Essential Standards Alignment
Looking for a way to make creative connections to what you’re learning in the classroom? Every experience at the Museum was created to encourage a love of science learning for all ages. Below you will find the NC Essential Standards that best align with each of our exhibits, separated by exhibit and grade level.
Aerospace
Explore a full-scale Lunar Lander, see a moon rock, and observe objects as they orbit!
Kindergarten: K.P.1
1st Grade: 1.E.1, 1.P.1
3rd Grade: 3.E.1, 3.P.1
4th Grade: 4.E.1, 4.P.1
5th Grade: 5.P.1
6th Grade: 6.E.1
Carolina Wildlife
All of the animals in this exhibit are native to North Carolina. Compare their characteristics! Identify which things are living and which are non-living.
Kindergarten: K.L.1
1st Grade: 1.L.1-2
2nd Grade: 2.L.1
3rd Grade: 3.L.2
4th Grade: 4.L.1
5th Grade: 5.L.2
6th Grade: 6.L.2
8th Grade: 8.L.3
Catch the Wind
Discover how wind might impact people, animals, plants, and the environment. Catch the wind as a seed or sailboat and journey through the Into the Mist playscape.
Kindergarten: K.P.1
1st Grade: 1.P.1
3rd Grade: 3.P.2
4th Grade: 4.P.1
5th Grade: 5.P.1
Dinosaur Trail
Step into the prehistoric past as you hike the trail among life-sized dinosaur models. Dig in the dirt and explore the physical properties of some common North Carolina earth materials.
4th Grade: 4.E.2
8th Grade: 8.E.2
Explore the Wild and Wetlands
Study black bears, red wolves, and lemurs up close. Walk onto our 750-foot-deck and look out over a 2-acre wetland habitat and observe the natural rocks, soils, and water that make it home for a huge variety of wildlife!
Kindergarten: K.L.1
1st Grade: 1.L.1-2, 1.E.1
2nd Grade: 2.L.1
3rd Grade: 3.L.2, 3.E.2
4th Grade: 4.L.1
5th Grade: 5.L.2
6th Grade: 6.L.2
8th Grade: 8.L.3, 8.E.1
The Farmyard
Visit farmyard animals – alpacas, donkey, goats, pigs, and more. Observe how they move, what they eat, and how they live in their habitats!
Kindergarten: K.L.1
1st Grade: 1.L.1-2
2nd Grade: 2.L.1
3rd Grade: 3.L.2
4th Grade: 4.L.1
5th Grade: 5.L.2
6th Grade: 6.L.2
8th Grade: 8.L.3
Flip It, Fold It, Figure It Out
“Play with Math” through engaging activities with patterns, shapes, and sizes.
Kindergarten: K.P.2
Hideaway Woods
Explore nature in a special woodland environment featuring treehouses, a flowing streambed, and whimsical nature sculptures.
Kindergarten: K.P.2
1st Grade: 1.E.2, 1.L.1-2
3rd Grade: 3.E.2, 3.L.2
4th Grade: 4.L.1
5th Grade: 5.L.2
8th Grade: 8.E.1, 8.L.3
Bayer Insectarium
Get a bug’s eye-view of exotic insects and their predators from around the globe.
Kindergarten: K.L.1
1st Grade: 1.L.1-2
2nd Grade: 2.L.1
3rd Grade: 3.L.2
4th Grade: 4.L.1
5th Grade: 5.L.2
6th Grade: 6.L.2
8th Grade: 8.L.3
Investigate Health!
Conduct hands-on learning experiments to discover ways our bodies adapt to the world around us!
3rd Grade: 3.L.1
Magic Wings Butterfly House
Walk through a tropical wonderland of biological diversity. Compare all of the butterflies, birds, and plant life as you wander through this indoor paradise.
Kindergarten: K.L.1
1st Grade: 1.L.1-2
2nd Grade: 2.L.1
3rd Grade: 3.L.2
4th Grade: 4.L.1
5th Grade: 5.L.2
6th Grade: 6.L.2
8th Grade: 8.L.3
Math Moves
Immerse yourself in a world of large and small, shadows and shapes, motion and sound.
7th Grade: 7.P.1
Sound Garden
Experiment with rhythm, resonance, and the relationships of sounds with instruments from around the globe.
2nd Grade: 2.P.1
Weather
Learn about how weather patterns change from day-to-day! Spin globes, watch forecasts or touch a 13-foot tornado!
Kindergarten: K.E.1
2nd Grade: 2.E.1
5th Grade: 5.E.1
7th Grade: 7.E.1
Group programs
Check out our group programs page to see which of our interactive, exploratory, and curriculum-aligned programs work for your school or organization. Whether it’s for a field trip to the Museum or a program at your location, we’ve got you covered.
