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TOOLS FOR TEACHERS CURRICULUM TO ENHANCE YOUR FIELD TRIP EXPERIENCE GRADES 3-5/ESE 6-8 Bok Tower Gardens - Tools for Teachers Curriculum – 3-5/ESE 6-8 1 www.boktowergardens.org TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 3 Welcome to Bok Tower Gardens Page 4 Overview of Bok Tower Gardens Page 5 Planning a Field Trip to the Gardens Page 6 Pre-Visit Activities Points of Interest at Bok Tower Gardens Composition of the Tower/Tower Mosaics Observing Plants Page 12 Activities to Include During Your Visit Points of Interest at Bok Tower Gardens Plant Adaptation Hunt Pine Ridge Nature Trail Plant Identification Page 17 Post-Visit Activities Reading Passages School to Work: Tower Artisans, Architects & Craftsmen Page 24 Digging Deeper with Classroom Gardening & Florida Conservation Page 25 Post-Visit Questionnaire Bok Tower Gardens - Tools for Teachers Curriculum – 3-5/ESE 6-8 2 www.boktowergardens.org WELCOME TO BOK TOWER GARDENS! A National Historic Landmark, Bok Tower Gardens, was dedicated in 1929 as a gift to America from Edward W. Bok. Bok lived by the words of his grandmother, “Make you the world a bit better or more beautiful because you have lived in it.” In creating Bok Tower Gardens, Edward Bok was motivated with the belief that we, as human beings, have the opportunity to learn and enrich our lives by the simple idea that beauty is all around us. Educational Mission: The mission of the Garden Campus is to connect and engage learners of all ages in quality programming that creates appreciation, knowledge and awareness of the environment, art, history and culture. Bok Tower Gardens Educational Values, The Five A’s: Authentic, Engaging Experiences Academic Excellence, Integrity & Respect Accessibility for All Audiences Advocacy of Relevant Education Alliance of Collaborative Partnerships Tools for Teacher Curriculum Guide: This guide was created as a foundation of learning for your students before, during and after their visit to the Gardens. It will help them explore, discover and understand the Gardens beauty, history, nature and art. The curriculum cover: Science & Nature, Visual & Performance Arts, and Culture & History. The lessons in this program correlate with the Sunshine State Standards and the Polk County Learning Maps. These are indicated with each lesson. At the Gardens, students can engage in the following activities, depending on your specific field trip: The Gardens - Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., the gardens offer tranquil resting places, shady recesses, picturesque vistas, expansive splashes of colors, ponds, Florida wildlife and natural settings as well as the unique opportunity to see endangered plants found along the Lake Wales Ridge and nowhere else in the world. The Carillon Tower – The 205-foot Neo-Gothic and art deco carillon tower is one of the finest works of architecture in America. Students can hear the 60-bell carillon throughout the day every half hour. Pinewood Estate - Guided tours of the 1930’s Mediterranean-style Pinewood Estate allows your students to experience the luxurious lifestyle of C. Austin Buck, an early 20th century industrialist. The Visitor Center – Design for large groups, the Visitor Center features the orientation theatre, historical museum, café and gift shop. Here your students can explore and delve into the fascinating history and life of Edward W. Bok, learn about the Gardens creation, and discover first-hand about the craftsmanship of the carillon tower and bells. Bok Tower Gardens - Tools for Teachers Curriculum – 3-5/ESE 6-8 3 www.boktowergardens.org AN OVERVIEW OF BOK TOWER GARDENS Bok Tower Gardens sits atop Iron Mountain. The grounds consist of the gardens, citrus groves, grass fields, a wildlife pond and the Pine Ridge Nature Preserve. When Edward Bok purchased this land, he envisioned a special place to conserve the beauty found in nature, wildlife and plants. Since 1929, our grounds have been cared for to protect the beauty and nature for the enjoyment of a diverse public audience. The Gardens are a man-made landscape of native and exotic plants: Florida native plants and trees include: live oak, magnolia, longleaf pine and the sabal or cabbage palm tree. Exotic or non-native plants that come from other parts of the world include: azaleas, philodendron, camellias and camphor trees. Rocks and minerals found in the Gardens: Etowah (Georgia) marble and Florida coquina were used to build the Tower. Coral stone covers the floor of the Exedra by the overlook. The Exedra is made of same marble as the Tower. Florida capstone, a type of limestone, can be found in various locations in the gardens and around the reflection pool. Fish and plants in specific areas of interest: The fish in the moat are Japanese koi. This is a type of golden