EDUCATION PROGRAMS

“Who walked here before you?”

School Field Trips
A La Pilita field trip brings students studying the history of AZ right to the place where it happened. La Pilita was an important site to the Hohokam, the Presidio, and the pioneers of early Tucson. This is a place of adobes and barrios. Students come, turn back the clock, and learn lessons in the context of place. Teachers who wish their students to learn about early Tucson find this an ideal spot. School classes are welcomed by appointment whether for a ½ hour gallery visit or a 3 hour workshop. All workshops/field trips meet specific state standards at various grade levels. Pre-visit packets are sent which include pre-visit vocabulary and an outline of preparatory information for the classroom and the teacher. It is anticipated that the visit is part of a larger unit being taught at the school site. Some workshops are designed as a menu from which the teacher chooses the most beneficial activities for his/her students. Every effort will be made to accommodate the classroom teacher and the content. La Pilita can comfortably accommodate one class of 30 students at a time. Students are divided into learning teams and must be accompanied by a chaperone. It is requested that an adult accompanies every six students.

Ages Served The activities are tailored to third through sixth grades. The Social Studies/Science Standards are best met for these levels. Scheduling Most workshops/tours are scheduled from 8:30-noon to accommodate public school transportation. All scheduling is done with the Program/Education Director, Joan Daniels. You may call La Pilita 882-7454 or e-mail Joan at pilitajdaniels@qwest.net.

Transportation
Private Transportation: Some teachers are able to garner parent transportation to the site. This gives some flexibility in start and stop times and saves money on district transportation. Parent chaperones are welcome and expected to assist with lessons and student monitoring. The map to la Pilita is located on our home page. We suggest you print that and give to your parents. It is strongly recommended that you remind your parents to watch for parking sign regulations. The neighborhood is serious about their residential permits. TUSD parents can park in the TUSD parking lot on the southeast corner. School bus Transportation: Carrillo has a bus bay directly south of La Pilita and the TCC parking lot (one block north) can accommodate large buses. Be sure you know the return time of your particular driver so we can accommodate the lessons to avoid a rush.

Cost
La Pilita Museum offers regular and extended field trips. The regular field trips end at 11:30 AM. The extended field trip includes the opportunity to use the park for sack lunches and to return for additional activities until 1:30 or 2:00 PM. Extended field trips are based on the use of Reader's Theater or extended needs of the content area. Regular field trips cost $3.00 per student and the extended field trip cost $4.25 per child. We will accept school purchase orders and PTA or PTO checks. We do not charge for adult chaperones so long as they do not exceed the 1:8 ratio. La Pilita is a learning field trip and, as such, is a valid use of Tax Credit Donations in TUSD.

Curriculum Content and the State Standards
Teacher packets which are sent prior to the visit include the standards met in the content of the requested field trip.

On-site Facilities The back of La Pilita has a covered stage area and water fountain. The adjacent small park has seating areas. Classes bringing sack lunches are asked to hold a “grounds-clean-up” at a designated finish time. We can hold ice chests etc. on the back patio.La Pilita has a single bathroom south of the gallery space. Students are asked to notify an adult when going to the bathroom. Third graders must be accompanied by an adult.

Expectations for Teachers
La Pilita is staffed by retired teachers and volunteers who have a passionate interest in the teaching of social studies-specifically the history of Tucson and Arizona. We are gifted with this beautiful authentic site and want to partner with other educators to work with students.

Expectations for Students
Our expectation for students is that they will learn about history in a way that “sticks” and will leave with a better understanding of life 1-200 years ago. Further, that they will reflect on that knowledge and compare it to their own lives. We respect and facilitate students’ rights to learn and expect them to have that same respect for the adults and fellow students.

Gallery Exhibit Tours and La Pilita Exploration (two - three hours):
La Pilita itself is an historic site with interesting history and folklore. This experience includes the facts and folklore of several places near or on site, “reading” the historic photo gallery, and a final Reader’s Theater presentation by the participants. Rotation (1/2 hour each) to these topics:
          o El Tiradito - Folklore of the neighbor historic shrine
          o El Ojito - Walk to the site of the spring which served
                              Hohokam, Apache, and Spanish soldiers
          o Historic Photo Gallery - Carrillo Gardens and Elysian Grove
          o “Who Walked Here Before You” - From Hohokam to present

Children’s Walking Tours: (three + hours)
Walking tours are scheduled in the cooler months. Experience includes use of maps and stories and folklore attached to the walk. Pre-visit packet includes maps and vocabulary and preparatory lessons. Presidio Walk Architecture of the Barrio Walk

Learning by Doing at the Museum (three + hours)
Within each topic are many activity kits. A menu is provided for the teacher to choose which best fit into their unit of study. Each activity takes 1 hour. A three hour field trip accommodates three activities.

     Anthropology: Indians of the Southwest
          o Fibers and Cordage
          o Painting with Yucca paint brushes
          o Coil Basketry
          o Bull Roarers
          o Totems and totem necklaces
          o Petroglyphs and Pictographs
          o The Categories of Culture

     Archaeology
          o Garbage Archaeology
          o Gridding and mapping a site
          o Practicing the techniques of excavation
          o Shoebox Archaeology
          o Deciphering Culture Murals
          o Using Pump Drills

     Desert Ecology
          o Plant Identification
          o Casting tracks
          o Water in these desert lands

General Information
e-mail: lapilita@qwest.net
Mailing Address: 420 S. Main, Tucson, AZ 85701
Phone: (520) 882-7454
FAX: (520) 882-7454 (call ahead before faxing)

Staff
Executive Director: Carol Cribbet-Bell's e-mail: pilitacribbetbel@qwest.net
Program/Education Director: Joan Daniel's e-mail: pilitajdaniels@qwest.net