Part 4: Inquiry

An Introduction to the World of Discovery….
by Jim Martin, CLEARING guest writer

“We carry with us the wonders we seek without us. There is all
Africa and her prodigies in us; we are that bold and adventurous
part of Nature, which he that studies widely learns in a compendium
what others labor at in a divided piece and endless volume.”

- Sir Thomas Browne
Religio Medici

e are, indeed, the wonders that we seek. To discover them, we must look deep within ourselves, to that part which can reach out to the world and comprehend it. Then release ourselves to know.
Odd, that we must release what’s within us to know what is outside. Traveling within is a process, best taken a step at a time. Enough steps taken, and your teaching will change.

The change flows from a tack in perspective, a paradigm shift, if you will, that presents you with a new, very functional and accessible view of teaching: what it ought to be, what it can be. But, like discovering your inner self, you don’t get there by hearing about it; you have to make the journey yourself.

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This is the fourth installment of “Teaching in the Environment,” a new, regular feature by CLEARING “master teacher” Jim Martin that will explore how environmental educators can help classroom teachers get away from the pressure to teach to the standardized tests, and how teachers can gain the confidence to go into the world outside of their classrooms for a substantial piece of their curricula. See the other installments here.

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ne of my favorite nature quotations comes from the Japanese conservationist Tanaka Shozu who said, “The question of rivers is not a question of rivers, but of the human heart.”

I wanted to touch the hearts of my middle school students with the beauty of nature as well as inspire them to take care of the local environment. I found the perfect spot for a nature experience less than an hour away from our school campus in the Sierra Nevada.

First stop was a shady woodland nature trail. The path twisted and turned as it followed Rock Creek through the pines, oaks, and big leaf maples. I had the students spread out along the trail, leaving about 10-12 feet between one another. They sat in silence for 10 minutes (a long time for some 13-year-olds!) and then wrote a one sentence description of their surroundings. Some wrote about what they saw—green leaves, sparkling sunlight, giant trees reaching into the sky. Others wrote about what they heard—singing birds, and the bubbling creek rushing over rocks, while others focused on how they felt—peaceful, quiet, and calm.

I collected the papers, and we took a short hike to totally different part of the forest—an area that had been recently clearcut of all trees. Tree stumps dotted a barren hillside. Without a canopy of leaves providing shade, the sun blazed down on us. Once again I had the kids spread out, sit by themselves, and write one sentence about the area. Words like desolate, destroyed, dead, sad, emptiness filled their papers.

Gathering in a circle, I collected these papers and read them aloud as if each sentence was a line in a poem. Then I read aloud the “poem” they had written from the nature trail. What a stark contrast in words and feelings!

I didn’t need to give a lecture on the importance of taking care of the forest. The kids “got it” through their direct experience in nature. Their hearts were touched. Their minds were opened. Back in the classroom we explored the hows and whys of forest management, but nothing they learned from our studies came close to having the impact of their personal experience. Experience truly is the BEST teacher.

I was fortunate in that I was able to arrange an all-day field trip. But you can create a high-impact nature experience without traveling far—just step outside the classroom door and try out one of these ideas:

Suggestions from Earth Heroes: Champions of the Wilderness:

• Play “Ten Treasures” by going on a walk around the school grounds and finding ten different plants, insects, birds, or other critters. Use field guides to identify the treasures. This is a great team activity.
• Have each student choose a nearby tree and visit it weekly. Encourage the student to get to know “their” tree in a variety of ways: making bark rubbings, creating a collage of leaves, measuring their tree’s circumference, calculating it’s height, or writing a detailed description of their tree and asking someone find it.
• Place pieces of scrap wood on bare dirt or under bushes around the school. Wait two days and have students work in small groups to lift the boards and count the creatures they find hiding there. Use field guides to identify them.

Play the outdoor game “I am aware of…” from a Teacher’s Guide for How We Know What We Know about Our Changing Climate:

• Divide the class into small groups of 5-8 students. Go outside and have groups form into a circle.
• Going around the circle, each person completes the sentence “I am aware of…” by saying a word or phrase about something they see, hear, smell, or feel. For example, “I am aware of the sunlight sparkling on the pine needles of the tree.” “I am aware of the wind blowing across the grass.” “I am aware of how hot the sun is on my shoulders.” Students continue for several times around the circle. As each student takes a turn, the others pause for a moment to become more aware of what was just mentioned.
• Encourage students to stretch their powers of observation by using all of your senses. To keep everyone’s attention focused, students do not talk unless it’s their turn.
• After playing the game for several minutes, ask each student to choose one of the objects they observed and work independently to write 10 or more descriptive words or phrases about it. If there’s time, they can also sketch their object. When back in the classroom, have students share their descriptions and sketches.

Birds are everywhere. Just look up! Practice these birding tips from The BLUES Go Birding Across America:

• Use binoculars to help you see birds more clearly.
• Observe a bird’s size, shape, and color.
• A field guide’s pictures and descriptions can help you lean about the birds you see.
• The best time to see birds is when they are most active. That’s usually when they are eating.
• Listen to birds’ calls and songs.
• Male birds may be easier to identify than females because they are often brightly colored.
• Don’t disturb birds by getting too close, especially if they have babies.
• Attract birds to the area by putting up a bird feeder and birdbath.

Also I recommend that you look at Sharing Nature with Children and Sharing Nature with Children II by Joseph Cornell. Both of these pioneering books have well-proven activities designed to awaken the enthusiasm of children for nature, focus their attention on some aspect and to experience it directly, as well as to share their inspiration with others.

As an educator for more than 20 years, Carol L. Malnor taught elementary, junior high and high school. She helped found two alternative high schools and created specialty educational programs. She is now a writer. Her books include The BLUES Go Birding Series and Earth Heroes: Champions of the Wilderness and Earth Heroes: Champions of Wild Animals as well as numerous Teacher’s Guides to books published by Dawn Publications. She is also co-author of Molly’s Organic Farm available March, 2012.

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If you want to get through to an 8-year old, find an inspired 16-year old.

That’s what I’ve found in an extraordinary experience I had during the 2009-10 school year in which I trained a group of 16 high school students in Sharing Nature® games. These students, in turn, taught close to 300 elementary and middle school students in California, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii. The results were astounding, as exemplified one day when the elementary teacher told us that her class was one of the most challenging groups of students in the school.

We knew we were the ones going to be tested! We had prepared well, and our program was based on the highly acclaimed Sharing Nature with Children and Sharing Nature with Children II books by Joseph Cornell—groundbreaking books that sparked a worldwide revolution in nature education. Under my guidance, this training gave the high school students the leadership skills, techniques and inspiration needed to effectively guide others in deeper, more meaningful experiences of nature.
Nevertheless, it was very obvious my high schoolers were nervous, to say the least!

