National park begins distance learning effort

DENALI PARK — Denali National Park and Preserve is an environment of extreme temperatures, tall mountains, glacial landscapes and more. As it may be difficult, if not impossible, for many teachers and students to come to the park, the National Park Service has created new free, interactive, distance learning programs to help classes learn about this special place and enhance existing curriculums.

For the next two months, Denali education rangers will teleport themselves via Skype into third- to sixth-grade classrooms to present fun, standards-based science lessons on sled dog adaptations and the geology of Mount McKinley.

The programs are available Monday through Friday, Nov. 12 to Dec. 14. Registration is open and forms for scheduling groups and teaching materials are posted online at nps.gov/dena/forteachers/learning/index.htm. Programs are designed to meet national teaching standards.

Classes include:

• The Science of Sled Dogs (grades three through five) — Students explore adaptations that make Denali’s sled dogs suited to living and working in subarctic winter conditions.

• Denali: The High One (geology of the mountain for grades four through six) — Students explore the dynamic geologic processes that have created the tallest mountain in North America.

For more information, contact DENA_education@nps.gov.