Utilizing the Lake Superior watershed and the St. Louis River as a foundation for learning
In this lesson, students do a field study on the great variety of seeds on their school grounds. They use the "wool sock" collection method, hand lenses, and microscopes. The main line of inquiry is "How are seeds dispersed?", but opportunities abound for lesson extension. The curriculum download is a PDF that includes the lesson plan and student data collection sheet. The supporting file is a PDF document about seed dispersal from Cornell University.
The attachments below are a "student copy" and a "teacher copy" of a guide to each exhibit at the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth, MN. One purpose of this resource is as a school research project kick-off for students and their teacher. Another is developing a teaching unit, using student inquiry as your guide. This resource may also be used for digging in deeper to the exhibits through teacher-guided discussion, partner-group discussion, or individual reflection. The curriculum download is a PDF of the 'teacher copy'. The supporting file is a PDF of the 'student copy'.
This lesson will help inform students about abstracts, backgrounds, methods, and conclusions that are written for informational papers and posters in order to present research conducted. Students will practice writing their own components after learning what is required for each component. This will help them in understanding how science is presented as well as practice writing skills they can use in the future. The curriculum download is a PDF is a lesson plan for this activity that includes student resources and writing sheets. The supporting file is a PowerPoint slideshow to support the lesson plan.
Attached is a short lesson with data and graphs (for students to compare since the X axis aligns). This is data from the Nemadji River for river flow as well as corresponding rainfall. This will compare baseline data with the flood data from 2012. Includes worksheet to guide students through the analysis. The curriculum download is a PDF including the lesson plan and data set. The supporting file is the student worksheet.
The curriculum download is a PDF document that will help your students explore bathymetric maps of the Great Lakes! There are a few instructions on how to get things set up for the students to explore (it's easy, I promise!) but after that the students can explore the Great Lakes.
Attached is a student copy and teacher copy of a short assignment students can do to understand how to (and where to) enter data in a data table. There are five "journal entries" from two "scientists" that are studying Otter River. Students will use the journal entries to enter data into the table at the bottom of the page. Curriculum download is a PDF student copy of the worksheet. Supporting File is a PDF teacher copy of the worksheet.
Sometimes students struggle with understanding where data should go on a table. The attached cards have a date or a date and a measurement. Students should learn that the units are important because it shows us what measurement it is and that we can't just put the data anywhere. If we take data on a Friday, it shouldn't go on Wednesday's row. This game helps students learn about recording data and the importance of units. The curriculum download is the PDF lesson plan for this activity. The supporting file is the data table and cards with a date or a date and a measurement in PDF format.
These maps are great resources and go with the Geology Unit Lesson Plan curriculum. Curriculum download is a PDF infographic about Wisconsin's geologic past. The Supporting File download is a PDF map showing the composition of Wisconsin's bedrock.
This lesson gives a small introduction to dissolved oxygen. The Reserve has the equipment needed for the lesson. The Curriculum download is a PDF document of the lesson plan. The Supporting File is an informational packet for students in PDF form.
Spring has arrived! Here are some questions to get the discussion going about what is happening right outside the classroom!! The curriculum download is a PDF with a variety of seasonally relevant images and questions.