Obtaining food to meet our energy and matter needs is a basic requirement of humans, in addition to helping define our cultural practices and ways of life. This presentation will share how to use elements of the three dimensions of the NGSS and Framework to engage students in making sense of phenomena and problems related to the production and consumption of food. Strategies for how to use driving question boards, 3-dimensional learning outcomes, and engagement of all learners will be shared. Students will ask questions for how perfect apples are mass produced, how nutrients and environmental factors affect the quality of fruit, and how to attain the right balance of sweet-tart flavor. This storyline weaves together concepts such as meiosis and mitosis, pedigrees and probability, plant structure and function, nutrient cycles, and the role of photosynthesis in producing food in order to explain why it took 30 years to produce the Honeycrisp apple.
In a world where declining water quality threatens ecosystems, food security, and public health it is imperative that we as teachers are prepared to educate the next water leaders. This session will dive into a hands-on lessons from Nourish the Future where students analyze soil, water, and land use data to construct solutions for real-world land management challenges. We will showcase how students engage in science and engineering practices, such as analyzing data and constructing explanations, to tackle a relevant phenomenon, while highlighting student examples. Through NGSS-aligned strategies, participants will observe how sensemaking guides students in proposing solutions to improve soil and water quality. Teachers will leave better equipped with strategies for using the lesson as an activity or as a 3D assessment, The lesson is great for student engagement, phenomenon/storyline based teaching, and encouraging deep learning across diverse classrooms. Teachers will walk away with an activity that can be easily modified for any classroom or science topic.
Milk is an important food product that provides all of the nutrients that young mammals need to survive early in life. Learning from populations that can digest dairy can help provide solutions to humans who choose to consume it into adulthood, despite the inability to do so naturally. Because of this demand, milk and dairy products altogether continue to be an important aspect of agriculture.
Participants will engage in a new storyline that tasks students with constructing and revising explanations based on evidence for why dairy is such an important agricultural product and source of food energy. The Milk storyline is the 7th in a series being developed by a group of 25+ educators from the midwest for science and agriculture teachers that engage students in developing explanations for agricultural phenomena and solving real-world problems. Students utilize the three dimensions of NGSS as they learn about food systems or the production, processing, distribution, and consumption of food products and interactions with the natural environment. Intentional emphasis is placed on developing skills related to the Scientific & Engineering Practices and building Crosscutting Concepts.
Fungi are eukaryotic organisms commonly found in soils and can act as pathogens, leading to diseases in plants, animals, and humans. Valley Fever, or coccidioidomycosis, is a fungal infection prevalent in arid and semi-arid areas. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicates that the distribution of this fungus may be shifting due to changing environmental conditions. During this workshop, participants will: Explore the ecological role of fungi and learn about Valley Fever's genetic links to specific populations. Engage in a role-playing exercise as researchers conducting a collaborative study to test soil samples for the Coccidioides fungus. Understand the procedures for extracting and amplifying fungal DNA samples. Perform agarose gel electrophoresis using MiniOne equipment to check for the presence of Coccidioides in soil samples. Analyze group data to identify areas with high rates of Valley Fever infections. Discuss how climate change affects the spread of fungi and the occurrence of Valley Fever. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of potential solutions to minimize fungal infections. Discover teaching strategies to inspire students and incorporate an engaging biotechnology narrative
Environmental DNA, or eDNA, is an emerging technology and important conservation tool of natural resource professionals used to monitor the presence or absence of species, such as invasive carp. This session will engage participants in portions of the field and laboratory experience and in the curriculum refinement process for utilizing environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect the presence of invasive carp in the Wisconsin River. When finalized, participants will receive the field and laboratory investigation protocols and additional educational materials. The curriculum is designed for middle and high school students. Participant objectives are to experience portions of the curriculum and provide critical feedback for refinement. This session connects to NGSS Science Practices 1 & 4 (Plan, justify, and carry out an investigation & Apply reasoning from evidence to support a claim) and Cross Cutting Concept 1 (Interpret cause and effect relationships.)
This project is a collaborative effort between the UW Madison Division of Extension, UW-Madison Genetics & Biotechnology Center, Freshwater@UW Collaborative, Wisconsin 4-H, Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, and the U.S. Geological Survey, and was made possible by a Wisconsin Sea Grant and Division of Extension Innovation Grant.
Forest measurement is beneficial to students as they use tools, apply geometry and accounting, and begin to understand the importance of sustainable forestry and connections to healthy forests of Wisconsin. Participants will practice with a variety of tools used to measure trees and estimate density, make management decisions, and consider what products can come from a harvest. LEAF Field Lessons (grades 5-12) that incorporate measurement will be introduced. Depending on weather and proximity to trees, this workshop may go outside for part of the time. Wisconsin Science Standards connections: SCI.ESS3.A: Natural Resources SCI.ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems SCI.ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions
Members of the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin invite 8-12th grade educators to learn about university programs that provide middle school and high school students with hands-on opportunities to study freshwater science.
Topics will include high school freshwater camps, aquaculture in the classroom, wild rice in the classroom, water-focused educator workshops, and water-monitoring programs that link educators and students to statewide water experts. Panelists will represent programs led by faculty and staff at UW-Green Bay, UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee UW Oshkosh and UW-Stevens Point.
