On February 1, educators gathered at Poulsbo Elementary School on the Kitsap Peninsula. Over the course of the day, groups brainstormed various ways to lead students on a journey through the scientific phenomena in their schoolyards. The workshop began with some free exploration, turning up discoveries about biodiversity, erosion, and stormwater, that were then honed in on to develop whole lessons and units. One team of teachers used a single phenomenon–the phenology of their school green space over the course of a year–to create connected lessons across grade levels. By the end of the day, educators had created story maps to guide their lesson planning, from generating big ideas, to investigating phenomenon, and finally applying Science and Engineering Practices to help students explore their questions about the world.
Elementary Students Tackle Air Pollution in their Schoolyards
Guided by teachers participating in IslandWood’s “Community-Centered Climate Action” teacher professional learning course, students make a change in their school community. At Emerald Heights Elementary, Karrie Coombe and Chantal Fleck’s students took on a global...
