Author: The Genius Group of MadisonGrade Level: fourth/fifthContent Area(s): Social studies, First Nations history, literacy, environmental literacyContext: Students will learn about the American Indian Movement in the United States. The unit is divided into three sections in which primary source images and texts drive inquiry and understanding of this time in history. A slide deck featuring these sources is used in each of the three sections.Section One is a learning provocation with opportunites for rich discussion and wonderings.Section Two is history of the AIM protests and demands, with extra attention to the environment issues revealed.Section Three is for further study, some supplemental resources to investigate the Embridge pipeline dispute with Ojibwe BadRiver Tribe and the history of protests in northern Wisconsin about treaty rights regarding spearfishing.

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.

Lesson plans and ideas for recognizing people that work in the forestry and environmental fields .

Students take part in a role-playing game about the Florida panther to help them understand the complexity of the issues surrounding species, habitat conservation and human interests.

Objectives
Students will (1) learn to recognize their everyday decisions have an impact on the environment and (2)
come to understand why clean air, land and water is important. Students will (3) learn about how they can
help the environment at home and school and (4) how industry is doing its part to help prevent pollution.
They will also learn how to (5) become good stewards of their environment and (6) how they can make a
difference at home and in their community.

he LEAF Wisconsin K-12 Forestry Lesson Guide includes complete interdisciplinary units for teaching students about forests and forestry in Wisconsin.
Subject areas addressed in the lessons include Arts, English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. The Wisconsin Model Academic Standards and H. Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory were referenced during the development of the guide. The LEAF Lesson Guide is based on principles outlined in the LEAF Conceptual Guide To K-12 Forestry Education in Wisconsin.

Unit-Based Lessons The unit-based lessons are divided by grade levels: K-1, 2-3, 4, 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12. Lessons build upon one another to provide connectivity in the students' educational experience. When taught as a unit, these lessons provide students a well-rounded understanding of forestry in Wisconsin. You may find that they are also effective when taught individually and integrated with other classroom material. Each lesson includes an introduction, step-by-step procedure for activities, and a conclusion. Formative assessment is woven throughout each lesson. Questions with answers are provided to help teachers follow the level of understanding of students. Summative assessment ideas are listed at the end of each lesson. Suggested activities have students apply what they have learned in a new way.

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.