Parks, Poems, and Wild Wonders

Empathize

Students will build wonder about National Parks, study how real visitor guides communicate with readers, begin understanding landforms and park protection, and gather early evidence about audience needs for their own zine writing.

Days 1 - 4

🎬 Parks Premiere & Wonder Wall

Launch 45m

🏞️ Landforms Match Park Places

Knowledge/Skill Building 45m

📚 Ranger Brochures Under the Magnifier

Knowledge/Skill Building 45m

🗺️ My Park Choice Pitch

Deliverable 45m

Define

Students will define what makes their chosen National Park worth protecting by organizing early research, studying how landforms were shaped, and turning notes into a clear problem statement for a real audience. They will use evidence, peer feedback, and teacher conferencing to decide what readers most need to know in a visitor guide zine.

Days 5 - 8

🪨 Park Landforms Evidence Sort

Knowledge/Skill Building 45m

📝 Paraphrase Notes for Park Facts

Knowledge/Skill Building 45m

🎯 Why Protect This Park Claim

Deliverable 45m

📂 Research Organizer Checkpoint

Assessment 45m

Ideate

Students will generate and compare possible ways to organize and communicate what makes their National Park worth protecting, using science evidence, audience needs, and peer feedback to choose a strong direction for their visitor guide work.

Days 9 - 12

🗂️ Visitor Guide Feature Sort

Knowledge/Skill Building 40m

🏞️ Landform Ideas Sketchboard

Project Work 45m

💬 Two-Peer Zine Feedback

Deliverable 45m

✅ Park Page Plan Checkpoint

Assessment 45m

Draft

Students will turn their park research into first drafts for their National Park visitor guide zine by organizing information, drafting sections with text features, explaining landforms with science vocabulary, and revising through structured peer and teacher feedback before moving into testing.

Days 13 - 18

🗂️ Visitor Guide Section Map

Knowledge/Skill Building 40m

📝 Paraphrase Notes to Paragraphs

Knowledge/Skill Building 45m

⛰️ Landform Science Diagram Draft

Knowledge/Skill Building 40m

📚 Visitor Guide First Draft

Deliverable 50m

💬 Two-Peer Zine Feedback Round

Project Work 45m

✅ Draft Conference Checkpoint

Assessment 45m

Test

Students will test their draft National Park visitor guide pages and poem choices with real readers, gather evidence about what is clear and engaging, and use feedback to plan meaningful revisions before the next critique phase.

Days 19 - 22

🧭 Visitor Guide User-Test Moves

Knowledge/Skill Building 30m

👥 Park Zine Peer Test

Deliverable 45m

🏞️ Ranger Question Rehearsal

Knowledge/Skill Building 30m

📝 Research Organizer Test Checkpoint

Assessment 45m

Critique

Students will use structured critique, peer feedback, and revision to strengthen their National Park visitor guide zine pages and park poem choices so their science explanations, research writing, and design decisions are clearer for a real audience.

Days 23 - 26

🧭 Visitor Guide Critique Moves

Knowledge/Skill Building 35m

📝 Zine Section Feedback Round

Deliverable 45m

🔍 Park Pages Gallery Walk

Project Work 45m

✏️ Revision Conference Checkpoint

Assessment 45m

Notice & Reflect

Students will synthesize what they learned about their National Park, share their polished zine and poem with an authentic audience, document how feedback shaped their final choices, and reflect on how science, research, writing, and performance helped them answer what makes a place worth protecting.

