This lesson will ask students to think themselves as 'joy' dispersers, likening themselves to the different ways that seeds are dispersed. They will model both and reflect on how they 'spread' joy. One of the pursuits the people in these black literary societies worked towards was intellectualism. This means that they learn something but what they learned doesn't just sit there. It is used to change things, to see things differently or to get to know others and themselves. Another pursuit was joy. In this lesson, they will discuss how to spread joy from one person to the next so it will grow.

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.