Classroom Programs

A park ranger engages students in a classroom.

NPS Photo

 

Invite a Ranger to Your Class!

We offer a variety of curriculum-based program opportunities that combine California curriculum standards with the natural and cultural resources found in the parks. Our Education Rangers visit classrooms throughout the San Joaquin Valley to present programs that align and expand on lessons teachers provide in the classroom.

Details

• Our classroom programs are free!
• In the classroom programs will be available from January 6 to April 30, 2025, Monday through Friday.
• The program request period for classroom programs is open from October 21 to November 1, 2024. Any requests received before this time will need to be resubmitted.
• To request a program, review the available programs below and fill out a Program Request Form. Please note - if you have scheduled a program with us before, this form is new for the 2025 school year. All requests must be submitted via the online form. Emailed requests or previous versions of request forms will not be accepted.

 

Available In-Classroom Programs

Grade	Program Name	Length of Program	Key Concepts
TK to K	Read with a Ranger	30 minutes	Storytelling, listening, drawing
TK to 1st Grade	Birds and Bats	45 minutes	Compare & contrast
TK to 1st Grade	Observing with Your Five Senses	45 minutes	Observations, storytelling
2nd Grade	Bear Essentials	1 hour	Life cycles, mammals, adaptations
2nd Grade	A Giant's Life – Sequoia Tree Life Cycles	1 hour	Life cycles, adaptations
3rd Grade	Layers in Time – An Archeological Dig	1 hour	History, archeology
3rd Grade	Ready, Set, Grow – Plant Adaptations	1 hour	Adaptations, photosynthesis
4th Grade	Life in the Zone – Ecosystems & Elevation	1 hour	Ecology, weather & climate
4th Grade	Meet Your National Parks	1 hour	History, stewardship
5th Grade	Explore Your Watershed	1 hour	Landforms, hydrology
5th Grade	Nocturnal Hunters – Owl Adaptations	1 hour	Adaptations, predator/prey interactions
6th Grade	Fire Ecology in a Changing Climate	1 hour	Climate change, ecology
6th Grade	Spying on Skulls – Sequoia Mammals	1 hour	Adaptations, scientific method

Program Descriptions

Transitional Kindergarten to Kindergarten

Read with a Ranger - Invite a ranger to read a storybook to your class. Afterwards, connect through a ranger-led activity, like guided drawing or listening.

Transitional Kindergarten to 1st Grade

Birds and Bats - Introduces students to the unique life of bats through a comparison with birds. Includes a ranger introduction, a reading of the book Stellaluna, and ranger-led activities.

Observing with Your Five Senses - Introduces students to the five senses with introduction to NPS, reading & song, and a ranger-led activity.

2nd Grade

Bear Essentials - Introduces students to the American black bear, including habitat, diet, and lifecycle and how human activity can have a negative impact on a bear’s natural behavior. The program includes a ranger introduction, a reading, a song activity, and a discussion about bears.

A Giant's Life – Sequoia Tree Life Cycles - Introduces students to the giant sequoias found at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Includes an introduction to the Natoinal Park Service (NPS), reading and song activities, and discussion on size and adaptations of giant sequoias.

3rd Grade

Layers in Time – An Archeological Dig - Introduces students to the Native American tribes who once lived in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. Students participate in a mock–archeological dig and examine Native American artifacts. Ideally, this classroom program is combined with an in-park field trip to visit sites in person.

Ready, Set, Grow – Plant Adaptations - Introduces students to the average life cycle of plants. Includes a reading, ranger-led activity and presentation on plant diversity.

4th Grade

Life in the Zone – Ecosystems & Elevation - This program introduces students to the concept of life zones within the Sierra Nevada through a virtual trip up into the mountains. Students explore how climate (temperature and precipitation) shapes a landscape and discover how plants and animals adapt to survive in each life zone. This lesson culminates in a hands-on group game.

Meet Your National Parks - Introduces students to a uniquely American invention, the national park. It explores what national parks protect by examining the elements found on the National Park Service arrowhead emblem.

5th Grade

Explore Your Watershed - Introduces students to the concept of a watershed, through the understanding of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. It provides a framework for understanding the local watershed and how human activity can impact the watershed.

