Local nature educators are working together to position hands-on learning in nature as a strong approach to meeting NGSS. Monthly half-day workshops have been held in the past two years on the different components, taught by SDSU science education professor Meredith Vaughn and attended by more than 120 nature educators from 60 organizations (about one-third attended five or more workshops). Co-sponsors are the SDCOE, CREEC, SDSU, and SD Children and Nature Collaborative.
Work groups and a steering committee have been established to develop locally-relevant nature lesson resources that include guidance for field trips and pre- and post-field trip activities to enhance the teachers' and students' preparedness for the field trips. The following are currently being drafted:
Grade 3: 3-LS4C. Adaptation and 3-LS4D. Biodiversity
Grade 4: 4-ESS2-1. Earth materials (weathering and erosion)
Grade 5: 5-LS2-1. Ecosystems (matter and energy)
Grades 6-8: MS-ESS3-5 Human Impacts (climate change)
If you want to pilot these lessons in your classroom this fall please contact Crystal at
crystal@creec.org. We are looking forward to having teachers try out these lessons to help make our field trip and in class nature experiences more relevant to our students!
