" page focuses on problem solving using a variety of animated characters selected from the fossil record who help students navigate the geoscience-based mysteries.

A photo gallery contains National Park Service (NPS) images from appropriate NPS units and includes landforms, minerals, rocks, and fossils. In preparing for each lesson, educators can access available resources or they may contact BCNP’s education outreach specialist to request the use of a GEODETECTIVE Discovery Chest. Each chest contains materials for demonstrations and individual student activities.

Assistance, training, and classroom visits are also available to schools through BCNP. Upon successful completion of the program, each student receives a certificate and embroidered patch.