These handouts accompany the 5th Grade Rain Garden Design Challenge Lesson Plan. The handouts give criteria for identifying areas of erosion and non-point source pollution entering waterways on school property, slope and soil suitability criteria for situating the rain garden, and data collection procedures for phosphate testing. The handouts also include guidelines and criteria for the final poster presentation design and Claim-Evidence-Reasoning, as well as rubrics for scoring and guidelines for peer feedback.

This lesson engages 5th grade students in identifying areas of erosion and non-point source pollution entering waterways on school property, making a claim on the most suitable site to locate a rain garden by conducting field tests on slope and soil type, and testing
for the presence of phosphates in waterways on school forest property. Students then compete in a rain garden design challenge using their data to create a poster presentation, including a map and claim evidence reasoning, for the best rain garden design plan, scored using a rubric.

You work for ScienceSpeak, a public relations firm that educates the public about scientific issues. Your company has won a contract with the World Health Organization (WHO) to supply materials for their new multimedia public health campaign about climate change. The WHO is specifically interested in the relationship between climate change and the increasing prevalence of allergies and asthma worldwide.
Your boss calls a meeting to discuss the contract. She gives you a set of Data Tables prepared for you by two expert scientists that summarize recent evidence on the effects of increasing carbon dioxide and temperature on allergenic plants. Your job is to design and produce a communication product such as a brochure, poster, web page, or television program that informs the public about potential links between climate change and allergies.

Through a series of three learning experiences, taking place across multiple weeks, students will participate in inquiry-based learning about the county in which they live and learn. Students will write informative pieces to teach others about the natural and cultural communities of Adams County.

This animated video distinguishes the roles of mitigation and adaptation in responding to climate change. The video offers examples of actions that humans can take as individuals and a society to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change on natural and built environments

This is a resource to classify different animal species.  See pictures and facts about animals around the world.  Search specific landscapes and animal types.

Through spatial and graphical analysis of bird populations on a fictional island, students learn the meaning of biodiversity, species richness, endemism, and abundance. With the teacher acting as a facilitator, students use an interactive PDF map to explore various ways to represent and compare biodiversity across ecoregions. Students manipulate information layers to identify, describe, compare and graph bird distribution patterns in the island's different ecoregions. Rather than being given a list of vocabulary words, students grapple with the material to discover the meaning of these words and concepts. Through this experiential process, they combine the newly acquired terminology with complementary skills to evaluate and communicate their findings on bird biodiversity. This lesson prepares students for the more complex use of spatial and graphical analysis in our GIS-based Amazon unit.

Students will investigate bird adaptations first-hand by rotating through a series of feeding stations. Using a tool that simulates one style of bird beak, they will learn how adaptations connect birds to certain habitats and behaviors.

This video follows John Kotar through the 2010 American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race from Cable to Hayward, WI. Having skied every 'Birkie' since it started in 1973, John shares his experience and how the race is being threatened by climate change

Wild edible, medicinal and poisonous plants are an ideal way to connect students to the natural world just outside their door. In this unit, students will be able to identify edible, medicinal and poisonous plants using guide books and plotting them on the Siftr app. Using the collected edibles, students will then follow a procedural text to create food from their wild edibles. Students will then create recipes on their own based on a wild edible of their choice to create community cookbooks.

Climate expert Richard Alley of Penn State adds perspective on how our activities can make a difference as our planet warms.

Through this interactive, hands-on lesson, students will read and gain an understanding of Aldo Leopold’s essay, “Come High Water”. This lesson is best taught in April or around Earth Day when students may be doing a trash cleanup project. If students are cleaning up or exploring near a river, even better!

This template is to be used in the Connect, Explore, Engage professional learning series. Sign into WISELearn to create your own copy of this resource and update the template and this abstract.

This template is to be used in the Connect, Explore, Engage professional learning series. Sign into WISELearn to create your own copy of this resource and update the template and this abstract.

Phenology is the study of seasonal and cyclical changes in nature. In this Unit, students will follow in the footsteps of Aldo Leopold and his children by closely observing the natural world around them, connecting those observations to the seasonal changes in their landscape, and developing an appreciation for the dedication of scientists like Leopold. They will Connect, Explore, and Engage with nature through poetry writing, technology-assisted exploration, and phenological observations.

