This unit focuses on the diversity of life at Hartje School Forest …
This unit focuses on the diversity of life at Hartje School Forest and centers around NGSS Standards on Ecosystem Interactions, Energy and Dynamics. Field experiences in observing and recording the diversity of life, seed dispersal methods, plant pollination, and plant life cycles will support science disciplinary core ideas, cross-cutting concepts, and hands-on engineering practices.
Storytelling is an important part of traditional Native American culture. It is …
Storytelling is an important part of traditional Native American culture. It is important to remember that some stories can only be told in the Winter out of respect for the names that can only be told when the snow is on the ground. Please use the references shared on this page in accordance with the respectful practice of Winter only storytelling. As always, it is best to have the guidance of an experienced elder and / or storyteller when planning best use in the classroom. This unit blended the use of traditional knowledge with textbook based science concepts to show the interconnection between them. Many traditional stories give an explanation of plant and animal adaptations that have a scientific benefit for the organism.
Through a series of three learning experiences, taking place across multiple weeks, …
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 series of 5 high-quality, standards-aligned, inquiry-based activities have been field-tested by first …
This series of 5 high-quality, standards-aligned, inquiry-based activities have been field-tested by first 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 observation skils. The materials used are ones generally available at home and the activites require little preparation on the part of caregivers.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). Each section of this resource is an individual activity. While each activity builds on the previous ones, it is possible to use them individually.The observation protocol "I Notice, I Wonder, It Reminds Me Of, I Think Maybe" has been adapted from that of the BEETLES Project.The title image was used with permission and is courtesy of Joe Riederer.
The three teachers of the third and fourth grade team joined forces …
The three teachers of the third and fourth grade team joined forces to create these standards-aligned resources. We discussed a middle-school curriculum unit, Birds & Flight, that one of us had written about fifteen years ago regarding using math to study and understand birds in different ways. As a team, we translated some of those concepts into middle-elementary activities.We discussed that the lessons could be taught in any order, but recommend using the Actual Size lesson as a fun capstone project.
This culturally-relevant text set offer different perspectives for students to see as …
This culturally-relevant text set offer different perspectives for students to see as well aswonderful conversation starters. Students learn of different careers within the IndigenousWorld. Some of those careers being: Traditional Seed Keepers, Gardeners, KnowledgeKeepers, Storytellers, and More!Dig your bare feet into the soil and feel those connections to your ancestors, the land, theplants, animals, and all things. We are all connected. Let’s work together and connect our pastto the present, for the future... of learning!
Contested Places is a Siftr-based activity that engages students in exploring their …
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.
This template is to be used in the Connect, Explore, Engage professional …
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.
Context:The teachers facilitate an author study every year among our K-2 unit. This year, …
Context:The teachers facilitate an author study every year among our K-2 unit. This year, we wanted to focus on local authors who have written picture books that address both cultural and environmental literacy. The books included in this unit by Miranda and Baptiste Paul. These texts teach about the water cycle, the life cycle of plants, how our environment impacts our recreation, and how individuals can rally their communities to make improvements in their environment. understanding.About the author: Ned Dorff has been teaching for 20 years. He has taught regular, gifted, special, and alternative education classes. Ned holds a master’s degree in Environmental Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Through a study of the Central Sand Plains region of Wisconsin, students …
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.
Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School has an annual sugarbush within a few …
Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School has an annual sugarbush within a few miles of the school. During the Spring sugarbush season, students are bussed to the site, by class, to do the variety of daily tasks required to successfully produce maple syrup. The LCO middle school students follow the Ojibwe traditions. They hear the traditional stories, learn words and phrases in the Ojibwemowin language, tap trees, collect and boil sap, chop wood and build fires. The students learn about tree identification, photosynthesis, and aging trees using cross sections. They also learn about the importance and uses of Maple trees. The students learn that the environmental conditions needed to make maple syrup are only found in a very small part of the world that includes Wisconsin. The combination of hands-on exploration and culturally - relevant texts personalize the learning experience for this region.
Students will use hands-on models, maps, and the natural landscape to describe …
Students will use hands-on models, maps, and the natural landscape to describe landforms in our area and and develop and understanding of the effects of water and wind on these landforms. Prior to these lessons, students will have had experiences with the use of "I Notice, I Wonder, It Reminds Me Of" protocols as well as field journaling. This is a unit for second grade landforms that culminates in a visit to Roche-A-Cri State Park.
High Marq Environmental Charter School is a project and place based school …
High Marq Environmental Charter School is a project and place based school that serves grades 6-12 in Marquette County, Wisconsin.Each week our students participate in a full day field experience designed to connect, explore and engage with the outdoors. These lessons were all a part of those experiences with the exception of the math language field guide which was part of a math seminar.
NUTSHELL:Â In this lesson, students work in teams and use primary data …
NUTSHELL: In this lesson, students work in teams and use primary data sources, such as weather data and an emergency radio traffic log, to investigate the Cottonville Fire. Using primary documents such as newspaper articles, students study how the fire was suppressed and evaluate successes and limitations to fighting the fire. To conclude, teams are given post-fire landowner dilemmas to discuss.  BIG IDEAS In Wisconsin, there are two main types of wildland fire – wildfire and prescribed fire. Wildfires start without the intent of the landowner or land manager and are uncontrolled and unwanted. Prescribed fires are contained and are planned to meet the goals of a landowner or land manager.The ignition of wildland fire can be caused by human activity (e.g., debris burning and other outdoor burning, machine sparks, children playing with matches, power lines, fireworks) or natural sources (e.g., lightning, spontaneous combustion). Human activity is responsible for most wildland fires in Wisconsin.Fire requires oxygen, heat, and fuel to exist. Collectively these elements are known as the fire triangle. Under most conditions, the three elements can be manipulated to slow or stop the spread of fire.Fire behavior is influenced by topography, weather, and fuel characteristics. The fire season is determined by seasonal changes in weather and fuel.Wildland fire management has direct and indirect costs and benefits for the economy. Effective wildland fire management requires both financial and human resources.The wildland/urban interface is an area where human structures exist among wildland fuels. As people move into fire prone areas, the potential for ignition of wildland fire increases, and buildings and other human-made objects become a possible fuel source. OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to: Explore the ecologic, economic, and social affects of wildfire.Examine multiple data sources to make predictions and draw conclusions about a natural phenomenon.Discuss how wildfire behaves and the factors that influence this behavior.Analyze wildfire suppression efforts and evaluate challenges in each. SUBJECT AREAS Geography, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies LESSON/ACTIVITY TIME Total Lesson Time: 235 minutesTime Breakdown: Introduction--5 minutes; Activity 1--60 minutes; Activity 2--90 minutes; Activity 3 --40 minutes; Conclusion--40 minutes
Unit Title: Near Nature Exploration Developed by Tiffany Lodholz, High Marq Environmental Charter …
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 activities and one STEM challenge have been …
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 …
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 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 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 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.
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