The kids were truly like a pack of wild wolves when we arrived, so the high schoolers started with “Owls and Crows,” an activity to awaken their enthusiasm and show them we were going to have fun. By the end of this activity, nothing much had changed in terms of their scattered energy, but at least we could see they were enjoying themselves.

Gradually as more sensitive and calming activities were introduced, a miracle occurred and their wolf like quality began to subside. By the end of the session the overall group energy was completely changed. They were calm, attentive and eager to share their nature experiences. My high school students were completely stunned by the changes they saw occur in their students. It was at this precise moment we saw the power of this training for leader and participant alike.

This program which was launched at the Living Wisdom School, a private school in Nevada City, California. I first led them in direct experiences of nature and then had them develop their own nature sessions which they would share with each other and children at other schools. The high school students were continually inspired by how simple and effective Sharing Nature was in focusing children’s energies and giving them memorable experiences of nature they would never forget. Here is the basic outline of their training:

Awaken Enthusiasm (Sept-Oct)
The class began by first giving the high school students direct experiences that awaken their enthusiasm and love for nature. As Bulwer-Lytton says, “Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm . . . it is the genius of sincerity, and truth accomplishes no victories without it.” These experiences gave them a tangible understanding of what they would be arousing in others. After a few classes of instructing the students in Flow Learning™ and the nature activities, I then hand the class over to them, to practice leading each other in the nature activities.

Supportive Leadership (Nov-Feb)
While in the first part of the class I was the “leader,” now the high school students led. I stayed on the sidelines as they led their classmates (and me) in nature experiences. As Sir Antony Jay said, “The only real training for leadership is leadership.” I supported them and gave tips when I felt they were needed, but mostly I let the students work things out for themselves. By this method they understood things more completely and were able take ownership. I can’t recall a single instance in which I had to discipline or take charge. This approach takes the willful energy that teenagers usually have, and channels it into a positive outlet where they can feel a sense of accomplishment.

Share Experience (March-May)
Now that the students were fully trained and inspired, we went out and shared nature programs with the larger community. As Joseph Cornell says, “sharing clarifies and strengthens our own experiences of nature.” It was during these visits that the high school students were able to see firsthand the effectiveness of Flow Learning and the Sharing Nature activities.

Greg Traymar is the Director of Sharing Nature North America and the Sharing Nature Leadership Team. He can be reached at greg@sharingnature.com and www.sharingnature.com. Thank you to Sandy Philpott of Dawn Publications for sharing this story.

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By Joseph Cornell

Profound moments with nature foster a true and vital understanding of our place in the world. I remember an experience I had as a five-year-old boy that awakened in me a life-long fascination for marshes, birds, and for a life lived wild and free.

I was playing outside on a cold, foggy morning when I suddenly heard a startling chorus of “whouks” coming toward me through the air. I peered intently at the thick fog, hoping for at least a glimpse of the geese. Seconds passed; the tempo of their cries increased. They were going to fly directly overhead! I could hear their wings slapping just yards above me. All of a sudden, bursting through a gap in the fog, came a large flock of pearl-white snow geese. It seemed as if the sky had given birth to them. For five or six wonderful seconds their sleek and graceful forms were visible, then they merged once again into the fog. Seeing the snow geese thrilled me deeply, and ever since then I have wanted to immerse myself in nature.

Being Fully Present

When outdoors, many people are so engrossed in their own private concerns that they spend little time noticing their surroundings. I once demonstrated this to a group of 25 teachers in Canberra, Australia. I asked them to look at a beautiful tree as long as they were able to, and to raise their hands when their attention wandered from the tree and drifted to other thoughts. In only six seconds, every hand was raised. They were amazed to discover how restless their minds were.

Exposure to nature isn’t always enough. A friend of mine discovered this when he took his eight-year-old son hiking in the Canadian Rockies. They hiked for several hours until they came to a spectacular overlook where they could see two glaciated valleys and several alpine lakes.

He said, “That view alone made our long trip from Iowa worthwhile.” He suggested to his son that they sit and enjoy the mountain scenery. But the boy, who’d been running exuberantly back and forth along the trail, sat for five seconds, then scrambled to his feet and started running up the trail again. My friend said he felt like screaming, “Stop! Look at this incredible view!”

How can we help others experience nature deeply when their minds and bodies are so restless? The secret I’ve discovered is to focus their attention with captivating nature activities that engage their senses.

For example, in the Camera Game, which is played with two people, the “photographer” taps the shoulder of the “camera” twice, and the camera-person opens his eyes on the scene before him. Because the camera-person looks for only three seconds, his mind doesn’t have time to daydream, so the impact of his “picture” is quite powerful. Players of the Camera Game have told me that they’ve retained a vivid memory of their pictures for five, even eight years afterwards. This activity helps people of all ages experience what it is like to truly see.

Other examples of simple, absorbing activities are mapping natural sounds, writing an acrostic poem about something captivating, drawing one’s “best nature view,” and interviewing nature, where you look  for a special rock, plant, or animal that has an interesting story to tell. Then you ask it questions like, “What events have you seen in your life? What is it like to live here? Is there something you would like to tell me?”

Superlative Moments

Abraham Maslow described peak experiences as especially joyous with “feelings of intense happiness and well-being” and which often involve “an awareness of transcendental unity.” Mountaineers commonly report having these kinds of experiences. John Muir, in the following passage, explains why:

In climbing where the danger is great, all attention has to be given the ground step by step, leaving nothing for beauty by the way. But this care, so keenly and nar- rowly concentrated, is not without advantages. One is thoroughly aroused. Compared with the alertness of the senses … on such occasions, one may be said to sleep all the rest of the year. —John of the Mountains

The intense focus required by wilderness pursuits such as climbing heightens one’s awareness, which is why so many people avidly enjoy them.

Leaders can encourage peak experiences on less wild walks by using experiential activities that focus people’s complete attention on nature. Concentration is concentration; people benefit from increased perception wherever they are. One educator who hikes the Appalachian or Pacific Crest Trail every summer practiced the Sharing Nature organization’s reflective “I Am the Mountain” exercise for just four minutes. Afterwards, he said enthusiastically, “I was able to experience a state of heightened awareness that usually takes me a month in the wilderness to feel.”

Meeting Nature Face to Face

Science can only describe a flowering cherry tree; it cannot help us experience the cherry tree in its totality. To develop love and concern for the earth, we need deep, absorbing nature experiences; otherwise, our relationship with nature will remain distant and abstract and never touch us deeply.