John Muir is known as the father of our National Parks. His boyhood was spent in Marquette County, Wisconsin where he found inspiration in the wilderness around him. In this Unit, students will learn about John Muir’s boyhood neighborhood and actively work to preserve it, connect with Muir’s many accomplishments, understand different environmental philosophies, and saunter in nature while observing and reflecting on the world around them. Students will Connect, Explore, and Engage through intentional time in nature, reflective writing, reading inspirational passages by Muir, and using technology to document changes over time.

Contested Places is a Siftr-based activity that engages students in exploring their school, neighborhood, or city as a contested place. You can view and comment on other people's examples or upload your own. 
In this activity your task is to locate places and spaces that are contested. You might ask: How do different people view and use this place? What uses cause conflict? How are these conflicts enacted and resolved? Who has power in this place? Who and what is excluded from this place? You may want to look at how people behave or act in the place, but don't forget to also pay attention to what you don't see.

Two of the most important characteristics of ocean water are its temperature and salinity. Together they help govern the density of seawater, which is a major factor controlling the ocean's vertical movements and layered circulation.

Professor Carter is a theorist/computational scientist first known for her research combining ab initio quantum chemistry with dynamics and kinetics, especially as applied to surface chemistry. Her research into how materials fail due to chemical and mechanical effects led to new insights into how to optimally protect these materials against failure. Her current research is focused entirely on enabling discovery and design of molecules and materials for sustainable energy.

The course provides the technological background of treatment processes applied for production of drinking water. Treatment processes are demonstrated with laboratory experiments.

This template is to be used in the Connect, Explore, Engage professional learning series. Sign into WISELearn to create your own copy of this resource and update the template and this abstract.

This website is a list of threatened & endangered species of Wisconsin.  You will be able to determine how to identify these species and find out about their habitat, breeding, and sounds.

Engineering a Difference follows three teams of engineering students and professional engineers as they work with communities in Ghana, Kenya and Nicaragua to build critical infrastructure. Together, they develop a clean water supply, electricity and a bridge to help these isolated communities thrive. Here are colorful, compelling stories of how engineers make the world a better place.

This collection uses primary sources to environmental preservation in the Progressive Era. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

This video features Elijah Furquan, a spoken word artist in Milwaukee, WI, who describes the effects of extreme heat on his urban community

Kyle Niedfeldt Zenz, a fourth generation farmer in Bangor, WI, is the farm manager at Old Oak Family Farm. Watch as she describes the diverse crops and animals raised on the farm and the challenges they face from climate change, including pests and disease

Are you a dreamer, risk-taker, and experimental mess-maker? Are you interested in new media and how technology can transform learning experiences? If so, we want to talk with you! Visit our website to learn more about the workshops, free educational tools, and teacher fellowships we provide.

Follow Peter Cozad, a fly fishing guide in Viroqua as he explores a few of the many trout streams in southwestern Wisconsin. Learn why fly fishing is important to the economy of the region as well as to him personally, and how it may be threatened by climate change

Marshall Pecore, forest manager for Menominee Tribal Enterprises, describes the forest's economic and cultural value, and the management techniques used in order to sustain it. He identifies invasive species and diseases as a major threat to forest health, a threat that may intensify as Wisconsin's climate warms

In this lesson, students simulate forest succession and disturbances by role-playing trees. Using calculations, students discover how forests are renewable resources.

Students develop an understanding of the maple syrup process from tapping trees to evaporating sap through hands-on experiences.

This lesson plan gives students first-hand experience in analyzing the link between atmospheric temperatures and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations by looking at ice core data spanning hundreds of thousands of years.

GeoClimate is a developing community-based initiative that focuses on the importance of "deep time" for understanding today's climate and climate change. Earth's climate system operates on a continuum of temporal, spatial, and parametric scales. The deep-time geologic record preserves numerous examples of past climate transitions between states more extreme than those recorded in instrumental data, in historical records, or even in Quaternary archives. Critically, some of these transitions show evidence of having been abrupt--a major societal concern in light of the large changes currently occurring in atmospheric CO2 levels, which have now moved beyond the envelope of Quaternary variation, and into the realm of deep time. In this regard, an understanding of the details of large-scale transitions in deep time, and the processes involved in them, is critical to an informed assessment of future climate change.

