Savanna Portage: Readers Theater
The Savanna Portage was the crucial link between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Gulf of Mexico. Its discovery and usage created an interesting and important mix of cultures between Native Americans, Voyageurs, fur trading companies, and other explorers. This lesson is a readers theater reenactment of events that may have transpire along the Savanna Portage during the time when Voyageurs and Native American people were first interacting. The curriculum download is a PDF of the plan for this lesson. The supporting file is a ZIP file containing supporting files for this lesson such as PDF character guides and PowerPoint slide shows.
Snow Investigations
Students will observe and investigate the properties of snow and snowflakes as a means to learning about states of matter in this exploratory lesson. The curriculum file is a PDF of the lesson plan.
Snow on the Micro Level
In this newly updated lesson, students will discover the insulating effect of snow and understand that temperature varies according to snow depth. Students will also learn what the subnivean zone is and how it helps animals survive the winter. the curriculum download is a PDF including the lesson plan and student data collection sheet.
Sum of the Rivers
Students will see maps of Lake Superior and the St. Louis River to compare the sizes. Students will then each draw a portion of either the St. Louis River or a river near their school that flows into the St. Louis River or Lake Superior. They will make connections that every part of the river can impact the health of the rest of the river and of Lake Superior. The curriculum download is a PDF lesson plan for this activity. The supporting file is a PDF with a simple outline of Lake Superior.
Visual Aid: Images of Animals in Hibernation
Take this one-page quality visual aid out with you on your late fall or winter hike. Students will love to look for burrows, dens, scratchings, tracks and traces of animals when outside. Have students make burrows or dens using snow, branches, leaves, or bring a tarp - then they will be able to become animals, imagining a shelter in the woods. The curriculum download is a PDF of this visual aid.
Visual Aid: Trees that Keep their Leaves
This is a one-pager, student sheet with quality images of cedar, balsam fir, red pine, spruce, and white pine needles for field identification and extension activities. Have students make a display by gathering specimens, researching, or for smaller students, simply writing the names of the trees by the correct images. Regardless, GO OUTSIDE with your students and collect some samples of these trees for your classroom. Tell the Ojibwe oral story that explains this phenomenon. The curriculum download is a PDF version of the student sheet.
What Happens to Rain After it Falls?
Students will begin to understand the water cycle by exploring one stage of it, runoff/infiltration. The curriculum download is a PDF of the plan for this lesson.
Where does that data go? Game (and outline)
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.
Writing Wild
Students will use the cards to assist them in using words to describe what they see, feel, and smell outside. This will help guide them when they write a descriptive paper. The curriculum download is a PDF including the lesson plan and student writing sheet. The supporting file is a PDF that is a variation of this lesson for younger learners.