Rita Mendonca, Sharing Nature Brazil’s national coordinator, recently gave a training program in the Amazon for professional ecotourism guides, some of whom had worked in the area for 40 years. Their attitude at first was that she had little to teach them. But after participating in several experiential Sharing Nature® activities, a woman approached Rita and said with deep emotion, “You are helping me find the forest inside of me! We don’t know the forest in this way!”

Absorbing experiences bring us face-to-face with nature. The observer and the observed become united—and only then is true knowing and love awakened in the observer’s heart. John Muir said that the content of the human soul contains the whole world. The deeper purpose of experiential learning is to broaden our experience of life and include other realities as our own. When one is immersed in nature, Muir said, the “body vanishes and the freed soul goes abroad.” Only by expanding our sense of identity beyond our physical body and egoic self can we commune with distant horizons, brightly colored songbirds, and countless other delights.

When people are quiet and receptive, fully immersed in nature, insights on the real purpose of life reveal themselves. David Blanchette is a teacher at the Punahou School on Oahu Island, Hawaii, where every year he leads his 13-year-old students on an inspirational nature walk along a remote and wild coastline. Below are some of his students’ thoughts about life and nature after playing reflective, experiential Sharing Nature activities like “Expanding Circles,” “Trail of Beauty,” and the “John Muir Game”:

•         It made me feel like I was actually a part of the sand and ocean.

•         I was a calm ocean wave gently rolling towards the shore. I was the reef, feeling the cool water roll over me.

•         I felt euphoria. I felt like I was one with everything around me.

•         It felt powerful, yet peaceful. Every part of me is moving and flowing in harmony.

•         Watching the turtle swim carefree reminded me that I have nothing to worry about.

•         You really live when you take time to notice your surroundings.

•         If you find beauty within the world you can find it within yourself.

Jessica, one of David’s students, wanted to express her appreciation for the ocean, so she gratefully wrote “thank you” in the sand—and let the ocean waves embrace her sentiment and take it into itself.

Fostering in others beautiful human qualities of humility, respect, love, and joyful harmony with one’s environment outside and inside of oneself—as expressed by the Hawaiian students—is what nature education is really about.

Becoming Good Stewards

A teacher in the Southwest once asked the children in his class to draw a picture of themselves. He recalled, “The American children completely covered the paper with a drawing of their body, but my Navajo students drew themselves differently. They made their bodies much smaller and included the nearby mountains, canyon walls, and dry desert washes. To the Navajo, the environment is as much a part of who they are as are their own arms and legs.” The understanding that we are a part of something larger than ourselves is nature’s greatest gift. With it, our sense of identity expands and, by extension, so does our compassion for all things.

In order to create a society that truly reveres the natural world, we must offer its citizens life-changing experiences in nature. Saint Teresa of Avila said, “The soul in its ecstatic state grasps in an instant more truth than can be arrived at by months, or even years, of painstaking thought and study.” One moment of deeply entering into nature can inspire in us new attitudes and priorities in life that would take years to develop.

When people feel immersed and absorbed in the natural world, they are learning the highest that nature has to offer—because nature herself is their teacher.

Joseph Cornell is the author of the highly acclaimed Sharing Nature book series and is the founder and president of Sharing Nature Worldwide. You are welcome to reprint this article with prior permission from Sharing Nature Worldwide. You can find out more about Sharing Nature activities and resources at www.sharingnature. com or 530-478-7650. Contact Joseph Cornell at info@sharingnature.com.
This article originally appeared in the May/June issue of Legacy, the publication of the National Association of Interpretation (NAI).

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By Saul Weisberg

I love knowing the names of things. It makes them familiar, like old friends. I also love to look at patterns in nature. Veins on the back of a vine maple leaf. The yellow and black scales on the wing of a two-tailed tiger swallowtail. The striations in a piece of greenschist. The patterns of nature show us the details of life where the wonder lies.

The landscape is made up of details, too. The ways things fit together — the interactions of living and non-living things — tell a story. In order to make sense of larger patterns, in order to recognize them in the first place, you have to know the details. You have to be able to look at the pieces and pick them apart, understand what this thing is, why this lives here and not there, why things work the way they do, and what has changed over time.

The distrust and ignorance of science that is prevalent in society has made inroads in environmental education as well. It is not unusual to see eager and competent educators with master’s degrees in EE who have no knowledge of natural science, and who are unable to identify common birds and plants. These educators tend to focus on two things: the experience of teaching in the outdoors and the big picture — important processes and concepts. But somewhere between the experience and the process we lose touch with the thing itself — the organism and its world.

The poet William Carlos Williams said “No ideas but in things.” In the beginning you have to know its name. If you know the name of something you can take that knowledge with you anywhere. You have friends in every habitat. When we know the name of something we can talk about it; it is a sign of respect. Do we need to know the name of something to talk with it as well? Is it harder to harm something when you know its name?

Environmental educators must have a strong grounding in natural history, and field biology and ecology. In addition they should have an intimate knowledge of at least one group of organisms. The group does not matter. It can be dragonflies or butterflies, bears or salmon, mosses or conifers or lizards. Intimacy is the key. This grounding should include an ability to identify local species  and an understanding of taxonomic and ecological relationships. Taxonomy is intimately connected to real patterns in the natural world. Why a butterfly is a butterfly, or an orchid is an orchid, is connected to things you can observe, patterns that you can see around you in the faces of familiar organisms.

A naturalist is someone who pays attention. Paying attention brings you into intimate contact with the world. To be a naturalist you must be curious, observe actively and closely, describe and identify what is before you, take good notes, look for patterns at all scales, reflect on where you’ve been and what you’ve seen, and immerse yourself in the natural world. For a naturalist — intimacy is everything. We must dive deep and immerse ourselves in our wonderful northwest landscapes. A naturalist practices passionate observation in all seasons and in all weathers. At North Cascades Institute we are often asked the question “How can you teach (go birding, look at bugs, key a wildflower, watch a frog) in the rain?” Our answer is that there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.

Aldo Leopold wrote that “The penalty of having an ecological education is to live in a world of wounds.” One antidote to Leopold’s dilemma is increased intimacy, knowledge, and depth of experience. Natural history is not just a scientific approach — our responses to the natural world, our feelings, are equally valid. Our feelings call us to action from a different, deeper place than our intellect. We need both. You cannot be a naturalist and not be involved in the natural world. One of my favorite images of naturalists afield was put forth by botanist Art Kruckeberg who said that “a naturalist is an ecologist in short pants.” Get your feet wet and your hands dirty, and don’t forget to have fun!