Through a study of the Central Sand Plains region of Wisconsin, students will participate in learning experiences both in the classroom and outdoors, so that they can recognize and identify natural divisions and forest types within this region. Students will learn how the conditions essential for a native forest community can help us make decisions about what foods grow best in our region. They will write a research piece to compare and contrast the life cycles and structures of two plants, one forest and one garden plant) we have studied.

This Elaborate session allows students to apply what they have learned to new situations. In this session students participate in a selection of activities that focus on science process skills and content understanding. To complete the session, students work independently or with peers to complete an offline activity that reinforces science process skills.

Come aboard with Pilot Randy Hayes on the Isa, a Great Lakes cargo ship carrying steel to the Port of Milwaukee, and explore the impacts of climate change on Great Lakes shipping. Learn how water level and shipping season affect the amount of cargo a ship can carry

When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in the United States after being absent nearly 70 years, the most remarkable "trophic cascade" occurred. What is a trophic cascade and how exactly do wolves change rivers? 
Students will watch this video as an example for how populations can change an ecosystem.

Climate change is affecting the duration of ice cover on Lake Monona in Madison, WI. Learn about the relationship between ice fishing and decreasing ice cover through the eyes of two local ice fishers.

FREE to access discussion forums, events, professional development, and more digital content. Learn to create your own digital learning experiences using NASA visualizations and connect with educators.

In this <1 hr course, you will learn how to use the Siftr mobile tool to create new "fieldwork" activity for your class. Fieldwork activities involve learners observing and documenting their world. Fieldwork activities include citizen science, citizen journalism, citizen ethnography and span both the physical and social sciences.

Through this interactive, hands-on lesson, students will read and gain an understanding of Aldo Leopold’s essay, “January Thaw”. This lesson is best taught in January and/or when animal tracks are present outside.

This curriculum guide provides viewing and extension activities for use with the documentary Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story.

Students will identify a mountain, hill, valley, canyon, plateau, island, lake, river, plain, peninsula, waterfall, and volcano. They will describe landforms and tell how they are formed and change over time. Discovering how landforms were formed in our area and how these landforms have changed over time. Types of landforms we have in our area.This is a unit for second grade landforms. It will culminate in a visit to Roche A Cri State Park.

The virtual lab includes four modules that investigate different concepts in evolutionary biology, including adaptation, convergent evolution, phylogenetic analysis, reproductive isolation, and speciation. Each module involves data collection, calculations, analysis and answering questions. The “Educators” tab includes lists of key concepts and learning objectives and detailed suggestions for incorporating the lab in your instruction.

It is appropriate for students in high school biology and environmental science classes, and undergraduate biology, ecology, environmental science courses. The focus on observation, measurement, and experimental methods makes the lab a good fit for addressing "science as a process" or "nature of science" aspects of the curriculum. The emphasis on the collection, analysis, and graphing of data, connects to the mathematical dimension of biology and general goals of STEM integration.

In this activity, students will learn about different measures of biodiversity: richness, Shannon diversity index, and evenness. Students will begin by calculating these indices by hand using a very small sample data set. Students will then read an overview of the Northern Lakes and Forests and Southern Wisconsin Till Plains, two different Wisconsin ecoregions, and use Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel to calculate and compare biodiversity from a Snapshot Wisconsin database

An introduction to the Unit, including timeline, a game, and ground rules. This class is where the students begin a foundation for learning the entire unit. They will make a sketchbook to hold the knowledge gained throughout the entire two weeks of the unit. They will take ownership over their time spent through the development of a timeline for completion.

Students will identify a specific plant used for dye. They will learn the proper method and prayers in the Menominee language for collecting plants for use in creating the dyes.

Students will learn the batik process using dyes from the plants they have collected. They will learn where Batik originated and the cultural ways of the Javanese people. 

Students will present what they have learned about their plants, prayer, the Menominee language, and the traditional uses of plants by the Menominee people.

