Earthmobile | Natural History Museum of Los Angeles

Earthmobile

Program Details

• Free, grant-funded program through the generosity of The Maxwell H. Gluck Foundation.
• This program is available only to LAUSD schools and takes place at the school.
• Hands on, standards based, cross-curricular science outreach program for grades 3 through 5. Program may include lower grade levels pending schedule availability.

Curriculum

• Focuses on archaeology and the cultural history of the Chumash people who lived (and still live) in Southern California.
• Earthmobile focuses on excavation and identification of artifacts and ecofacts.
• Students use a field guide to help in the identification process. The classroom portion focuses on laboratory archaeology.
• Students try to piece together the cultural history of the Chumash by examining a number of Chumash artifacts to aid students in understanding how the Chumash survived, what their daily life was like, and the technology the Chumash utilized in order to meet their needs. Both portions are led by our trained outreach staff.
• Teachers attend an on-site, pre-visit orientation to prepare themselves, and their students for the program, by offering various pre-visit activities. Post-visit activities are available as well to continue learning long after the program is completed.

Connections to CA State Standards

• Grade 3 Standards (PDF)
• Grade 4 Standards (PDF)
• Grade 5 Standards (PDF) 

Program Objectives

1. To capture and cultivate student interest in archaeology — the study of past cultures — and social studies (Native American cultures).
2. To introduce methods used in scientific inquiry, including observation, data collection and making hypotheses.
3. To help students understand what the daily lives of the Chumash were like in the past, through the study of artifacts, replicas, ecofacts, and other natural materials.
4. To help students understand the interrelationships between animals, plants, and humans in the local environment.

Teacher/Student Resources

View and download teaching guides, student worksheets, activity sheets, and glossaries
Classroom Activities
     Recommended Pre-Visit Activities - excerpted from Teacher
     Guide (PDF)
     Earthmobile Teacher Guide (PDF)
     Key Terms (PDF)
     Earthmobile Student Guide (PDF)

 

Schedule a Visit with the Earthmobile

Scheduling for July to December, 2012 begins March 1, 2012.
Thank you for your interest in NHM's Mobile Museum Program. Scheduling for the Fall 2012 season began on March 1 and due to the large interest, all available program slots have been filled.
Please mark your calendars and contact us for the Spring, 2013 scheduling season, beginning on September 13, 2012. Continue to visit our website for any program updates and details.

Scheduling for January 13 - June 13, 2013 begins September 13, 2012.

Contact us at:
E-mail: mobileoutreach@nhm.org
Phone: (213) 763-3271
Fax: (213) 763-3566