Creating Travelin’ Trunks for Elementary and Secondary Classrooms

By Arizona teachers, Grand Canyon Association, and Arizona State University

Travelin’ Trunks Available through the Grand Canyon Association

Grand Canyon National Park Travelin’ Trunks are an outreach endeavor of Grand Canyon Association. GCA designed the program in a way that transports students and teachers to one of the world’s premier learning destinations without actually leaving the classroom. Trunks may also be used pre- or post-visit.

Most materials and lessons are geared toward fourth- through eighth-grade students; however, GCA also offers a Grand Canyon Primary trunk for kindergarten through third-grade students. The trunks focus on the ecology, human history, and geology of Grand Canyon. Trunks contain books, videos, posters, slides, maps, and other interesting and appropriate materials. Each trunk also includes lesson plans. Teachers may choose the lessons and activities most appropriate to their learning goals.

Education specialists created the activities and lesson plans, and appropriate National Park Service staff and other outside experts reviewed the materials for accuracy.

ASU teamed with GCA for this project to revise the elem human history trunk and to create a secondary trunk (a mini-archive in a box!) to help middle and high school students learn about Grand Canyon and its place in larger American history themes.

http://www.grandcanyon.org/fieldinstitute/educators_trunk.asp

Teacher Team

Arizona Elementary and Secondary Teachers joined ASU undergraduate and graduate students to create the lessons: Amanda ArndtGreg BeattyBill DeStefanoMary DeStefanoSara DetrickKim HoffmanMarcie HutchinsonMary LandahlDiana LaufenbergJoan MillerAdam TompkinsPeter Trentacoste

Navajo ConsultantsDelbert Bighorse and Julia Curley contributed to teacher understanding of Grand Canyon history

Teacher Workshop at Grand Canyon launches Travelin Trunk creation. Paul Hirt (top left) and Yolonda Youngs (right of Paul) share GC history and geography insights.

GCA Headquarters at Canyon

Professor Paul Hirt and teachers at Grand Canyon’s South Rim

Grand Canyon Historian Mike Anderson

Touring Grand Canyon Museum Collection with Archivist Colleen Hyde

Finding Primary Sources

Hopi Ranger Phyllis Yoyetewa Kachinhongva

Field Trip with Delbert Bighorse’s Navajo Family

Julia CurryTells oral histories of life at her family’s property near the Grand Canyon

Lesson Creation

Lesson DesignEngage students in Hands-On, Minds-On LearningHelp students learn by doing historyPromote historical thinking skills and analysisLink to national history standards and Arizona’s

revised social studies standards. Cross-curricular: help teachers meet reading &

writing standardsTeacher-friendly and easily adaptable to a variety of

settings Make available via the GCA Travelin’ Trunks and

through the project’s and GCA’s websites Couple trunk and internet resources

Student Objectives Understand and appreciate the unique and special environment of the Grand Canyon

by examining artifacts and historical resources. Compare and contrast the multiple perspectives of the people who have lived here

or passed through the Canyon during the past 400 years. Analyze and interpret primary sources to understand the relationship between

historical evidence and the construction of the historical record. Understand that indigenous peoples still live, work, and play at and near the Canyon. Assess the inherent contradictions of the creation and maintenance of the Grand

Canyon National Park’s boundaries in an effort to control the actions of others in this habitat deemed “publicly owned.”

Examine controversial policies within the context of the environmental movement and determine the application of past efforts in protecting our environment in the future.

Identify and note the impact of efforts to portray the Grand Canyon in photography and painting, understanding that the Canyon is seen through cultural lenses,

Evaluate how the art of the Canyon can be a lens by which American history can be understood.

Discuss the Canyon’s importance on art, literature, environmental understandings, government policies, relationships between peoples, recreation, science, and tourism.

Describe and evaluate the actions Native Americans to endure in this environment and maintain traditions while adapting to the presence of the Grand Canyon as a National Park.

Guiding Concepts

of the Travelin’ TrunkLessons

Use

PowerMovement

Concepts are “word thoughts” that guide learning enabling facts to be thoughtfully organized in building enduring understandings.

Piloting the Lessons

Primary Source Photo: CCC Camp at Phantom Ranch

Kim Hoffmanand Archival Folders with Primary docs

K-20 Learning at Project Website

ElementarySecondaryUniversity

More Information

Nature, Culture, and History at the Grand Canyon Websitehttp://grandcanyonhistory.clas.asu.edu/

Grand Canyon Association Website on the Travelin’ Trunks http://www.grandcanyon.org/fieldinstitute/

educators_trunk.aspAdelheid Fischer, “Outdoor Classroom Grande!” in ASU

Researchhttp://researchmag.asu.edu/2007/09/

outdoor_classroomgrande.html

Funding Support and thanks toArizona State University Institute for

Humanities Research Seed GrantNational Endowment for the HumanitiesHelios Education Foundation/William C.

Jenkins History Education Fund in the Department of History at Arizona State University for the improvement of the teaching of history at the secondary level

Grand Canyon Association Salt River Project

Special Thanks to the Project’s TEACHER TEAM!Amanda ArndtGreg BeattyBill DeStefanoMary DeStefanoSara DetrickKim HoffmanMarcie HutchinsonMary LandahlDiana LaufenbergJoan MillerAdam TompkinsPeter Trentacoste