North Carolina 6-8th Grade Ranger-Led Field Trips

The following field trips are offered to 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in the spring and fall.

All programs are free! Bus money assistance may be available.

These middle school education programs are curriculum based and provide students with hands-on learning experiences involving the park’s natural and cultural resources.

To request a North Carolina program, contact us by email or phone [phone].

 

 

Ranger and two students use tools to test soil.

NPS Photo

6th Grade: Diggin’ in the Dirt

The full program consists of the two activities below:

Soil Discovery

In small groups, students design and carry out their own experiment to analyze soil properties and recognize the interdependence of abiotic and biotic factors.

Terrestrial Invertebrates

Students participate in an environmental monitoring citizen science project where they inventory the macroinvertebrates of the deciduous forest using scientific methods.

 

Students collecting and observing terrestrial invertebrates.

NPS Photo

Location: Purchase Knob or Oconaluftee Visitor Center
NC State Standards: LS.6.2, ESS.6.2, ESS.6.3
Program Time: 3.5-5 hours depending on group size (includes lunch time).
Special Notes: Wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. These activities involve working with soil in the field. Bring trash bags to carry out lunch trash. (Optional: bring blankets to sit on during lunch.)

 

Students observe lichen on a tree.

NPS Photo

7th Grade: What’s on that Tree?!

The full program consists of the two activities below:

Lichens

Students identify lichen and learn about the role it plays in the ecosystem.

Phenology

Students will identify trees and collect data for an ongoing citizen science monitoring project.

 

A park ranger and student monitor tree phenology.

NPS Photo

Location: Purchase Knob, Mingus Mill, Oconaluftee Visitor Center, or Deep Creek
NC State Standards: ESS.7.2, LS.6.2, LS.6.1
Program Time: 3.5-5 hours depending on group size (including lunch time).
Special Notes: Bring trash bags to carry out lunch trash. (Optional: bring blankets to sit on during lunch.)

 

Students observing a salamander in a clear bag.

NPS Photo

8th Grade: Hidden Worlds

The full program consists of the following two activities:

Salamander Monitoring

Students collect data and use ID guides to identify salamanders in this citizen science project. Data from this project is used to learn how air quality impacts salamanders in the park.

Tardigrade Inventory

Students get an introduction to lichens then isolate and explore the biodiversity of microscopic organisms that live within them.

 

Three students filtering sediment to prep a microscope slide.

NPS Photo

Location: Purchase Knob or Mingus Mill
NC State Standards: LS.8.2, ESS.8.3, LS.Bio.5, LS.Bio.10, ESS.EES.4, ESS.EES.5.3
Program Time: 3.5-5 hours depending on group size (including lunch time).
Special Notes: Bring trash bags to carry out lunch trash. (Optional: bring blankets to sit on during lunch.)