Teaching Elementary Science and Engineering Outside

Two students in GED-695 survey a stream running through the SMC Natural Area, replicating place-based inquiries for elementary-level science classes.

Remember summer? I’ll wait. It is currently below zero and I can barely remember flowing rivers, bright green plants, and the hot sun.

But that is what I am sharing with you today. Last summer, students in the GED 695, Teaching Science and Engineering in the Elementary Classrooms were engaged in some Inquiry Based learning of their own. In this intensive summer course, students participated in a series of inquiry based labs, one of them being a field session at the Teaching Pavillion and the Natural Area, as a perfect platform and homebase for environmental education and inquiry. 

Students met in their classroom at Saint Ed’s and walked over to the Teaching Pavillion, where they engaged in a Sit Spot activity, spreading out to sit on their own and observe nature in action for 10 solitary minutes. They then shared their observations and connected to phenology, or noticing and documenting the changes in nature through the seasons. Next, students played a series of environmental education games useful in teaching big ecology concepts. We played  Oh Deer! and Bat and Moth. Lots of running around, laughter, learning, and connections were made in the summer sun.

Then we headed to three watery locations in search of macroinvertebrates and a question, is this water healthy or not, and how do you know? An inquiry that could be replicated in most elementary school settings within a short walk or trip. Students used nets from the biology department, ice cube trays, and tweezers to investigate what they found, and compared it to tables and identification charts to develop their claims. One group squealed (okay, maybe that was me) when they found a tiny baby snapping turtle among the macros. All students were engaged, participating, and having fun. 

All students in GED-695 pose for a photo under the roof of the Teaching Pavilion in the SMC Natural Area.

We headed back to St Ed’s with these graduate students having new activities to use with students, but most importantly, a mindset of possibility– they know how to integrate environmental and place based education into their local contexts!

What is better than getting your hands wet and seeing a tiny baby snapping turtle?