This activity is a field study where students gather data on a …
This activity is a field study where students gather data on a stream based upon their protocol. They will correlate their data with another group and present their results to the class. They will develop and defend in class a new experimental question for a spring study.
This activity is a field investigation where students gather data on stream …
This activity is a field investigation where students gather data on stream health by collecting macro-invertebrates at three different locations and then develop an experimental question through land use and topographic map research to explain differences in water quality.
Students learn about contact stress and its applications in engineering. They are …
Students learn about contact stress and its applications in engineering. They are introduced to the concept of heavy loads, such as buildings, elephants, people and traffic, and learn how those heavy loads apply contact stress. Through the analysis of their own footprints, students determine their contact stress.
This workshop investigates the current state of sustainability in regards to architecture, …
This workshop investigates the current state of sustainability in regards to architecture, from the level of the tectonic detail to the urban environment. Current research and case studies will be investigated, and students will propose their own solutions as part of the final project.
This unit is designed to help 4th grade students foster an understanding …
This unit is designed to help 4th grade students foster an understanding of the effects climate change in Connecticut. Students will learn about specific species native to Connecticut, that depend on salt marshes, that are experiencing heavier precipitation and loss of habitat due to the changing climate. The unit focuses on these main questions: How is climate change and the greenhouse effect related? What is happening to the animals on our coastline? Why is there so much flooding occurring in my neighborhood? Students will explore and research species in Connecticut who’s survival has been negatively impacted by climate change, specifically the rise in sea level.
Quantitative techniques for life cycle analysis of the impacts of materials extraction, …
Quantitative techniques for life cycle analysis of the impacts of materials extraction, processing use, and recycling; and economic analysis of materials processing, products, and markets. Student teams undertake a major case study of automobile manufacturing using the latest methods of analysis and computer-based models of materials process.
Our linked subjects are (1) the historical process by which the meaning …
Our linked subjects are (1) the historical process by which the meaning of technology has been constructed, and (2) the concurrent transformation of the environment. To explain the emergence of technology as a pivotal word (and concept) in contemporary public discourse, we will examine responses--chiefly political and literary--to the development of the mechanic arts, and to the linked social, cultural, and ecological transformation of 19th- and 20th-century American society, culture, and landscape.
In this video adapted from Earth Island Institute, meet a high school …
In this video adapted from Earth Island Institute, meet a high school student who educated her community about how a coal-burning power plant was contributing to asthma and other health problems there.
This investigation is a laboratory activity in which the alkalinity of 2 …
This investigation is a laboratory activity in which the alkalinity of 2 types of substrates (carbonate vs. non-carbonate) are compared on the basis of titration. Students will reflect on the relationship of alkalinity and toxic heavy metals. Teaching ideas from: Project Wet, Water Education for Teachers as found in: "Healthy Water Healthy People, Field Monitoring Guide "(2003)
Prior to reaching households, water is exposed to a variety of treatments …
Prior to reaching households, water is exposed to a variety of treatments designed to render it fit for human consumption and use. One of the first treatment steps is the removal of suspended solids using chemical additives called flocculants. In this activity, students learn about two commonly used flocculants and clean water collected from a local pond or river. They experiment with flocculant, stirring and pH variables.
This activity reviews the concept of trophic cascades. Trophic cascades occur when …
This activity reviews the concept of trophic cascades. Trophic cascades occur when predators reduce the abundance or change the activity of their prey, thereby allowing species in the next trophic level to increase in number. These indirect effects by the predator can trickle down (or cascade) to many lower levels of the food chain. In a classic example, sea otters protect kelp forests, sea otters protect kelp forests by controlling the abundance of urchins that graze upon the kelp. In the absence of otters, urchins consume most of the kelp and negatively affect other organisms that live in the kelp forests. Trophic cascades have been described in numerous ecosystems ranging from kelp forests of the Pacific Ocean to arctic islands, to Central American jungles, to salt marshes. In this activity student use organism cards to build examples of trophic cascades based in different ecosystems, including several in Wisconsin!
This unit will help 4th or 5th grade teachers prepare students to …
This unit will help 4th or 5th grade teachers prepare students to explore two big questions related to the Earth’s changing climate. The primary goal is to nurture an understanding of the element carbon, Earth’s carbon cycle, and how carbon dioxide and other gases contribute to the planet warming greenhouse effect of Earth’s atmosphere. The questions are:
1) What is carbon and why are all living things on Earth considered to be carbon-based lifeforms?
2) What is the greenhouse effect and why should we care about how much carbon is in our atmosphere?
These questions align with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for 4th grade that many states have adopted or adapted.1 An annotated list of the applicable NGSS and state science standards can be found in the appendix of this curriculum unit.
Under the NGSS, 4th grade students study concepts related to energy and learn that all fuels used to meet our continuously growing energy demand are derived from natural resources. Consequently, the production and usage of some energy resources adds more carbon dioxide to Earth’s atmosphere. Students are just beginning to develop an understanding of how human activities can impact the Earth and result in either positive or negative consequences.
Unit plans for Grades K-2 and 3-5 are a regular feature of …
Unit plans for Grades K-2 and 3-5 are a regular feature of the magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle. The plans draw on articles and resources in a themed issue and are aligned with national science and language arts standards. This unit is designed to provide elementary students with the opportunity to investigate how the annual rings in trees help scientists learn about past climates. It uses hands-on experiences and nonfiction text to answer the unit question: How do trees help scientists learn about the past?
In this video segment adapted from the International Institute for Sustainable Development, …
In this video segment adapted from the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Inuit observers describe how their traditional understanding of weather patterns is being challenged by unpredictable weather behaviors.
Learning Assistants are used to facilitate student discussion in peer instruction during …
Learning Assistants are used to facilitate student discussion in peer instruction during clicker questions (i.e., classroom response systems), by asking Socratic questions, emphasizing reasoning, and probing student thinking.
This nature journaling unit is intended for use in an upper division …
This nature journaling unit is intended for use in an upper division early childhood education science and environment methods course; and will occur in three steps, likely during three consecutive class periods. The intention of this learning sequence is to prepare early childhood pre-service educators to implement nature journaling experiences in order to facilitate emergent cycles of inquiry that will extend theory build and wonder in young children. First the pre-service educators will learn about nature journaling, how to engage with the practice themselves, and how to facilitate nature journaling with young children. Then, through a series of nature journaling practice activities, the pre-service educators will engage in their own nature journaling practice as it connects to the broader early childhood science question of ecological perspective taking and participation with nature. Finally, they will explore how to facilitate and observe children’s nature journaling practice, and how to utilize the questions that emerge from this recurrent practice in cycles of inquiry planning.
This activity is a field investigation where students will compare the biodiversity …
This activity is a field investigation where students will compare the biodiversity of two separate habitats based on the collection and identification of insects.
In this lesson designed to enhance literacy skills, students examine our growing …
In this lesson designed to enhance literacy skills, students examine our growing waste problem and learn about strategies we can use to lessen the strain on our landfills and Earth's natural resources: reduce, reuse, recycle.
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