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!

In small groups, students experiment and observe the similarities and differences between human-made objects and objects from nature. They compare the function and structure of hollow bones with drinking straws, bird beaks, tool pliers, bat wings and airplane wings. Observations are recorded in a compare & contrast chart, and then shared in a classroom discussion, along with follow up assessment activities such as journal writing and Venn diagrams.

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 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!

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

This template was created to support lesson planning with equity in mind. This template provides both a unit overview and daily learning plan. Remix this template to get started planning your next lesson that supports equitable and engaged learning! Learn more: https://wlresources.dpi.wi.gov/hubs/engaged

The "Dairy Products in Wisconsin" unit for high school English Language Learners focuses on enhancing various linguistic skills through practical and engaging activities. I created this slideshow as a daily launch for mini-lessons in ag-themed language activities for my students in Food Science learning English as an additional language.

Dane County's abundant surface water resources are monitored and assessed primarily by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). Major streams and lakes are classified into categories based on the aquatic organisms present. These classifications provide an indication of water quality and fishery conditions.

Agricultural and urban land uses contribute to nutrient rich runoff reaching surface waters. Impervious surfaces and removal of wetlands also increases the flow of stormwater to local waterways. Explore issues facing our surface water and see maps of degraded water resources.

Effective water quality planning depends on long-term assessment and monitoring. The Capital Area Regional Planning Commission uses long-term datasets to evaluate regional trends.

Learn about practices meant to protect the region's streams, shorelands, and lakes.

Dane County
Land and Water Resources Viewer: An interactive county map showing watershed boundaries, thermally sensitive areas, cold water communities and more.

This exercise will help you understand where your water comes from, where it goes when it goes down the drain and how the ways you use water affect the environment. To complete this exercise, you will need to take a close look at things around your home and do some research (both online and by asking members of your family for help).

This exercise is designed to show how each member of your family uses water in the bathroom. The bathroom is a small room where many of us waste a HUGE amount of water! Using this worksheet, you will learn to calculate each family member’s average daily water use (about how much they use each day) for the bathroom sink, the shower, the bathtub and the toilet. Follow the instructions below to calculate each person’s average daily water use.

This resource is a lesson plan where students will role play and debate using a guided 5 sections script where students will explain their own opinion about deforestation and how the rainforests should be managed.

In this lesson, students learn how coal is used and mined, then simulate the mining process and its impacts on the earth by attempting to remove chocolate chips from a cookie without destroying it. Includes a teacher guide and step-by-step instructions.