carp. The plants in the water around the moat are philodendron, water iris, water lilies, spider lilies and papyrus. The fish in the Window-By-The-Pond are bass, tilapia, mosquito fish, bluegill and shellcracker. The Pine Ridge Nature Preserve is a diverse sandhill habitat with plant and tree species including long leaf pine, turkey oak, wire grass, lopsided Indian grass and wildflowers. The Endangered Plant Garden showcases rare Florida native plants. The plants within the circular bed are all federally listed as being globally threatened or endangered. Plants surrounding the outside of the circular bed are native grasses and wildflowers that grow in association with the rare species. The State of Florida symbols you can find in the Gardens: State Tree - Cabbage or Sabal palm State Bird – Mockingbird State Flower – Orange Blossom State Butterfly – Zebra Longwing State Freshwater Fish – Largemouth Bass State Wildflower – Coreopsis Bok Tower Gardens - Tools for Teachers Curriculum – 3-5/ESE 6-8 4 www.boktowergardens.org PLANNING A TRIP TO BOK TOWER GARDENS Registration & Information When you’re ready to register for a field trip please provide us with the following: o Program name, name of school and contact, school address, phone number, email, number of students, grade level and arrival date and time Make your reservation at least two weeks in advance by contacting Bok Tower Gardens at 863.332.0742 or [email protected]. Reservations are required for groups of 10 or more Admission for school groups is based on the field trip selected. Two chaperones per 15 students are required and are admitted free of charge with your group. Additional chaperones are welcome with paid admission. Complete Pre-Visit Activities in the Tools for Teachers Curriculum Guide. The Gardens encourages your students to wear nametags, school/camp t-shirts, clothing appropriate for the weather and closed-toe shoes. All field trips are approximately 1.5 – 2 hours. Day of the Trip Upon arrival, check in at the front entrance gate and then have the buses drop off the students at the Visitor Center. Complimentary vehicle and Bus parking is in Lane 9. One total payment is due on the day of your visit (check, credit card, cash or P.O.) All field trips include the use of picnic areas – complete with large sandbox, vine-covered tunnel and bamboo tree house. We encourage your students to visit the Blue Palmetto Café and/or the Tower & Garden Gift Shop. The gift shop has a great selection of items for children for $5 or less. It’s a great way for the children to purchase a souvenir of their trip. Garden Etiquette at Bok Tower Gardens Please remind your students to: Respect the peace and quiet of the Gardens Remember to walk along the paths Put all litter into the trash containers Do not feed or pretend to feed the squirrels Do not pick plants or frighten wildlife Please remind your chaperones to: Stay with the students at all times Escort the students to the restrooms Remind the students to respect the peace and quiet of the Gardens Bok Tower Gardens - Tools for Teachers Curriculum – 3-5/ESE 6-8 5 www.boktowergardens.org PRE-VISIT ACTIVITIES Activity One: Bok Tower Gardens Points of Interest The Singing Tower When you drive into Lake Wales from any direction, you can see the Tower rise out of the landscape. The Tower contains a 60-bell carillon, which can be heard every half hour. The main purpose of the Tower is to be a centerpiece for the gardens and to house the carillon. Materials for the Tower consist of Florida coquina stone and pink and gray marble from Georgia. Motifs depicted in the stone sculpture and ceramic tiles are based on southern animal and plant life. With hints of neo-Gothic, the Tower is an example of art deco design. The lines and the arched windows are neo-Gothic while the tile and sculpture are art deco style. The carillon fills the upper third of the tower. The bell chamber is enclosed by eight large, tiled grilles which let music/sound travel out into the Gardens. At the top level is the bell chamber. Directly below the carillon is the playing room which houses the keyboard. The carillon keyboard resembles a piano with handle-like keys. Steel cables connect the keys and bell clappers. When a key is struck, the cable tightens and forces the clapper to strike the bell. You can see the original keyboard in the historical museum inside the Visitor Center. There are 60 bells ranging from 12 pounds (the highest pitch) to 22,300 pounds (the lowest pitch). The bells were cast by John Taylor and Company, Ltd., of Loughborough, England in 1928. Bok Tower Gardens has had four musicians at the helm of the carillon in its history. These include: Mr. Geert D’hollander (pictured) is currently the resident carillonneur at Bok Tower Gardens. Mr. William De Turk, the third resident carillonneur,played from 2004-2012.