Utilizing the Lake Superior watershed and the St. Louis River as a foundation for learning
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.
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.
The emphasis on reading and understanding informational texts in classrooms mirrors our efforts in science at the Lake Superior NERR. These readings are based on real scientific efforts in the Lake Superior Watershed, and include questions to check for understanding. This reading on vernal pools is great for springtime and is derived from an article in the Duluth News Tribune, April 2016. The curriculum download is a PDF version of this reader.
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.
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.