The following two activities will help take you a little deeper into the natural world. The first focuses on observation skills and recognizing patterns in the natural world; you do not need to know names or taxonomy or natural history to do it. The second is a series of simple exercises recognizing the early signs of spring in the Pacific Northwest. It provides a way to learn basic natural history information — identification of common northwest species — through observation.

ACTIVITY #1— Patterns: An Observation Game

Children are great at finding patterns in the natural world. This activity builds on this ability. This game hones observation skills and helps you recognize and think about simple patterns found between similar or dissimilar objects in nature.

The object of the game is to find and collect ten patterns — groups composed of a mix of three attributes (Shape, texture, color), each divided into three different characteristics. Within each pattern each attribute must be completely similar or completely dissimilar among the three items.

Work singly or in groups and set a loose time limit at first; make it shorter as the participants get better at finding patterns Different habitats will yield a completely different game — think about a beach, a forest and a meadow. Are there other attributes that you could use? How many can you add before the complexity becomes overwhelming? The fun comes when the groups gather to share their items and explain the patterns they have found.

Attributes (and characteristics):

Shape (round, angular, straight)
Texture (smooth, rough, slippery)
Color (greens, browns, grays)

Hint #1: Characteristics are relative — you must decide as a group what is “round” versus what is “angular,” or what is the difference between “slippery” and “smooth.” What characteristics do bigleaf maple leaves or moss share? What if they are wet?

Examples that work

Three things that are similar in all ways:

• straight, smooth, brown ‑ dry pine needle
• straight, smooth, brown – twig
• straight, smooth, brown – dried willow leaf

Three things dissimilar in all ways:

• round, smooth, gray – stone
• straight, rough, brown – stick
• angular, slippery, green – moss

Three things that share two attributes (shape and texture) with a variable third attribute (color):

• round, smooth, gray – stone
• round, smooth, green – leaf
• round, smooth, brown – bark

Hint #2: You have to be able to say “same, same, same,” or “different, different, different” for each of the three characteristics for each attribute. If you can’t, the pattern is broken.

Examples that don’t work:

• round, rough, brown – fir cone (dry)
• round, rough, brown – bark
• round, rough, green – young fir cone
(the color of the young fir cone breaks the pattern)

• round, smooth, gray – rock
• straight, rough, brown – stick
• angular, smooth, green – oak leaf
(texture must either be all the same or all different to make this pattern)

Does this collection fit the pattern?

• round, slippery, gray – wet stone
• angular, slippery, green – square mat of liverwort
• straight, slippery, brown – branch

You can add attributes or characteristics to make the game more complex or more interesting. Use your imagination; now go outside and play!

ACTIVITY #2—Signs of Spring

As naturalists we must use all our senses to explore the world around us. As humans we are limited compared to many other species. We can’t see ultraviolet light like bees, we don’t perceive microscopic amounts of trace chemicals in the water like salmon. Our eyesight is poor compared to a bald eagle, and our sense of smell pales beside the nose of a coyote. We must practice to make best use of the senses we have. Look, listen, touch and smell the first signs of northwest spring. Use field guides to identify what you find. This activity works well for people singly or in groups and can be easily modified to fit the experience level of a group. People living in different places will have different experiences to share. In the early days of spring the numbers of new species to learn is small. It’s a great time to get started being a naturalist. See what’s out there. Learn its name. Talk to it. Introduce it to a friend.

• When does the first butterfly of the year appear? What is it?
Look for mourning cloaks on any warm, sunny winter day, and anglewings in March.

• What is the first plant to bloom in your yard? In your local park? Do flowers or leaves appear first? Indian plum begins blooming in February, red flowering currant and salmonberry in March. All three of these early flowering shrubs develop flowers before developing leaves. Explore south facing slopes for early spring flowers. South facing grasslands and balds in the San Juan Islands are alive with lovely blue grass widows in March.

• When do you first become aware of the rich scent of cottonwoods along rivers and streams?

• When do you first see and hear the croaking of frogs from local wetlands? When do ducklings appear? What species are they?

• Are there any spring plants that feel good? Touch the softness of pussy willows in late January and early February.

• When do birds begin to migrate? What species begin to travel first? Listen for migrating geese and swans in April.

• When do the first ferns begin to unfold?

• When do you first see evidence of birds singing, building nests or defending territories? Which birds set up territories in your year first?

February and March is the best time to begin to learn bird songs. Each week a few new species begin to sing. You can use tapes from the library to identify these common songsters of spring: redwing blackbird, song sparrow, American robin, Bewick’s wren, winter wren, white-crowned sparrow, and varied thrush all begin to sing on a regular basis in February and March.

Acknowledgements

I want to thank Libby Mills and Shelley Weisberg for their gracious assistance and natural history expertise. Many of these ideas have developed through ongoing discussions with Tom Fleishner, Ed Grumbine, Bob Pyle, Wendy Scherrer, and John Miles.

Saul Weisberg is co-founder and Executive Director of North Cascades Institute, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to increasing understanding and appreciation of the natural, historical, and cultural landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. For more information about the Institute’s education programs visit http://www.ncascades.org
Artwork by Joan Barbour

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Sneak up on them, and they’ll learn.
On their own.

By Jim Martin

How do you take care of all the background capacity building students need to make the most of environmental education field trips that they take during the school year? With tight school budgets and time that has to be reprogrammed to meet the demands of No Child Left Behind testing, place-based learning has become difficult for teachers to do. Here is a simple idea that saves valuable class time, engages students, and prepares them to understand the work they will do on field trips.

I learned how to do this through a combination of desperation while confronting my class schedule, and an inherent trust in the nature of learning as students express it. Basically, you just set up an experiment where students can see it when they come into the classroom, then rely on their native curiosity for the rest. You don’t have to do anything after the initial setup, and you can tell students they won’t have to know the material for tests. That hooks them, and they learn.

Here’s how it works. Let’s say that your students will be studying a stream nearby, and you want them to know about water quality parameters as well as some basic aquatic plant biology, like photosynthesis and respiration. Start with one thing to observe that you want students to know about, say measuring dissolved oxygen as one of the water quality parameters that they will be probing for on-site. So, that’s the first thing to do: Know what students will be studying, and pick one piece that you think is important.

Set up some sort of aquarium. I often used clear gallon jars until I discovered sun tea cannisters. They’re perfect. Add water and algae for the first phase. Now, you have a system: container, water, and algae. Systems always do something, so you can be sure yours will do something you can measure.

