NGSS standards require students to not only think like scientists, but to communicate in the manner that scientists do as well. Creating the conditions and providing the structures and supports for science discourse are key! Join FIELD Edventures and guest speaker, Suzy Zietlow, Discovery Charter School Teacher, and 2022 NSTA Conference presenter as she shares strategies and routines. Nature Journaling for Science Instruction.

Do you use nature journaling in your instruction? What evidence do students' journal entries provide on what they have learned and where they need to go next in their learning journeys?

In this session, we will: connect with experts and resources on nature journaling; explore practices to give students agency in their learning through self-assessment and peer feedback; and offer ways to improve deliberate practice to grow ideas and approaches.

New resources for nature journaling as well as the How to Teach Nature Journaling book.

Cynthia Bachhuber, introduces us to the wide range of sources available and delve into how historians use these sources to construct our histories. We’ll explore how archives are created, what it means to use these materials as a critical thinker, and how you can access physical and digital primary sources as an educator. Primary source material may be included as texts as you develop your text sets in this project. Find out how historical resources can support learning in all content areas.

Speaker: Cynthia Bachhuber is a librarian/archivist at the Wisconsin Historical Society where she focuses on outreach & instruction - making history accessible and relevant.

The collaborative online conversations and chats have resulted in document of resources entered into the chats for each of the sessions of Advancing Environmental Literacy through Culturally-Relevant Text Sets.

The document is a work in progress and contributions of group members will be added and revised with on ongoing collaborations.

This is a collaborative document of resources recommended by members of the Using BEETLES and Nature Journaling for High Quality Science Instruction. It is compilation of the ongoing chats of the Zoom meetings of the group.

Updates and revisions will occur throughout the collaboration by members of the group.

This is a lesson for tropical rainforests that fits best for third- through fifth-grade students. There are multiple reading and writing strategies implemented within the lesson. Throughout the lessons, there will be opportunities to build upon prior knowledge, write, draw, and listen to sound effects of the rainforest. Students will use graphic organizers and websites to aid in the understanding and learning of rainforests. There are also extension lessons for students to create a list of questions in small groups to research. Throughout these lessons the students will be exposed to multiple media sources. 

Author: Lucille Burr GrignonCurrently teaching from my Indigenous Homestead/Gardens. Ancient Roots Homestead in Bowler, WisconsinAncient Roots Homestead collaborates with students, elders, community members in the surrounding Tribal Nations– both Menominee and Stockbridge-Munsee and beyond. We recognize all students learn in different ways. Some students join us in person, while others join us virtually. People of all ages are invited to tell stories, garden, connect and reconnect, preserve food, make music, create art, and learn different Indigenous life skills, and more.Maple Sugar season is a beautiful time for learning. So much is happening in the world around us, all we have to do to learn is observe. The seasons change, the trees grow and develop. From the tapping of the trees, boiling down, canning, educating, and processing. It is very beautiful from beginning to end. The lessons learned while working with maple trees can be directly applied and used in our own lives.The culturally-relevant text sets offer different perspectives for students to see as well as wonderful conversation starters. Students learn of different careers within the Indigenous World. Some of those careers being: Traditional Seed Keepers, Gardeners, Knowledge Keepers, Storytellers, and More!

This activity allows students to explore the "tragedy of the commons" in which common usage of limited, potentially renwable resource invariably leads to its exploitation.  In this simulation the students imagine they are fisherman sharing access to a common fishing pond.

Unit Title: Urban Runoff and Its Impact on the Community and BeyondAuthor: Anthony Jordan, Franklin High School, Franklin Public SchoolsGrade Level: 9-12Context:  This unit of study combined mathematics, environmental science, and literacy while also incorporating a real world context. Students began the unit of study by looking at specific examples of environmental impacts of rainwater runoff and the contaminants they contain. In addition, students used these articles to build context knowledge and dive deeper through research on the reasons behind stormwater runoff, the systems in place, and solutions to solve this problem on a local, national, and global level. Afterwards students began to incorporate how to calculate the amount of stormwater runoff and utilized GIS and google earth to develop a deeper understanding of how to accurately calculate the area of impervious surfaces. Finally, students compared the amount of runoff calculated and were able to construct a project on how to address building a greener school. 

Author: Lela Schwitzer, Bonduel Elementary School, BonduelGrade: 1stIn the CKLA Knowledge Domain 8 Animal Habitats, I used Native authors, an Indigenous documentary on sturgeon, our school woods/stream, a local sturgeon webcam, and my Menominee heritage to extend students’ knowledge of the freshwater habitat to promote their environmental capacity to protect area waters similarly as the books’ characters do. The overarching question is Who Are Water Protectors? I used the picture books to provide background knowledge on water protectors and to learn how others interact with water in their area. The documentary conveyed how the Menominee people are connected to the freshwater fish, sturgeon, and how this fish’s survival is important because Namo’o is the keeper of our stories. The webcam connects all students to the sturgeon and gives access to experience their return to spawn. Visiting our school woods and the stream that flows through it provides a meaningful reason to be a water protector to preserve this natural resource for future Bonduel Elementary students. Further, students are given the opportunity to sign a Water Protector Pledge after discussing it at home with their families. Students will be offered an opportunity to clean the freshwater watershed of our school stream on Earth Day. The hope is that students will become lifelong protectors of natural resources.

Each spring Roosevelt fourth graders embrace the challenge of writing an essay for the Wisconsin Ag in the Classroom essay competition for 4th and 5th graders. It has become a tradition at our school and many older siblings recall writing the essay for their particular topic when they were in fourth grade!  We have covered topics from John Deere & maple syrup to soybeans and farmer’s markets.  This year we were excited to study Wisconsin’s fruits, specifically strawberries!The annual contest falls in the third trimester where we focus on Expository writing and completing a 5 paragraph essay with a simple bibliography.