fourth grade cultivating genius framework with science: How does transferring energy affect out health?

This is lesson two for a fourth grade energy unit. The set  of  three lessons explores the effects of coal fire power plants in Chicago and the community action generated to close the plants. Identity can be defined as a  question of who you are, who others say you are and who you desire to be. Criticality is the capacity and ability to read, write, think, and speak in ways to understand power and equity in order to understand and promote anti-oppression. 

Material Type: Lesson

Author: The genius group from Madison Wisconsin

The integration of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in a Virtual Environment

Social Emotional Learning in Virtual classroom focuses on integrating three main routines to support SEL in a virtual classroom The three routines are check-in, community building, and mindfulness.  The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines social-emotional learning (SEL) as “an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.”

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Other, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Authors: Victoria Rydberg-Nania, Randa Suleiman

2nd Grade Unit on Seed Dispersal, Plant Life Cycles and Pollination

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.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Diagram/Illustration, Formative Assessment, Interactive, Interim/Summative Assessment, Learning Task, Lesson, Lesson Plan, Module, Unit of Study

Authors: Amy Workman, Stacy Stecker

Survival and Adaptation of Plants and Animals

In this lesson, students learn how adaptations, limiting factors, and predator prey relationships all affect the survival of plants and animals. Predator-prey relationships are simulated in two games, where students record their experiences and display data in story and chart/graph form, and explore the adaptations of animals in terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Extension activities include habitat investigations in natural areas.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Formative Assessment, Learning Task

Authors: Alison DeBaufer, Amy Workman, Rachel Burkel

Plant Growth, Plant Families, and Plant Problems and Solutions - 1st grade

Students will compare and contrast adult plants and seedlings/young plants using pictures, journaling, growing plants in the classroom and comparing experimental plant growth with natural plant growth to learn why plants survive and where.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Formative Assessment, Game, Interim/Summative Assessment, Learning Task, Lesson, Rubric/Scoring Guide, Unit of Study

Authors: Amy Workman, Becky Colwell

Grade 2 Cultivating Genius/Science: "How do seeds get planted in nature?"

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.

Material Type: Lesson

Author: The genius group from Madison Wisconsin

Kinder Cultivating Genius framework science "What do plants need to survive?"

This lesson is for kindergarteners as they study the needs for survival of plants and animals. The students gather information about an invasive species that changes the soil so that plants have a more difficult time getting nutrients. They learn what they can do to help in preventing the spread of these species.  Pursuits addressed: Identity: This lesson addressed the 'who you desire to be' part of Identity. The scientist that is spotllighted in this video is a non-traditional scientist who is African and studies worms. Students who are of African descent or African American and any student who may feel that the doors to science careers may be closed to them due to the color of their skin, may feel encouraged by this video to nurture the possibility of being a scientist. The fact that this scientist studies something that many students may be interested in may foster new ideas that scientists can be people who spend a lot of time outdoors looking at interesting things. Intelligence: This lesson gives students real-world knowledge and some tools to make a difference in their community with this knowledge. It has immediate implications in the students' lives. 

Material Type: Lesson

Author: The genius group from Madison Wisconsin

Second grade cultivating genius and science "How do plants get light?"

DQ: How do plants get lightThis is a lesson that can be used with second grade science around the time or before the students conduct the investigation on whether plants need light to survive. The students will learn to work collaboratively and trust their own experiences about plants and engage in a modeling activity. This lesson has been edited to add the Cultivating Genius Framework by Gholdy Muhammad to the lesson. Pursuits addressed : Intellectuality, skills  

Material Type: Lesson

Author: The genius group from Madison Wisconsin

fourth grade lesson 3 Cultivating Genius Framework science: How does transferring energy affect our health?

This is lesson three for fourth grade on energy and  the community effects of coal power plants in Chicago and the community action that ensued.Pursuits addressed Criticality: The capacity and ability to read, write, think, and speak in ways to understand power and equity in order to understand and promote anti-oppression. joy: This is important because as you are struggling with ending and easing oppression, there is joy in coming together and creating change as a community.

Material Type: Lesson

Author: The genius group from Madison Wisconsin

Third grade Cultivating Genius Framework science "How is conserving monarchs important to the preservation of the culture of Mexico? "

Details: This lesson can be added to the study of the life cycle of the monarch butterfly, specifically when the children are learning about monarch migration. It is suggested to use this lesson after Monarch Butterflies Lesson 1. Pursuits: Identity is questioning who you are, how others see you and who you want to become. Students will learn about each other and further define their own identities in relation to their culture, their families and their culture. Skills are writing, collaborating with others, and reading informational texts Criticality: Students are deepening their understanding of the intersections of a group's culture with the economic and land-use expectations of the economic powers of the world. In this case the people in the lesson chose to follow their traditions and culture  over these expectations and found an alternative path to support themselves economically. 

