GEOGRAPHY WEBSITE PROTOCOL
National Park Service: Park Net
BY: Janet Bragg, Lebanon, IN
Site address: http://www.nps.gov
Theme: national parks
Grade Level(s): grades 4 -12
Annotation of Site:
"Park Net" is the website sponsored by the National Park Service. Through this website, information can be obtained about our nation’s parks and historical landmarks. The home page menu contains selections for Visit Your Parks; Links to the Past; Park Smart; Info Zone; and Nature Net. The Links to the Past selection will provide databases for such topics as archeology, Civil War, structures and landscapes of historic places, maritime, museum collections, and peoples and cultures. Study guides, glossaries, curricula and other educational tools are also provided under this section. Additional tools for integrating the national parks and historic places into curriculum can be found in "The Learning Place" under Park Smart.
A park can be located by name, theme, state, or region by accessing the Visit Your Parks link. This link also pictures the park of the month and a closer view can be obtained by clicking on the picture. Pertinent information concerning each park can also be obtained through this link.
Based on trivia, the "Did You Know...?" section, located under the Info Zone menu, provides the reader with many interesting facts about the parks.
The Nature Net choice addresses natural resources significant to the parks. A menu can be accessed that will allow you to select a geological feature such as glaciers, caves, hot springs and river systems. A choice of one of these fourteen features will allow you to view listings of the parks by geological classifications. Links to water and biological resources pertinent to each park can also be obtained from this section.
Visit the "Who We Are" menu selection to learn of the criteria for eligibility to become a national park. Also under this selection information as to the classification of the national parks is listed. Parks are classified into such designations as battlefields, monuments, memorials, parkways, preserves, scenic trails - to name a few of the many classifications. Definitions of classification titles are given along with statistics for each classification. For instance, there are eleven national battlefields, and these are listed under that classification.
In addition to the topics covered above, there is a wealth of additional information. Travel pertinent information such as hours of operation, admittance expenses, and camping facilities are among the topics addressed for each park under the Visit Your Parks section.
Visit this website on your own, and I’m sure you will uncover additional sources of information. While I have tried to annotate the features I felt most useful to educators, there were still many categories that remain unexplored. This website is an excellent source for information on the national parks.
Geography Standards addressed:
Places and Regions: #4) understands the physical and human characteristics of places
Environment and Society: #14) How human actions modify the physical environment.
Indiana Social Studies Proficiency Guidelines addressed: