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.

In this short unit of study, kindergarten students will learn about adaptations and behaviors that both domesticated and wild animals implement to protect themselves and their young.  This unit is a series of 3 video lessons and 2 field-based lessons.

Modified 5E lesson plan to match the CEE inquiry model of the ELS of WI.

The resources and project outline are the collaborative efforts of the Chain Exploration Center Grades 5 & 6 teachers and a FIELD Edventures educator. The goals of the project were for students to take civic action on environmental issues of local importance. Additionally, the teachers wanted students to become familiar with the four habitat areas, and observable species present in each area.  It was decided that conducting a bioblitz across 4 days–one in each area–would provide students with data that would be the basis for individual and small group investigative questions, issue definition and investigation, and a proposal for conservation, protection, and/or restoration of natural resources, habitats, or species of Wisconsin. Students then presented their proposals to their state senator in a visit to the Wisconsin State Capitol.

The Boston School Forest is a field trip destination for 6,000 students each year providing high quality outdoor environmental education programs that expand and authenticate classroom learning. Science education in our district is transitioning to provide greater opportunity for inquiry, and teachers are now searching for resources that can be used in either face-to-face or e-learning formats. The Backyard Habitat Series focuses on connecting kids to an outdoor place through use of sensory observation, exploring the natural features and animals, and engaging in the improvement of habitat for neighborhood wildlife species. Classroom teachers, preservice teachers, and families will discover straightforward instructions, few materials or background knowledge required, and a format that is easily adaptable to the e-learning environment.

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.

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.

Students will research the life cycle, characteristics, and behavior of the Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis). They will regularly monitor Eastern Bluebird nestboxes and collect data using the Siftr app and may choose to report the data to BRAW (Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin). The data and observations can be used in various ongoing inquiry and research activities.

This resource is an action plan that includes inquiry, exploratory activities, discussion, and application. It is intended to familiarize preservice teachers with the three interconnected strands of the Wisconsin Standards for Environmental Literacy and Sustainability including: Connect, Explore, and Engage. This plan will allow preservice teachers to identify and integrate the standards associated with Connect, Explore, and Engage and implement the standards.

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.

Students will read and discuss the legends of three inseparable sisters, corn, bean, and squash, who only grow and thrive together. This relates to the tradition of interplanting corn, beans, and squash in the same mounds, which is widespread among Native American farming societies. It is a sustainable system that provided long-term soil fertility and a healthy diet for generations. The students will also develop an understanding of symbiotic relationships found between organisms living in the same ecosystems.

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.

This online learning module guides educators through an introduction to systems thinking and mental models. Systems-thinking skills are integrated into Wisconsin Standards for Environmental Literacy & Sustainability. The ability to examine and respond to new information is critical to prepare students to understand, analyze, and address the major environmental and sustainability challenges facing Wisconsin, the United States, and the planet.

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.

Using a weekly assessment to link environmental studies content to an ELS standard.

This activity uses the reading, A Cool Connection (as a short story or one act play), to increase student understanding of how electrical power gets to their home and to introduce the connections between environmental problems and personal consumption. The storyline revolves around a group of high school students seeking relief from a heatwave while planning activities for their Ecology Club.

Topics introduced and assessed:
• The steps needed to move electrical power from where it is produced to where it is consumed
• The environmental costs of energy production
• The social costs of not meeting electrical demand

What follows is a collection of lessons on soils that supported a larger inquiry-based project by 7th and 8th grade students on food security in the Waupaca area community. The project was designed to be implemented using the large community garden as a context for learning. This community garden is a showcase feature of the Chain Exploration Center, a 4K-8 school, and, through the efforts of students, teachers, families, and community volunteers, has grown, and donated, a staggering amount of fresh produce for local food pantries. Students of the Chain of Exploration Center were fortunate to work with the nutrient management specialist of the Land and Water Conservation Office of Waupaca County for soil sampling and analysis. This community member provided soil probes and the expertise in collection of samples. He also sent the samples on to the lab and assisted in the interpretation of the results. 

In this short unit of study, four-year-old kindergarten students learn to differentiate and identify common domesticated animals and local wild animals by sight and sound. This unit is a series of 3 video lessons and 2 field-based lessons.