What is the National Park System, and what does it do? Objective Students will understand the purpose of the National Park System and the types of places that are protected by the NPS. Students will distinguish between a National Park and a National Preserve. Students will identify the various ways in which NPS employees and visitors manage, explore and interact within the preserve and why Preparation For this lesson, students will use computers with internet in order to complete research. Lesson Hook/Preview When Big Cypress National Preserve was created, many local residents were concerned t Duration: 90 Minutes.