The next step is to set up the observations. We’re observing dissolved oxygen, so do one of two things, depending on the kind of equipment you have at your disposal. If you have a computer with an analog-to-digital interface and a dissolved oxygen meter, then set it up and program it to make readings at any interval that you want, as long as you let it run continuously for at least 24 hours. Organize it so that the computer screen shows a graph of the dissolved oxygen readings with the actual time increments on the x-axis. If you don’t have a computer interface, take dissolved oxygen readings whenever you can and add them to a continuously growing graph. Try to make at least one observation a day after the lights are out, and it’s dark in the classroom. It’s these readings that are important to have.

So, that’s how to set it up. Then, make some signs to put up around the experiment. They contain questions like: What are the parts of this experiment? Explain how this experimental setup works. What information is contained in the data? What will another 24 hours’ data look like? What might be a next step? What does the information in the graph tell you is happening in the aquarium? What kind of modifications can we make to this experiment to make it more clear?

Don’t put all the questions out at once. Just one or two a day. After a few days, add another question: What would the lab report on this experiment look like? That prompts your students to make sense of the whole thing.

You can add more parameters to observe as you go along. For instance, you can add a pH reading on the same interval as the others. There are some interesting associations in the changes to dissolved oxygen and pH readings that express themselves in a way that makes sense to some students.

Adding value to these “Works in Progress” setups is the fact that you can use them to find out about things you’re not sure about. Let’s say you don’t know a lot about photosynthesis, respiration, and pH. (It’s a fact that in the U.S., about 50% of teachers don’t have college level preparation in the content they are asked to teach. This places a real, and unfair burden on teachers. Use these works in progress to learn more yourself.) Because you’re not directly teaching these content topics in your experiment, you’ll view them from a different, and less threatening perspective. When you students ask questions, give them time to find out for themselves by consulting texts or the web. Then, keep your eyes and ears peeled on what they come up with.

You can end the experiments any time that you wish. Just end them, or engage your class in discussion and followup. That’s the nice thing about them. They place no obligation on you, yet they provide wonderful opportunities for student learning.

Almost any topic can be illustrated with a works in progress experiment. For instance, plant transpiration is one that most teachers and students don’t know much about, yet is very important. Think about this: when plants leaf-out in the spring, they draw water from the ground for photosynthesis, enough to reduce the depth of a stream by 50%. That’s a lot of pumping, and transpiration is part of the pumping system.

Hook up a tube to the cut stem of a green plant, and attach the other end to a pressure sensor. Use a timer to control a lamp, set it for two hours’ light at night, and make sure it is obvious to students when the light is on, and when it is off. Again, graph the data, add provocative questions, and rest assured that students will learn. And, you don’t have to do any prep except for the set up and writing out the questions.

So, with little class time devoted to teaching, your students have formulated a question, articulated an experimental design to answer the question, observed, analyzed, and interpreted data, and formulated a conclusion. Not only that, they have assessed the experiment and posited next steps. If you post information on how the dissolved oxygen probe works and what dissolved oxygen levels are healthy in your stream, they’ll be ready for dissolved oxygen observations on-site. That’s a lot of autonomous learning.

If you use works in progress experiments regularly, you’ll enhance your science curriculum and reap the benefits. I used to add this to essay questions on tests: “Feel free to use what you might have observed in the _____ experiment to answer this question.” A bonus for spending a little time before or after class.

There are any number of experiments that can be set up and left running for students to kibbitz. The secret is to start with just one, try it, see if you like it. Next year, you can add another. Or, if the first one works well for you, and you think of another you’d like to try, go for it. The human brain is a well-organized learning machine. It works autonomously, if we let it. Should you do a few of these works in progress, you’ll gain some insights into student learning that you can get no other way. You sneak up on them, and they learn. Because that’s how we’re built.

If you are thinking of using a works in progress, and would like a sounding board, feel free to e-mail me at berrywd@teleport.com.

Jim and Dryas Martin
604 E. 28th St.
Vancouver, WA 98663
(360) 696-9844
berrywd@teleport.com
home.teleport.com/~berrywd/index.htm

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Forest Grove Community School student taking a closer look at macroinvertebrates living in a stream near the school.

by Charles Graham

I have made an interesting observation about teaching recently.  Some of the best lessons are not necessarily the carefully planned and orchestrated units, but rather the ones that grew and took shape as the project progressed.  I have found that some of my best teaching has been when I didn’t know the exact outcome in advance and learned something new right along with my students. This has been my experience with environmental exploration into stream ecology and the “Leaf Pack” program.

About five years ago, I was looking for a way to have my 6th graders make deeper environmental connections.  My classes had raised salmon and trout for several years through a Fish & Wildlife program, and I sought out a way to extend my student’s learning about life cycles and habitat into the stream ecology that supports fish.  I decided to give the “Leaf Pack” program from LaMotte a try, even though this was new territory for me, as I had no academic training or background in the study of macroinvertebrates.

The basic procedure of a Leaf Pack experiment is pretty straight forward.  Students identify the primary trees in the riparian zone that “feed” the stream.  Leaves are collected, weighed, and placed in mesh bags, then are carefully placed into the water. Observational data is collected about the stream, stream banks, and air/water temperature.  Three to four weeks later these bags are retrieved from the water and carefully examined for macroinvertebrates that have taken up residence in this ‘trap’.

The identification and sorting is made easy with the use of a number of resources included in the Leaf Pack kit, including sorting place mats, full color identification cards, magnification loupe, and a dichotomous key. Once sorted, a tally of each type of macroinvertebrates is recorded for later analysis. Stream conditions and air/water temperature are noted for comparisons, and then the aquatic critters are returned to their stream.

Student placing leaves into a mesh bag which will then be placed in the stream as a "trap" for macroinvertebrates.

The first time a class of mine attempted to run the Leaf Pack experiment was a true learning experience for all involved.  My personal learning curve had to be a steep one, as I was learning just one step ahead of the students. Worries that we might not find anything in our packs to analyze turned out to be unfounded. As the day progressed excitement built.  I found myself saying many phrases like “I don’t know- what do you think?” or “good question- we will have to research that further”. The engagement of the students was perhaps the most exciting part. They seemed to feed on their discoveries and the challenges they presented, eventually making some deep connections and observations. Those that had expressed hesitance to work so closely with these ‘ugly bugs’ soon lost their inhibitions and fully participated.

Back in the classroom, the excitement continued.  The collected data became more meaningful, as we uploaded it into the Leaf Pack Network data base.  The results were magically transformed at the web site into colorful graphs, with “biotic index” numbers and “EPT ratings” that indicated that the stream water quality was healthy. The whole process clearly showed us that it was not just the quantity of macroinvertebrates that mattered, but the variety.  It turns out that not all macroinvertebrates are of equal value and each species has different pollution tolerance values that are used to indicate the overall water quality. The fact that our data was now published and easily could be compared to other streams and rivers throughout the country added pride to what we had accomplished.