Students spend one week in a “trash-can-less” classroom in order to observe the impact the trash build up has on the environment of the classroom. Students have daily discussions to reflect on the amount of trash building up each day and what impact they think the additional trash build up has on the class as a whole. On the final day, discussion focuses on ways students could have produced less trash over the course of the week. Student work in small groups to develop a poster that shows at least three ways they could reduce the amount of trash in the classroom.

On Sept. 23, 2008, three leading experts from academia and industry hosted a panel discussion at the National Science Foundation (NSF) to highlight how far researchers have come, and how far they still need to go, to bring plant-derived gasoline to market. This is the webcast of the green gasoline briefing.

NSF and Dr. Subra Suresh welcome two ambassadors to a workshop for NSF RAPID grantees. Remarks from the ambassadors of New Zealand and Japan will open the Feb. 9 -10 NSF workshop on investigations concerning the recent earthquakes and ensuing tsunamis that deeply affected their countries.

An essential title for the upper elementary classroom, "Native People of Wisconsin" fills the need for accurate and authentic teaching materials about Wisconsin's Indian Nations. Based on her research for her award-winning title for adults, "Indian Nations of Wisconsin: Histories of Endurance and Survival," author Patty Loew has tailored this book specifically for young readers.

"Native People of Wisconsin" tells the stories of the twelve Native Nations in Wisconsin, including the Native people's incredible resilience despite rapid change and the impact of European arrivals on Native culture. Young readers will become familiar with the unique cultural traditions, tribal history, and life today for each nation.

Complete with maps, illustrations, and a detailed glossary of terms, this highly anticipated new edition includes two new chapters on the Brothertown Indian Nation and urban Indians, as well as updates on each tribe's current history and new profiles of outstanding young people from every nation.

Also Available, Native People of Wisconsin Teachers Guide: https://wisconsinfirstnations.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Native-People-of-Wisconsin.pdf

Nina Leopold Bradley recounts how she learned as a child to record first flower blooms and the arrival of birds on her family's land along the Wisconsin River. She introduces the practice of phenology, or the study of the timing of life cycles of plants and animals, and explores evidence of climate change from records her family has kept since 1935

Play this interactive to learn how changing conditions in soil may affect the carbon cycle. Like all aspects of our environment, soil is part of our planet's complex and dynamic energy cycles, including the carbon cycle. Carbon's movement through the environment modifies the temperature of our atmosphere and oceans, provides the structure and fuel for all living organisms, and contributes significantly to the living skin of our earth. This investigation of soil's role in the carbon cycle illustrates the importance of soil to our ecosystems, and demonstrates how human interactions with soil may affect the carbon cycle.

Follow Kat Becker and Tony Shultz, third generation maple syrup producers in Athens, WI, through a day of sugaring. Kat and Tony describe the process of collecting and boiling down sap to produce maple syrup. They explore how specific weather conditions are necessary for the process and how those conditions may be impacted by climate change

"Then and Now," helps students to visualize the affects of human development on wildlife. How do human settlements (parking lots, apartment buildings, etc.) influence wildlife habitat and populations? What are the effects of man-made structures on native and non-native species? These questions are explored by interpreting aerial photographs and related information sources in an attempt to uncover some of the correlations between changes in habitat and types of wildlife.

CO2 video "Trends in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide" from NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory. Demonstrates the change in atmospheric carbon dioxide in an animated and annotated graph.

Video is found on NOAA's ESRL Global Monitoring page (https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/history.html), which also includes data points from Mauna Loa, Hawaii, global data, and an imbedded video demonstrating CO2 emissions.

On the shore of Lake Winnebago, Joan Schadewald tells how the Brothertown Indians unknowingly gave up their tribal recognition status and have been working for 30 years to have it restored. An amalgamation of tribes that were forced from the East Coast to Indiana and then Wisconsin, the Brothertown cling determinedly to their Indian heritage.

By the banks of the Lemonweir River in what for ages had been Ho-Chunk territory, Andy Thundercloud shares the oral tradition of his people. Thundercloud tells of a traveling people who migrated across the land to become many different tribes, of the importance of maintaining the traditional language, and of the wonderful way of life he has known.