1. Introduce yourselves (name, school and grade)

2. Appoint a timekeeper and a notetaker

3. Take 2 minutes to reflect individually on the three prompts.

4. Discuss the prompts as a group. Notetaker record notes on the padlet!

Students get to learn and apply them. They get to learn it and do which contributes to their curiosity.

My students went on a field trip to Audubon. Many students were either multi-lingual or new to New England and experiencing nature.

Students had the opportunity to look at the campus through the lens of climate change effects and how to support resilience.

Reinforcement: The focus on Mini-beasts perfectly aligned with our CKLA unit on insects. This cross-curricular connection allowed students to apply what they learned in ELA to real-world science experiences, reinforcing content across subjects.

-created structure in what was being taught about what is in their own backyard.

-great to hear kids use vocabulary, to get them outside, were able to incorporate Bill Nye, if students couldn't access outside

-more engagement from students, participants in shared learning, connecting with eachother and the content

-students started to realize there is nature all around them, and lots to observe and learn about even though they live in a city

Outside to learn and not just for recreation (being able to distinguish them)

Curiosity peaked

Students questioned more phenomena after Audubon lessons

Fear of “icky” things reduced; became more comfortable with environment/surroundings

In the beginning you can do it! There's time there and I was able to bring their observations into their writing. Things they saw at recess they recorded during writing time afterwards.

We had someone to come in and support the class. Its rare to have someone else come in and teach your subject. Its interesting to step back and observe and think about how I can implement different strategies. I can also watch students more closely.

Short and sweet can be effective. Getting outside doesn't have to be a big time commitment to be impactful.

Expanded Use of Outdoor Learning:

Taking students outside offered a refreshing change from traditional classroom routines. It provided a unique teaching environment that sparked student engagement and reminded us of the power of experiential learning. Leaving the classroom and teaching outdoors helped us connect with students in new ways and appreciate the benefits of nature-based instruction.

Peaking Student Curiosity Through Gardening:

Incorporating the gardening program alongside the Science of Mass curriculum helped spark students’ curiosity about living things and their environments. It offered additional hands-on opportunities for exploration and reinforced concepts like habitat and adaptations.

Inspired to Expand Science Instruction:
We felt encouraged by the success of this program to apply for a grant to develop and teach a different science lesson on erosion, also conducted outside. This shows growth in our initiative to seek resources and expand hands-on science experiences for our students.

-great having another coteacher that was like-minded, don't get to do as much science as one would like

-helpful to see quality science lessons being taught, provided a model of how to use nature in lessons, inspiring to see that extra materials could be things readily available

- easy routine to follow, journalling was a great way to access lots of different kinds of science and incorporate throughout the year.

Not making presumptions about behaviors, letting the class play out rather than being apprehensive about kids acting out

“Mini beast” term - shift in energy

Resource bank for resources created to supplement lessons (slides, vocab cards etc)

Anitra - more sessions, and more time with journals

Pre-work - videos were sometimes hard to understand regarding crisp audio and no captions

More vocab forward instruction esp for multi-lingual students

It would be great if there was a preassessment that we could give and then share results with Audubon educators to tweak the unit to meet the needs of the group.

-some videos weren't working

-have instructors talk about how to interact with nature respectfully prior to lessons outside

-starting earlier in the year, so that journaling could continue throughout the year

More visual learning opportunities

More explanation; clearer directions (for ex. The permeable/impermeable activity)

Indoor activity alternatives for bad weather days

Writing down thoughts prior discussion/learning

Address Seasonal Challenges with Mini-Beasts:
Scheduling the unit later in the school year made it more difficult to find mini-beasts for outdoor observation. To address this, the program could be adjusted to occur earlier in the year when mini-beasts are more abundant. Alternatively, the curriculum could include a complementary winter unit with activities and lessons tailored for colder seasons, ensuring students have meaningful science experiences year-round.