Learn how to prepare your students for STEM programs in college and create a network that connects them and you to faculty and undergraduate scientists in the Universities of Wisconsin. Intended outcomes include ideas for bringing hands-on water science activities into your classroom and building skills in students at all levels, an enhanced ability to provide knowledge about water careers to your students, and an increased connection to universities who would like to engage K-12 students and educators in freshwater science activities.
In an era where data-driven insights are critical for scientific discovery and understanding, the ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data has become a fundamental skill for students. This workshop will explore how you can empower students to actively engage in data collection across diverse science disciplines, including physics, chemistry, biology, and environmental science. Participants will learn hands-on techniques for integrating data collection into their science curricula using sensors, which provide real-time data and enhance students’ learning experiences. This session will offer insights on inquiry-based learning that develops students’ scientific literacy and problem-solving skills.
Objectives: 1. Understand the Role of Data Collection in Science Education 2. Explore TI Technology for Real-Time Data Collection 3. Design and Implement Data-Driven Experiments 4. Integrate Data Collection into Standards-Based Instruction
By the end of this session, participants will: • Gain confidence in using technology for data collection in science education. • Acquire practical strategies for designing and implementing data-driven science experiments. • Understand how to integrate data collection with standards-based instruction to enhance student engagement and scientific literacy.
Elephant populations are facing threats from many sources, including illegal ivory poaching. This workshop introduces participants to the work of scientists who are tracking African elephant populations and identifying factors leading to their decline. The workshop session will integrate concepts of population ecology, biodiversity, ethics, and molecular ecology. The workshop will emphasize integration of NGSS science practices including: asking questions and defining problems, developing and using models, planning and carrying out investigations, analyzing and interpreting data, and constructing explanations and designing solutions. Participants will run gel electrophoresis to determine where illegal poaching is occuring, bringing an engaging story and biotechnology skills to their students. In this hands-on session participants will Examine the role of elephants as a keystone species and reasons for population decline. Take on the role of Wildlife Crime Scene Investigators to analyze DNA samples from confiscated ivory using gel electrophoresis. Identify the elephant population the tusks came from by comparing the genotype to an elephant DNA database compiled from dung samples representing various forest and savannah elephant populations. Compile data to determine the location of ivory poaching hotspots. Evaluate possible solutions to the elephant poaching crisis
Participants will learn about Wisconsin’s oak forests and why they are ecologically and economically important. Through the phenomenon of growth and development of a single oak tree from acorn to old growth, participants will analyze and interpret its life history to understand the challenges facing oak forests. Questions to be answered include how an acorn survives to become an old oak tree, what ecological and human forces improve the tree’s chances for survival, and how these same forces apply to oak ecosystems. Participants will read brief accounts and review diagrams of oak natural and life history and review maps of presettlement and current oak forests. They will hear from a forest ecologist explaining how oak forests operate and how the sun-loving oak forests face challenges from vegetative competition, invasive plants, deer browsing, and a poor market for small diameter forest products. We will discuss what steps can be taken to insure the future of oak forests. Resources will be shared so teachers can find local data for different kinds of forests. Standards that are addressed include MS ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems, MS & HS LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans and HS LS2.C Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning and Resilience.
Snapshot Wisconsin is a statewide community science project that utilizes a network of trail cameras to produce wildlife management data. This workshop will discuss ways to bring Wisconsin wildlife to a wide range of grade levels, from grades K-5 to higher education. Snapshot staff will walk you through the various lesson plans and activities available to educators.
Please bring a computer/tablet, if possible. We will also have some print outs, for those unable to bring a computer/tablet.
All Snapshot Wisconsin lesson plans and activities are free. Lesson plans are available for grades K-12 and outline curriculum connections in each educator handout, including NGSS (April 2013), Common Core (2010), AP Biology (2012-2013), IB Biology (2016), Environmental Science (2013), Environmental Systems & Societies, and Wisconsin’s Standards for Science.
Learning Objectives: - Learn about Snapshot Wisconsin and how to get involved as a community scientist - Learn about how Snapshot Wisconsin data is used to support management decisions at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Learn about how to access Snapshot Wisconsin’s free lesson plans and activities and incorporate them into your classroom or educational programming - Learn about how to access and explore the Snapshot Wisconsin Data Dashboard as well as how it can be used to teach about science and math concepts, data literacy, and science communication.
Are you looking at making your lessons impactful? Are you struggling to find good graphs to help your students practice? You can generate real world graphs that will paint pictures for students. Using these tools, students can make their own weather predictions, discover real time weather information, and verify weather data after weather events. You will learn how to make your own weather collection tools and have students gather real time weather data to compile over time. Help prepare students for the ACT by having them analyze data from one of the most difficult graphs to read, the SKEW-t. By reading this graph, students can analyze the weather at your school and determine the cloud heights, whether it will precipitate, what kind of precipitation, and whether severe weather is on its way. Students will also be able to explore various climates around the country and around the world by analyzing these graphs and comparing them to other regions. The weather in Wisconsin is drastically different from Saudi Arabia. Come explore how students can read graphs for real.