Material Type: Lesson

Author: The genius group from Madison Wisconsin

Morning Glory Cloud Formation

This is an inquiry-based video with questions to get students to think about cloud formation and convection winds. This particular phenomenon is morning glory cloud formation. Students are prompted to think about weather patterns, how clouds form, how land and water effect cloud formation. Use to begin a lesson on clouds.

Material Type: Other

Author: Mary Maderich

National Parks from Space

America's geoheritage arises from the features, landforms, and landscapes characteristic of the United States. These locations are valued for many reasons, including significant scientific, educational, cultural, aesthetic, and recreational purposes. They are conserved so that their lessons and beauty will remain as a legacy for future generations.* The places stewarded by the U.S. National Park Service hold many stories about our shared geoheritage. There is a national park within a day's drive of most communities in the U.S. where you can connect in person with the land and stories that shaped the character of our nation. You can also experience these parks in another way - from space. On this DVD you can visit over 60 national parks from the vantage point of space and read articles selected from NASA's Earth Observatory website describing how satellite observations can help people better understand our geoheritage. Space-based views provide useful information on natural processes and human impacts affecting the Earth's surface within and outside of protected areas. For example, landscape changes caused by shifting vegetation types (Great Smoky Mountains), rainfall (Death Valley), glacial retreat (Glacier Bay), fire (Tallgrass Prairie) and climate change can all be observed from space.

Material Type: Interactive

Authors: EOS Project Science Office, NASA

Florida Red Tide Event

Florida is experiencing mass fish kills and disrupting Florida shoreline. The Red Tide has become more prevalent and hanging on longer.This is an inquiry-based 2018 video with questions to get the students to think about the worst red tides in years. The Red Tide is disrupting the Florida coastal ecosystem. Changes in the weather are making changes near the sea shore.

Material Type: Homework/Assignment

Author: Brenda L Jurek

Interactive Map of Earth's History

A new interactive map created by Ian Webster, curator of the internet's largest dinosaur database, places our planet's ever-shifting surface into stark relief. Using plate tectonics and paleogeographic maps by C.R. Scotese of the PALEOMAP Project, Webster's map can show you how the earth under your current address changed over the course of some 750 million years.

Material Type: Interactive

Author: Daniel Rye

Digging in to Food Security: Soil Studies

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. 

Material Type: Unit of Study

Authors: Sandy Benton, Ty Natzke

Domesticated and Wild Animals: Sights and Sounds

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. 

Material Type: Unit of Study

Authors: Sandy Benton, Amber Koski

Imagine Nature

This showcase of digital broadsides is devoted to nature poets and their work. Imagine Nature explores the convergence of poetry, graphic arts, and the technology of the Internet. Along with the text of the poem, some broadsides includes an audio reading (often by the author), photographs or original artwork, related nature sounds, or videos. The featured works include: "The Snakes of September" by Stanley Kunitz| "Sleeping In the Forest" by Mary Oliver| "St. Francis and the Sow" by Galway Kinnell| "For Luis" by Michael McClure| "The Butterfly Obtains" by Emily Dickinson| "Little Cosmic Dust Poem" by John Haines|"Sitting by a Swamp" by David Wagoner.

Material Type: Reading

Is That Natural?

Students will brainstorm ways that they use and waste natural resources. Also, they will respond to some facts about population growth and how people use petroleum. Lastly, students will consider the different ways that engineers interact with and use our natural resources.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Amy Kolenbrander, Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,, Janet Yowell, Jessica Todd, Malinda Schaefer Zarske

Naturally Speaking

In this lesson, students will identify the Earth's natural resources and classify them as renewable or non-renewable. They will simulate the distribution of resources and discuss the fairness and effectiveness of the distribution. Students will identify ways that they use and waste natural resources, and they will explore ways that engineers interact with natural resources.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

Authors: Amy Kolenbrander, Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,, Janet Yowell, Jessica Todd, Malinda Schaefer Zarske

Nature and the Earth

Students brainstorm ways that they use — and waste — natural resources. Also, they respond to some facts about population growth and how people use petroleum. Lastly, students consider the different ways that engineers interact with and use our natural resources. Also meet Dustin Madden, an Iñupiaq and assistant science teacher in the Anchorage, Alaska, school district, in this video profile produced by WGBH. Madden explains the importance of developing a strong background in science and math in order to help preserve and protect the environment. He also discusses how his cultural upbringing has influenced him, and how he tries to reach out to students who have grown up in rural Alaska.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: PBS Learning Media, TeachEngineering