Through the use of culturally-relevant texts in a 3rd and 4th social studiens unit on Menominee history, students took a deep dive into learning about the significance of the Lake Sturgeon. Traditional stories as well as nonfiction pieces from and about the Menominee people, students experienced the interconnectedness of the people and their environment.An summary of student learning experiences as well as a bibliography of texts are included as part of this OER.

Established in the mid-nineteenth century, Native American Boarding schools were created as an attempt to eliminate traditional Native American ways of life and replace them with mainstream American culture. Often forcibly removed from their families, communities, and stripped of their cultural practices, Native American children experienced physical and emotional abuse at the hands of those in control of boarding school operations, resulting in intergenerational trauma. These sources bring users into contact with documents that help give them a sense of what life was like for students who attended Native American boarding schools. These sources also give users an understanding of the national perspective of how Native Americans and their culture were targeted.

Author: Ned Dorff, Teacher, Aldo Leopold Community School, Green Bay Area Public SchoolsUnit Title: Nature Journaling Indoors and Outdoors for the Primary GradesGrade Level: 1st and 2nd gradeContent Area(s): Writing, ScienceStudents learned how to nature journal in the classroom during the late winter and then used our skills to head out into our neighborhood for outdoor journaling experiences. With the aid of an eagle cam, we were able to explore science concepts of life cycles over the period of several months. Our practice indoors also allowed us to transfer knowledge to what we were seeing outside.

Content Area(s):Environmental LiteracyWisconsin Standards for Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Addressed: ELS.C1: Students develop and connect with their sense of place and well-being through observation, exploration, and questioning.Context: Individual children participated in observing nature outside the public library (or online or natural exhibits inside the library). Observation Experiences:1) Daffodils2) Painted Lady Caterpillars and Butterflies3) Tree frogs4) Mosquitoes5) One Square Foot Observations

Unit Title: Near Nature Exploration Developed by Tiffany Lodholz, High Marq Environmental Charter School Grade Level:6-12 Content Area(s): Environmental Science, Science, ELAOver the course of a semester students in grades 6-12 engaged in various nature journaling activities that allowed them to connect, explore, and engage with the environment around them. Students participated in monthly phenological observations, discovered ways to use nature journaling for scientific study, and developed new techniques for looking closer and making deeper, more meaningful observations.A series of five outdoor nature journaling lessons are described:Qualitative PhenologyNature JournalingSAUNTERBug RadnessFrog Fest!

This series of 5 high-quality, standards-aligned, inquiry-based lessons have been field-tested by the 4K students of Wequiock Children's Center for Environmental Science, their teacher and educational assistant. These lessons encourage students to use natural areas around their school as they improve their science and engineering skills as part of a unit on observing changes. Created as a part of a WISELearn OER Innovation project, Connect, Explore, and Engage: Using the Environment as the Context for Science Learning was a collaboration of the Wequiock Children's Center for Environmental Science and the Wisconsin Green Schools Network. One of the goals of the project was to create standards-aligned lessons that utilize the outdoor spaces of the school . These lessons were created to take place during late winter.

This template uses the an inquiry-based approach to learning modified from the BEETLES Learning Cycle. 

This series of 5 high-quality, standards-aligned, inquiry-based activities and one STEM challenge have been field-tested by secong grade students and families of Wequiock Children's Center for Environmental Science during Safer At Home orders. These activities encourage students to use natural areas around their homes and in their neigbhorhoods as they improve their science and engineering skils relating to plant and animals interdependence. Created as a part of a WISELearn OER Innovation project, Connect, Explore, and Engage: Using the Environment as the Context for Science Learning was a collaboration of the Wequiock Children's Center for Environmental Science and the Wisconsin Green Schools Network. One of the goals of the project was to create standards-aligned lessons that utilize the outdoor spaces of the school (as well as those of the students' homes).  These lessons were created to take place during the spring. However, some of the lessons could be conducted during the fall. Cut flowers from a florist may be used in place of ones found living outdoors.The title image was used with permission and is courtesy of Joe Riederer. The observation protocol "I Notice, I Wonder, It Reminds Me Of, I Think Maybe" has been adapted from that of the BEETLES Project.

Context: Our Ancient Roots Homestead collaborates with students, elders, and community members in the surrounding Tribal Nations— both Menominee and Stockbridge Munsee. We recognize all students learning in different ways. Some students join us in person, while others join us virtually. People are invited to tell stories, garden, preserve food, make mystic, create art, and learn different Indigenous life skills. 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: Seed Keepers, Gardeners, Knowledge Keepers, Storytellers and more! Dig your bare feet into the soil and feel those connections to your ancestors, the land, the plants, animals, and all things. We are all connected. Let’s work together and connect our past to the present for the future… of learning!

