MINI GRANTS AWARDED
Discover Life in America (DLIA) is working with the National Park Service to conduct the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). The GSMNP comprises more than half a million acres and serves as refuge for one of the richest and most diverse collections of plants and animals in the temperate world. DLIA and GSMNP are committed to developing science-based biodiversity curricula for students participating in park education and education enhancement programs.
DLIA is working with the park’s natural resource
education staff and local educators to develop “Biodiversity Boxes”. Each box
will contain materials that both provide an understanding of the diversity of
organisms within a particular taxonomic group and the equipment and protocols
required for students to conduct real scientific studies related to the Smokies
ATBI on the group. The boxes provide self-contained units with real scientific
equipment such as Cornell drawers with specimens collected in the ATBI, nets,
beat sheets, aspirators, sample journals, guidebooks, illustrations and keys to
life with instructions for their use, and a teacher’s guide to activities
appropriate for different grade levels. The boxes will be available for loan to
teachers and other environmental educators to enrich student understanding of
the rich biodiversity in their own schoolyard or community center.
For more information:
http://www.discoverlife.com
Presented by The Edith Marion Patch Center for Entomology, the Environment, and Education in Orono, Maine.
This program is a four-session series of professional development workshops to introduce elementary school teachers to the world of insects through hands-on activities in classroom, lab and field. Approximately 60 teachers representing 21 schools in 7 districts will investigate such topics as insect diversity, biology, and ecology, and will explore social, economic, and cultural perspectives on insects. Emphasis throughout the program will be placed on the importance of insects to our planet, and the value of insect study in enabling elementary students to meet local, state, and national academic standards.
Some of the objectives for the Small Wonders program include generating interest in and enthusiasm for the study of insects at the elementary school level; developing awareness of the role of insects in earth’s living system; improving skills in teaching about insects in classroom, lab, and field settings; and empowering teachers to seek out, design, implement, and evaluate appropriate resources for teaching about insects.
Presented by Project Leader Dr.Walter Goodman of the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the Madison Metropolitan School District.
This program offers hands-on activities for elementary teachers, provides information about insect rearing, and developing lesson plans and inquiry-based activities by supporting teachers through summer workshops, web-based media, and classroom visits. The Manduca Sexta would be used as a live model due to its inexpense of the housing requirements and the insects themselves, availability of eggs throughout the year, and anatomical structures are easily seen without the need for expensive equipment.
Some of the objectives for the Insects in the Classroom program include developing for teachers, a summer workshop to introduce insect biology and provide hands on experience in raising Manduca Sexta; revising the present Manduca website to provide information for teachers and students; and enlisting interested undergraduates and entomology majors to visit classrooms.
For more information: http://manduca.entomology.wisc.edu