Nocturnal Hunters – Owl Adaptations - Introduces students to the unique hunting adaptations of owls. Through the dissection of an owl pellet replica, students will learn what owls eat and how they rely on their senses for hunting. Includes a ranger introduction, a discussion about owl adaptations, and an owl pellet dissection activity.

6th Grade

Fire Ecology in a Changing Climate - Introduces students to the concepts of the natural cycle of fire, human attitudes toward fire over time, and the recovery of forest habitats post-fire. Students will learn how California’s fire ecology is changing, leading to longer and hotter droughts and an extended fire season.

Spying on Skulls – Sequoia Mammals - Introduces students to the concepts of predator and prey. Through an examination of animal skulls and teeth, students learn what and how animals eat and what senses they rely on for obtaining food.

 

Classroom Program Request Form

Please fill out this form completely. 

We are able to present multiple programs in a day (up to four 1-hour programs per ranger per day), so please coordinate with other teachers in your school for what dates work best for your team. Ideally, rangers can present to an entire grade in one day, with staggered times for each classroom. Please be thoughtful about school schedules, field trips, or other scheduling conflicts when you make a request.

Currently, we are accepting one program request per classroom. If you would like to request a second program for your class, you will be added to our waitlist. When asked for the Program Name or Subject Requested, please list your choices in preference order from the options above.

After submitting this form, a ranger will contact you to confirm specific times for each classroom. For example, if you are requesting for "Meet Your National Parks" with four classes at 8:10 am, 9:15 am, 10:30 am, 12 pm, list the total number of students below and we will confirm the start times for each class via email. 

If you have any questions, please email us.

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NPS Form 10-1750 (Rev. 04/2021)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0228
Expiration Date 11/31/2025

Learning Accommodations

Does anyone in your group need any accommodations?

Yes No

If yes, describe the accommodation need.

Next Step

School / Organization Contact Information

School / Organization Name (required)

Name of Requester/Contact Person (required)

Title / Position (required)

Contact Email Address (required)

Contact Phone Number (required)
123-456-7890 extension if any

Mailing Address (required)

City (required)

State (required)

Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas Armed Forces - Americas Armed Forces - Europe Armed Forces - Pacific California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

ZIP (required)
Five digit ZIP code [99999]

Next Step

Group Details - Ranger in Classroom Program

Name of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)

Title / Position of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)

Email Address of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)

Phone Number of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)
Format: 123-456-7890

Program Name or Subject Requested

How much time will the ranger have to conduct the program? (required)

Grade Level(s) of Students (required)

Number of Staff / Chaperones (required)

Number of Students (required)

Preferred Date of Visit (required)
format mmddyyyy

My preferred date has been confirmed by the park (required)

Yes No

Preferred Program Start Time (required)

Alternative Date(s) (required)
Enter one or more dates.

Disclaimer:

A park representative will follow-up to confirm group details once this request has been received and reviewed.

Submit my Education Reservation Request

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NPS Form 10-1750 (Rev. 04/2021)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0228
Expiration Date 11/31/2025

Notices

Privacy Act Statement

Authority: Public Law 114-289 National Park Service Centennial Act and 54 U.S.C. 100701 Protection, interpretation, and research in System.

Purpose: To administer education programs for education audiences including but not limited to school groups, scouting groups, extracurricular groups, and home school groups.

Routine Uses: To effectively manage requests for education received by the NPS, the Education Reservation Request Form is used to collect basic education reservation information to facilitate operational aspects of scheduling groups for park education programs, including in-park education programs, ranger in classroom programs, and/or online distance learning programs.

Disclosure: Voluntary, however, failure to provide the requested information may impede the ability to grant your education reservation request.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

We are collecting this information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501) to provide park managers and educators the information needed to schedule and conduct education program activities. All applicable parts of the form must be completed in order for your request to be considered. You are not required to respond to this or any other Federal agency-sponsored information collection unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB has approved this collection of information and assigned control number 1024-0288.

Estimated Burden Statement

Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to average 5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525. Do not send your completed form to this address.