Leaf Pack has now become a mainstay in my yearly curriculum. I am now able to add more to background information and pre-trip activities that enhance student learning.  Students seem to naturally make connections between our studies of trees that produce the leaves. Leaves eventually feed nutrients to the streams, which in turn feed the macroinvertebrates, and become the food base of the salmon and trout. Our study of trees, stream ecology, and the raising of fish are all designed as ‘hands on’ experiences. The effectiveness of teaching through these projects is clearly demonstrated through the student’s depth of understanding of this energy flow and the interconnections in nature.

This past year, our work with Leaf Pack opened up into some new directions.  We are now collecting steam water quality data on an ongoing basis for Hyla Woods, a local “sustainable” harvest timber company.  As part of their efforts towards restoring a creek after a period of several flooding, we are analyzing macroinvertebrates populations in the fall and the spring. We plan to continue this for at least three years with the goal of complying comparison data to help determine the effectiveness of their overall restoration efforts. The fact that student work can provide usable information for a real world situation, adds meaning and authenticity to their efforts, as well as a sense of pride and value.

The opportunity to be frequent visitors to Hyla Woods has deepened our connection to the land and has developed into a real sense of place. This last year, Peter Hayes (Hyla’s owner and former school teacher/principal and Clearing contributor) helped us explore his forest for signs of past impacts of man. Our discoveries revealed a dramatic history of pioneer farming attempts and periods of extensive logging. By the end of the year, our work at the water’s edge had expanded into an exercise of “reading the land” for signs the history of the area. In collaboration with our art teacher, we eventually created a wall sized mural as an exhibit of our findings. This interactive display includes student writing describing what they found and its significance.

In order for education to be most effective, what we do must be alive and genuine.  Sometimes the best way to do this is to venture into new directions with your students. Be open and willing to try what is unknown to not only your students, but to yourself as well. Seeking out collaborative relationships with the community can add authenticity to whatever you study. The adventure of learning is greatest when discoveries are yours as well as your students.

Charles Graham has been a classroom teacher for 23 years teaching all disciplines for grades 4-6. He currently teacher at the Forest Grove Community School in Forest Grove, Oregon.

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Andrew Nyman, Associate Professor Wetland Wildlife ... Andrew Nyman, Associate Professor Wetland Wildlife Management & Ecology of LSU AgCenter, takes samples of beach sand beside oil booms at the coast of South Pass, south of Venice, Louisiana, where oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead continues to spread in the Gulf of Mexico, May 2, 2010. A huge wind-driven oil slick bore down on the U.S. Gulf coast on Sunday, threatening an environmental catastrophe, and the Obama administration heaped pressure on BP Plc to halt the uncontrolled spill from its ruptured Gulf of Mexico well. Since the explosion and sinking last week of the Deepwater Horizon rig, a disaster scenario has emerged with hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil spewing unchecked into the Gulf and moving inexorably northward to the coast. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

It’s sad that it takes a threat of crude oil reaching American beachfront property for people to wake up.

It seems the only way people unite around fighting environmental degradation is when the effects become visible and personal. If only there were some way to make the color of carbon dioxide highlighter yellow or jet black. Then perhaps people would wake up to the havoc they’re wreaking on my playground.

That’s right. My personal playground, the outdoors, continues to get pushed around like a new kid being picked on by a 12-year-old bully — except nature is a little older than the humans who bully it.

It took 24 days in the wilderness with the National Outdoor Leadership School for me to wake up to the effects of climate change. A month before moving to Eugene, I embarked on an outdoor educator expedition in the Absaroka wilderness in Wyoming. Between eating a third of the amount of food I normally eat, nearly dying on a glacier, and conquering 13,000-foot peaks, the expedition not only gave me a new appreciation for wild places, but it humbled me to something similar to my original human form.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), environmental education “is a learning process that increases people’s knowledge and awareness about the environment and associated challenges, develops the necessary skills and expertise to address the challenges, and fosters attitudes, motivations, and commitments to make informed decisions and take responsible action.”

On paper, the United Nations has environmental education down to a tee. But even after a plethora of natural disasters, Washington remains the only state on the West Coast with a mandatory statute for environmental education in its public schools.

As a student of environmental education, I know how much my lifestyle has been impacted. But taxpayers like to see clear-cut results. While skeptics can write off the philosophic utopia of the U.N. “learning process” as unrealistic, they cannot deny the positive influence of mandatory environmental education on the schools, livelihoods, and landscapes of Washington.

In 2004, the Washington State Legislature requested a “report card on the status of environmental education.” For two years they conducted surveys, community meetings, and one-on-one interviews. In addition to the conservation benefits, the reports found that environmental education programs even boosted standardized test scores. The report card also determined that environmental education saves taxpayers money by getting schools and communities involved in natural resource research.

Lower taxes and higher test scores. Sounds like a million-dollar idea to me.

In the wake of the failed “No Child Left Behind’” act and amid a global recession, adjusting science curriculum might be a feasible solution to some of the issues we face today. But even if educational reform is slow and unlikely, there are a number of other ways the public can be educated about what’s worth saving for their future grandchildren. Personally, I’m a big advocate of organizations that look at wilderness areas as a classroom.

The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) is an institution that combines wilderness exploration with environmental ethics. It even offers transferable college credit in upper division environmental studies courses for virtually the same cost. If NOLS sounds out of the question for you, it’s pretty easy to be a “weekend warrior” as a student when your incidental fee gives you a membership to the Outdoor Program. Non-students can become a member for as little as $15 a year.

“We try to get students from all skill-levels into wild places at a low cost so that they can see what’s worth protecting,” said Outdoor Program outreach coordinator Fred Sproat.

The Outdoor Program follows the national “leave no trace” ethics policy, and promotes environmentally proactive, minimum-impact trips. Whether it be whitewater rafting, backcountry skiing, or rock climbing, it has something for everyone. But in addition to options for thrill-seekers, it also organizes more direct ways to get involved with environmental efforts, such as their recent Rogue River cleanup. The role it plays in educating individuals about wild places in Oregon is truly unparalleled. But it needs help.

Maybe the British Petroleum oil rig explosion was what America needed. With both Democrats and Republicans recently supporting offshore drilling, it seemed like we had lost sight of the campaign promises we voted for. Now, more than ever, it’s time we start educating our youth to combat climate change. Whether it be through school field trips to national parks, or something as simple as a weekly hike with your family, outdoor exploration is often what reinforces the tired literature that gets pumped into science textbooks.

It’s time to get outside to see what’s worth protecting.

