Curriculum Materials

People have far more in common with bats than they realize, and people rely on bat populations throughout the world in a variety of ways. In this lesson, students will study the skeleton of a bat, learn about their special adaptations through games, discover why bats are important to our environment and find that bats are friends, not foes.

How does fire help our landscapes? In this lesson students will learn about prescribed burns and the helpful side of fire through an activity and lesson.

History of the iconic NPS Arrowhead logo, and a dive into what symbols are, and how we use them. Students will get activities to create their own symbols about their lives.

Through reading the essay, "The White Bird," by John Berger, students will learn about the qualities of art and how art can shape human perception. They will then use this to help reflect on Mount Rushmore as art.

Students will learn who George Washington was and how he contributed to the creation and foundation of the United States. Specifically, students will learn about Washington’s role in the American Revolution, and the example he set for future presidents. Additionally, while this will focus on George Washington, student will also begin to gain an understanding of different systems of government, and why America elected to be a democracy.

Students will learn what a symbol is and why symbols are used. They will learn symbols of both America and of South Dakota, as well as the significance behind these symbols.

Construct a topographic model of Mount Rushmore. After the model is completed, students use concepts of scale and proportion (similarity concept in math) to calculate the scale of their model by comparing to real-life measurements.

Learn about the various preservation concerns at Mount Rushmore. By learning to recognize the various types of rocks found in Mount Rushmore and their different characteristics and varying rates of erosion, students will be able to understand the complexity of caring for a monument like Mount Rushmore.

Recreate the Mount Rushmore sculpture with accuracy in mind but using non-traditional sculpture materials. Use drawings and 3D content to get an understanding of the 3-dimensional volumes of the model for accuracy.

Students utilize resources available in the art classroom to recreate the Mount Rushmore Sculpture, or design their own version, where they choose the four figures from history they feel should be represented by the monumental sculpture. Students will present their final art piece to the classroom with a persuasive argument for their choices of the figures.