Mobile Education > EARTHMOBILE
The Earthmobile is a hands-on science outreach program
that brings
the excitement of the Natural History Museum to 3rd,
4th and 5th grade students in the Los Angeles Unified
School District. The program is cross-curricular. Students
are introduced to the science of archaeology as well
as the cultural history of local Native Americans. Students
participate in activities led by museum instructors
that take place both in the Earthmobile and in their classroom.
In the Earthmobile, students excavate artifacts and
natural
objects and use a researcher’s notebook to record
their findings. A "field guide" helps them
identify and learn more about the objects they’ve
uncovered. In the classroom, students examine animal
skins, replica
artifacts,and other natural resources to explore what
the lives of the local Native Americans, the Chumash,
were
like 500 years ago.
This trailer-based program, coupled
with suggested pre- and post-visit activities, brings
science and social studies alive as students take an
active role
in their learning. Participating teachers attend an
on-site orientation to familiarize themselves with
the Earthmobile
and prepare their students for its arrival. The program
is FREE, made possible through the generosity of the
Maxwell H. Gluck Foundation, and is available to LAUSD
elementary schools ONLY.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
- to capture and cultivate student interest in science
(archaeology) and social studies (Native American cultures)
- to introduce methods used in scientific inquiry, including
observation, data collection and making hypotheses
- to help students understand what the daily lives of
the Chumash were like in the
past,
through the use of artifacts, replicas and other
natural materials
- to help students understand the interrelationships
between animals, plants and humans in the local environment
For further information
Please contact the Outreach Office at the Natural
History Museum at (213) 763-3344. |
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