The following six OERS for grades K-5 are designed for teachers to use the outdoor spaces around their schools for learning with the goals of connecting students with their sense of place and well-being. Together, the six experiences comprise a school-wide mini-unit in which each grade level explore an Investigative Question.  Collectively, each Investigative Question leads the entire student body in considering the Essential Question of the mini-unit.  A school leadership team identified the Wisconsin Standards for Environmental Literacy and Sustainability (ELS) to be addressed at every grade level and developed an Essential Question to be explored.Wisconsin Green Schools Network FIELD coaches provided teachers with an introduction to outdoor, place-based inquiry learning, unpacked ELS, and met with grade level teams to co-create inquiry questions (called Investigative Questions in the lessons that follow) for their students to investigate outside each quarter. These OERs were co-taught with teachers and FIELD coaches and were refined during co-reflection.

The following six OERS for grades K-5 are designed for teachers to use the outdoor spaces around their schools for learning with the goals of connecting students with their sense of place and well-being. Together, the six experiences comprise a school-wide mini-unit in which each grade level explore an Investigative Question.  Collectively, each Investigative Question leads the entire student body in considering the Essential Question of the mini-unit.  A school leadership team identified the Wisconsin Standards for Environmental Literacy and Sustainability (ELS) to be addressed at every grade level and developed an Essential Question to be explored.Wisconsin Green Schools Network FIELD coaches provided teachers with an introduction to outdoor, place-based inquiry learning, unpacked ELS, and met with grade level teams to co-create inquiry questions (called Investigative Questions in the lessons that follow) for their students to investigate outside each quarter. These OERs were co-taught with teachers and FIELD coaches and were refined during co-reflection.

The following six OERS for grades K-5 are designed for teachers to use the outdoor spaces around their schools for learning with the goals of connecting students with their sense of place and well-being. Together, the six experiences comprise a school-wide mini-unit in which each grade level explore an Investigative Question.  Collectively, each Investigative Question leads the entire student body in considering the Essential Question of the mini-unit.  A school leadership team identified the Wisconsin Standards for Environmental Literacy and Sustainability (ELS) to be addressed at every grade level and developed an Essential Question to be explored.Wisconsin Green Schools Network FIELD coaches provided teachers with an introduction to outdoor, place-based inquiry learning, unpacked ELS, and met with grade level teams to co-create inquiry questions (called Investigative Questions in the lessons that follow) for their students to investigate outside each quarter. These OERs were co-taught with teachers and FIELD coaches and were refined during co-reflection.

The following six OERS for grades K-5 are designed for teachers to use the outdoor spaces around their schools for learning with the goals of connecting students with their sense of place and well-being. Together, the six experiences comprise a school-wide mini-unit in which each grade level explore an Investigative Question.  Collectively, each Investigative Question leads the entire student body in considering the Essential Question of the mini-unit.  A school leadership team identified the Wisconsin Standards for Environmental Literacy and Sustainability (ELS) to be addressed at every grade level and developed an Essential Question to be explored.FIELD Edventures educators provided teachers with an introduction to outdoor, place-based inquiry learning, unpacked ELS, and met with grade level teams to co-create inquiry questions (called Investigative Questions in the lessons that follow) for their students to investigate outside each quarter. These OERs were co-taught with teachers and FIELD educators and were refined during co-reflection.

Recording of Feb. 15, 2022 Advancing EL through Culturally-Relevant Text Sets, resources and discussions with participants.

This recording from February 16, 2022 will enable viewers to learn alongside Skylar Primm, advisor and co-lead teacher of High Marq Environmental Charter School, Montello, WI as we explore ways to incorporate phenology studies along with nature journaling for science instruction.

Session 1 Recording of Advancing Environmental Literacy through Culturally Relevant Text Sets. Topics include: Why we need to provide culturally relevant text sets. What is a text? What is a text set? Introduction to the project requirements and use of WISELearn Resource Library.

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.

The is the recording of the online collaboration of the BEETLES and Nature Journaling WISELearn Group collaboration on March 2, 2022.

Slight shifts in lesson structures can meaningfully engage learners inequitable and culturally-relevant inquiries. Experience instruction in ways that people really learn and share your ideas for implementation. Come prepared with a nature journal or paper, pencils, and colored pencils as you view and participate in these recorded experiences.