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Classroom Ideas

*  Try to germinate tropical plant seeds in the classroom and have students determine the best conditions for plant growth (high humidity and warm temperatures.) Either order seeds (see Resources) or have students save seeds from tropical fruits they eat.

*   Visit a local botanical garden or conservatory so students can see the variety of tropical plants in the world.

*   Many large zoos have tropical rainforest exhibits. Before you take your class to the zoo, find out what materials are available from the zoo’s education department. Use them to prepare your students for a meaningful visit.

*  Examine a variety of tropical fruits and seeds and have students determine the seeds’ means of dispersal. (Students will find a variety of dispersal methods, reflecting the variety of the rainforest’s flora and fauna.)

*   Take a field trip to a local natural history museum to visit displays depicting tropical rainforest peoples.

*   Learn about the kinds of soils that exist in tropical rain forests. Prepare soil similar to tropical rainforest soil and use it for growing plants, observing percolation and studying pH and buffering properties.

*   Make a model of laterite soil, showing horizons, percolation properties and other characteristics you feel are significant.

*   Obtain tropical plant and animal products, including over-the-counter products (caffeine, matein, etc.) and determine their effect on experimental laboratory organisms.

*   Have students research drugs that are extracted from tropical rainforest plants and animals. You might consider quinine (for malaria), curare or tubocurarine chloride ( used in surgery), ipecac (induces vomiting), diogenin (used in birth control pills), vincristine (for Hodgkin’s disease), quinidene (for heart fibrillation), chymopapain (to treat “slipped” discs).

Rain Forest Resources:

A stellar collection of rainforest ideas, Rainforests: A Teacher’s Resource Guide has been collected by Lynn Chase, Southern Regional High School, Manahawkin, NJ 08050. Ms. Chase was sponsored by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and asks $5.00 to cover the cost of xeroxing and mailing.

For seeds of tropical plants to grow in your classroom or greenhouse, try The Banana Tree, 715 Northampton St., Easton, PA 10842 or Park Seed Co., Highway 254 North, Greenwood, SC 29647

From Chariot Software Group, 3659 India Street, San Diego, CA 92103. Adventures in the Rainforest. (Macintosh software game package, ages 9 to adult: contains Eco-Adventures in the Rainforest, three disks and an instruction manual, a poster, and one copy of The Rainforest Book, $49.95)

From Frank T. Hinerman, Mt. Lebanon High School, 155 Cochran Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15228: A Laser Disc Lesson: Human Ecology – Tropical Deforestation. This interactive lesson covers the major points of a truly global issue – tropical deforestation. For the Level I format, one needs a monitor, laser disc player and the Bioscience Laser Disc from Videodiscovery. For Level III, one also needs and IBM or compatible computer and VIDKIT II from Videodiscovery.

From Intellimation (Environmental Resources Collection), 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 219, attn. PM, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-0219. (805) 968-2291, FAX (805) 968-8899: The Rainforest Book. (Packet includes audio tape and activity guide, $12.50) Global Recall. (Macintosh software, electronic atlas with HyperCard stacks, grades 7-12) SimEarth. ( Macintosh software, simulates students taking over management of a planet’s geosphere, atmosphere, biosphere and civilization.)

From Sierra Club. 408 C Street NE, Washington D. C. 20002, “Tropical Rain Forests: A Vanishing Treasure.”September 1990 Head, Suzanne and Robert Heinzman, Lessons of the Rainforest. ($17.95 to non-members)

From SIRS, the Social Issues Resource Series, the full series is now available on CD-ROM. Social Resource Series, Inc., PO Box 2348, Boca Raton, FL 33427-9968. SIRS 89-90 Science (979 articles), SIRS 89-90 Social Science and Critical Issues (2159 articles) These two can also be purchased in a set and can be purchased with an index. The data base will be updated each year and all updates will be cumulative. This requires an IBM or IBM-compatible computer, at least 512 KB of free memory, MS-DOS or PC-DOS 2.1 or higher, CD-ROM drive and hard disk drive with at least 3 MB of space available.

From VideoDiscovery, 1515 Dexter Avenue North, Suite 400, Seattle, WA 98109-3017, (800) 548-3472, Bio Sc II, (laser disc and software lessons, stacks for Macintosh and Linkway Folders for IBM compatibles accessing images on the videodiscs including a tour of the rainforest. Bio Sc II laser disc $549, The Bio Sci II stacks for the Macintosh $125, Bio Sc II Folders for IBM/compatibles $125) From Videodiscovery, a laserdisc with images from National Geographic Documentaries: The Rain Forest. (1515 Dexter Ave. N., Suite #400, Seattle WA 98109 (800) 548-3472, $32)

From World Wildlife Fund, A package containing a videotape Rain Forest Rap, teacher’s and student’s manuals, and a poster for $30; videotape only $15.)

Caufield, Catherine. In the Rain Forest: Report From a Strange, Beautiful, Imperiled World. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. 1991

International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). Office for Interdisciplinary Earth Studies. Committee on Teaching of Science CTS). Earthquest. J. Stoltman. Secretary, CTS. Department of Geography. Western Michigan University. Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5053. (Developing unit on changing landscapes

Fifth Annual World Rainforest Week. Oct. 19-26, 1991. Contact USA organizer: Rainforest Action Network. 301 Broadway, Suite A. San Francisco, CA 94133 (organizer’s manual $5 for production and mailing costs)

Forsyth, A. and K. Miyata. Tropical Nature. NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons. 1984

Kircher, John G. A Neotropical Companion: An Introduction to the Animals, Plants and Ecosystems of the New World Tropics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 1989

Marchioni, Warren and David J. Mazsa. “Twelve Tropical Tie-ins.” The Science Teacher. National Science Teachers Association. Sept. 1988. vol. 55. pp 80-87 (Reprints available from Warren Marchioni, Montclair High School, Montclair, NJ 07042)

Whitmore, T. C. Introduction to the tropical Rain Forests. NY: Oxford University Press. 1991

Woods, Amanda L. “The Development of an Information Link between an Established Network of Individuals Working with Sustainable Development and Secondary Educators.” Abstract of Presented Papers. National Association for Research in Science Teaching. 64th Annual NARST Conference. April 1991. (The Florida Institute of Technology has established a network of conservation biologists to improve communication between secondary school teachers and organizations including the: Organization for Tropical Studies, USAID, World Bank, North American Association for Environmental Educators, World Wildlife Fund, and the Latin American Division of Nature Conservancy. Contact Ms. Woods at FIT, Melbourn, FL.)

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Fire is Elementary

by Kathy Comstock

The new school year is off to a blazing start in the fourth grade here at Andrus Elementary in Meridian, Idaho.