Days 27 - 30

🗣️ Exhibition Talk Practice Cards

Knowledge/Skill Building 40m

🖼️ Zine Display Feedback Round

Deliverable 45m

🌲 National Park Night of Voices

Assessment 50m

📝 Growth Letter and Rubric Check

Deliverable 45m

Empathize Days 1–4

Day 1

🎬 Parks Premiere & Wonder Wall

Launch 45m

Day 2

🏞️ Landforms Match Park Places

Knowledge/Skill Building 45m

Day 3

📚 Ranger Brochures Under the Magnifier

Knowledge/Skill Building 45m

Day 4

🗺️ My Park Choice Pitch

Deliverable 45m

Define Days 5–8

Day 5

🪨 Park Landforms Evidence Sort

Knowledge/Skill Building 45m

Day 6

📝 Paraphrase Notes for Park Facts

Knowledge/Skill Building 45m

Day 7

🎯 Why Protect This Park Claim

Deliverable 45m

Day 8

📂 Research Organizer Checkpoint

Assessment 45m

Ideate Days 9–12

Day 9

🗂️ Visitor Guide Feature Sort

Knowledge/Skill Building 40m

Day 10

🏞️ Landform Ideas Sketchboard

Project Work 45m

Day 11

💬 Two-Peer Zine Feedback

Deliverable 45m

Day 12

✅ Park Page Plan Checkpoint

Assessment 45m

Draft Days 13–18

Day 13

🗂️ Visitor Guide Section Map

Knowledge/Skill Building 40m

Day 14

📝 Paraphrase Notes to Paragraphs

Knowledge/Skill Building 45m

Day 15

⛰️ Landform Science Diagram Draft

Knowledge/Skill Building 40m

Day 16

📚 Visitor Guide First Draft

Deliverable 50m

Day 17

💬 Two-Peer Zine Feedback Round

Project Work 45m

Day 18

✅ Draft Conference Checkpoint

Assessment 45m

Test Days 19–22

Day 19

🧭 Visitor Guide User-Test Moves

Knowledge/Skill Building 30m

Day 20

👥 Park Zine Peer Test

Deliverable 45m

Day 21

🏞️ Ranger Question Rehearsal

Knowledge/Skill Building 30m

Day 22

📝 Research Organizer Test Checkpoint

Assessment 45m

Critique Days 23–26

Day 23

🧭 Visitor Guide Critique Moves

Knowledge/Skill Building 35m

Day 24

📝 Zine Section Feedback Round

Deliverable 45m

Day 25

🔍 Park Pages Gallery Walk

Project Work 45m

Day 26

✏️ Revision Conference Checkpoint

Assessment 45m

Notice & Reflect Days 27–30

Day 27

🗣️ Exhibition Talk Practice Cards

Knowledge/Skill Building 40m

Day 28

🖼️ Zine Display Feedback Round

Deliverable 45m

Day 29

🌲 National Park Night of Voices

Assessment 50m

Day 30

📝 Growth Letter and Rubric Check

Deliverable 45m

September 2026

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

31 Day 1

Empathize

🎬 Parks Premiere & Wonder Wall

1 Day 2

🏞️ Landforms Match Park Places

2 Day 3

📚 Ranger Brochures Under the Magnifier

3 Day 4

🗺️ My Park Choice Pitch

4 Day 5

Define

🪨 Park Landforms Evidence Sort

7 Day 6

📝 Paraphrase Notes for Park Facts

8 Day 7

🎯 Why Protect This Park Claim

9 Day 8

📂 Research Organizer Checkpoint

10 Day 9

Ideate

🗂️ Visitor Guide Feature Sort

11 Day 10

🏞️ Landform Ideas Sketchboard

14 Day 11

💬 Two-Peer Zine Feedback

15 Day 12

✅ Park Page Plan Checkpoint

16 Day 13

Draft

🗂️ Visitor Guide Section Map

17 Day 14

📝 Paraphrase Notes to Paragraphs

18 Day 15

⛰️ Landform Science Diagram Draft

21 Day 16

📚 Visitor Guide First Draft

22 Day 17

💬 Two-Peer Zine Feedback Round

23 Day 18

✅ Draft Conference Checkpoint

24 Day 19

Test

🧭 Visitor Guide User-Test Moves

25 Day 20

👥 Park Zine Peer Test

28 Day 21

🏞️ Ranger Question Rehearsal

29 Day 22

📝 Research Organizer Test Checkpoint

30 Day 23

Critique

🧭 Visitor Guide Critique Moves

1 Day 24

📝 Zine Section Feedback Round

2 Day 25

🔍 Park Pages Gallery Walk

October 2026

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

5 Day 26

✏️ Revision Conference Checkpoint

6 Day 27

Notice & Reflect

🗣️ Exhibition Talk Practice Cards

7 Day 28

🖼️ Zine Display Feedback Round

8 Day 29

🌲 National Park Night of Voices

9 Day 30

📝 Growth Letter and Rubric Check

Edit Phase

Edit Phase

Edit Phase

Edit Phase

Edit Phase

Edit Phase

Edit Phase

September 2026

October 2026