Building Background Knowledge

Title: The worlds first national park: Yellowstone

Grade: 2nd
Standards
RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and
how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
2-LS4-1 Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of
life in different habitats.
Objectives
Students will understand the roles Ulysses S. Grant and John Muir played in
the opening of Yellowstone National Park.
Students will compare the types of wildlife in the book to their local
environment.
Materials
A Weird and Wild Beauty: The Story of Yellowstone, the World's First National
Park by Erin Peabody
Artifact box containing:
o An elk antler
o A deer antler
o Buffalo hide
o A flag
o A camera
o Pictures of Yellowstone
Activity
1. After the class is gathered in the reading area, bring out the artifact box
containing a variety of items that represent different aspects of Yellowstone.
After taking each item out of the box, ask the students to do a think-pairshare with a partner as a way to think about the topic of the new lesson. After
listening to the learners talk, come back together and share a few ideas that
you heard.
2. Explain that the children will be listening to a book called A Weird and Wild
Beauty: The Story of Yellowstone, the World's First National Park by Erin
Peabody. Ask the students what they think the book will be about based off of
the cover photo and title.
Assessment
1. Read the story to the students asking questions about various topics in the
books.
a. How do you think the explorers felt seeing the environment for the first
time?
b. What similarities does the park have with our local environment?
c. Ask about what kind of animals are on the page.
d. What role did Ulysses S. Grant play in opening the?
e. Why do you think the explorers wanted to make Yellowstone into the
first national park?

2. After reading the book, reanalyze the artifacts in the box. Ask students the
importance of each item.
a. An elk antler= there are large herds of elk in the park.
b. A deer antler= there are different types of deer (mule deer and white
tail)
c. Buffalo hide= difference between bison and buffalo
d. A flag= Ulysses S. Grant way key to making the park official through
politics and government.
e. A camera= John Muir William and Henry Jackson were essential in the
opening of the park by photographing.
f. Pictures of Yellowstone= to give specific connections to the park
Citations
Peabody, E. (n.d). A weird and wild beauty: The story of Yellowstone, the worlds
first national park.
Yellowstone National Park. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2016, from
http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/parks/yellowstone/