Thanks to my participation this summer in Project Learning Tree’s Burning Issues: Fire Ecology workshop, my students are fully immersed in our Earth Patrol reading unit.  While I have always enjoyed teaching this particular unit in the past, never before has my class been so actively involved with the story.  The FireWorks curriculum presented at the workshop has provided me with wonderful new hands-on, minds-on experiments and investigations that are enriching each and every one of my students as I integrate the content areas of Science, Math, and Reading.

Our opening story, The Great Yellowstone Fire, by Carole G. Vogel and Kathryn A. Goldner, is of particular interest to us, as we share the distinction and privilege of holding a small portion of Yellowstone National Park within our state’s border.  Combine this with the fact that Idaho plays host to a fair share of the West’s summer wildfires, and one can easily see the relevance of fire ecology awareness for my students.

We began our explorations with some pre-reading activities to build background and activate prior knowledge.  The Mystery Tree investigation allowed my students to become acquainted with many of the tree species that inhabit both Yellowstone and forests throughout Idaho that ultimately are affected by wildfires.  Students were involved in science and math skills such as measurement, making observations, recording facts, interpreting data, and drawing conclusions based on the gathered data.

As an introduction to the fire triangle, students participated in a little gumdrop geometry where they discovered the three-legged triangle is the strongest shape.  The knowledge gained from this exploration led us into a discussion of how fire requires three basic elements: fuel, oxygen, and heat to sustain itself.  Like a triangle, if one of the “legs” is removed, the fire will collapse and go out.  In order to prove this fact; we ventured into our first live fire experiment by testing the strength of the fire triangle.  Matches were set up in two different positions, one pointing up and one down.  After observing each one burn out, students were challenged to identify which basic element was missing from the fire triangle, causing the fire to go out.  During the experiment, students timed the length of each burn, measured the length of the flame, and determined which direction the heat went.  In addition, students recorded their findings as any good scientist would.  Proving that oxygen is a necessary element required a candle, plate, and jar.  Watching the candle burn uninhibited for awhile helped students see that with an abundant supply of oxygen, the fire will burn on and on.  After placing a jar over the candle, students observed the flame slowly go out, clearly illustrating that without oxygen; a fire will quickly die. It would be easy enough to feed these facts to my students with the expectation they will be memorized.  However, by engaging my students in experiments that allow them to observe and interact with real materials increases the likelihood they will remember and understand these important concepts.

Now as we begin our reading of the non-fiction piece, The Great Yellowstone Fire, which describes in vivid detail the events leading up to, during, and after the famous fires of 1988, my students are completely drawn into the story.  Our pre-reading activities have helped to make the story come alive and deepen each studentís understanding of how fire behavior affected one of our country’s most beloved national parks.  The reading material is helping us to see that while fire can have devastating effects, it can also be beneficial in ways we may not have known before.   Students are learning that the charred remains are adding minerals back to the soil.  With the canopy now more open, sunlight can get through to the forest floor, nurturing new plant growth.  Animals, large and small, find it easier to forage for food.

Our post reading activities will include the creation of several matchstick forests.  These live fire demonstrations will help students see first hand how the forest’s density, terrain’s slope, and weather conditions can influence fire behavior.  Each of the previous experiences leading up to this grand finale, should enhance my students’ ability to analyze the outcome of each demonstration.

To further tie all these activities and experiences together, our Meridian School District fourth grade curriculum encourages us to explore the global concepts of change, perspective, properties, and interactions throughout the year.   This highly interactive, integrated unit certainly gives us a wonderful opportunity to jump start our explorations and blaze our way into fourth grade.

Kathy Comstock is a 4th Grade Teacher at Cecil D. Andrus Elementary, Meridian Joint School District #2 in Idaho.

Fire in the Junior High Classroom

by Kris Stone

Junior high students are intrigued by fire and easily engage in learning about wildfires.  I taught a fire ecology unit in eighth grade Earth Science.  Students learned to apply concepts they had learned earlier such as weather, climate, maps, and topography to predicting the behavior of wildfires and prescribed burns.  The unit took about two weeks and included modifications of activities from Project Learning Tree (PLT) and “Wildfires:  Feel the Heat” (produced by Discovery Communications).

Students were introduced to wildfires using the Project Learning Tree Activity titled “I’d Like to Visit a Place Where…”    Students described their favorite recreation place and how they would feel if it was burned by wildfire which was followed by a three-minute National Geographic video clip describing what it is like to fight wildfires.

Next, students completed two activities involving the fire triangle.  The first activity “Living with Fire”  (PLT) was modified to include two demonstrations showing how oxygen affects fire.  The first demonstration involved placing a burning splint placed in a test tube filled with carbon dioxide produced by using baking soda and vinegar.  The splint went out due to the lack of oxygen.  The second demonstration involved placing a glowing splint placed into a test tube filled with oxygen produced by using manganese dioxide and hydrogen peroxide.  The splint burst into flames due to the increase in oxygen.  In another demonstration, students were asked to observed how long it took for three different types of matches to burn and determine how fuels affect burning.  Finally, students observed a candle being put out by water to show how heat affects burning.
After the demonstrations, students were divided into five groups and each group was given the same number of matches but different types of materials to burn.  Each group’s task was to burn as much of the material they could with the matches they had.  Some groups had only large fuels to burn while others had damp or wet materials.  Only one group had materials that burned easily.  At the end of the activity, we discussed how oxygen, heat, and/or fuels affected whether or not the materials they were given burned.

Next, students learned about wildfire behavior by building models of forests using stick matches, clay and cake pans (Wildfire:  Feel the Heat).  Students were divided into teams.  The teams built forests that varied in match density, match size, slope, topography, litter, and moisture.  Each group recorded how long it took for their match forest to burn and noted the percent of matches that burned before the fire when out.  Students then tried to determine the affect of density, slope, topography, and moisture by comparing the burn times of each forest.

In the final activity, students used the interactive “Burning Issues” CD produced by the BLM and Florida State University.  They learned to identify the proper environmental conditions for conducting a prescribed burn; measure and control environmental variables such as time of year, moisture and wind speed in test plots; compare a successful and unsuccessful burns; and describe problems and benefits of prescribed burning.

Students enjoyed learning about fire because they find it fascinating plus they were able to participate in a variety of activities.  I liked this unit because it allowed students to apply some of the concepts they learned previously in Earth Science by participating in activities that grabbed and held their attention!

Kris Stone teaches at Riverglen Junior High in Boise, Idaho. In 2002 she was named Idaho Environmental Education Teacher of the Year by the Idaho Environmental Education Association.

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