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Originally appears in the Fall 2019 issue.
By Suzanna Joor
“Are you KIDDING ME?!? We get to touch real earthworms?! I thought we would read about them, not touch them!” A first-grader reacts to the first earthworm observation day in class after learning a few earthworm facts. Hands-on interactions with organisms such as earthworms never fail to create high levels of student excitement, engagement, learning, observations, and inquiries.
“I wonder why this earthworm is going crazy and that one looks lazy.”
“Look… I can see the dirt this one ate!” “Why is this one more see-through than that one?”
As children look closely at natural organisms, it doesn’t take long to witness a flurry of diverse observations and questions. Promoting student inquiries and exploring a range of questions are core components of student-driven science explorations. In my practice as an elementary school teacher, one challenge I face is identifying how to organize new outdoor science investigations. Thankfully, there is a powerful framework to promote student-led inquiries that was created by scientists and educators at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA. This teaching tool is aptly titled Q.U.E.S.T.1
Questions and observations: Student questions are generated by initial observations of the study topic.
Uncover comparative questions: Students learn how to identify and ask comparative questions (e.g., compare organisms in different environments or different times of day, or organisms’ reactions to different stimuli).
Explore predictions: Students learn how to make and record educated predictions.
Start an action plan and gather data: Students create a step-by-step action plan, identify and gather needed supplies, and plan logistics for their outdoor science study.
Think hard about the findings and share discoveries: This is the “So what?” stage. What does this data mean? Why does this matter? What did we learn? How can this guide us to be better environmental stewards?
This model follows the scientific method and has inspired multiple outdoor studies that have been featured in a children’s science magazine and television program, titled Dragonfly Magazine and Dragonfly TV, respectively.
Why take students outside?
Connecting students with nature through hands-on activities is important, especially since the last few decades have shown a sharp decrease in the time children spend outdoors.2 Children’s notions of “nature” and where wild animals live often lead them to name faraway locations. With US-based children, Africa and the Amazon are common examples. Furthermore, children’s conversations about nature commonly turn towards climate change and plastic islands floating in the middle of the ocean rather than the cool bug, leaf, or bird’s nest found outside their home or classroom. As tempting as it may be to rally kids to “save the Earth” with regards to daunting challenges, it can be counterproductive. If we don’t balance these messages with hope-provoking stories and lessons on tangible ways to help address our collective concerns, it causes anxiety and promotes a sense of hopelessness.3 There is also a pervasive view that nature will take care of itself and is separate from the control of humans. Amid all of these barriers, what can we do as educators?
Take students outside. Connect outdoor sessions with curriculum requirements to foster in children a strong sense of place and love for their local surroundings. The more connected students become to their local environment and the more they adopt sustainable habits and strategies throughout all disciplines, the more likely they are to become environmental stewards in their local communities.4,5,6,7
Why earthworms?
Earthworms’ importance to soil health in many ecosystems has been recognized for more than a century, so the worms are considered important bioindicators of soil quality. They are responsible for soil development through recycling organic matter, aerating the soil, and creating natural drainage passageways, which prevent erosion and allow for nutrients to be transported from elsewhere.8 The three common earthworm species found in North America’s Pacific Northwest, Red Wigglers (Eisenia fetida), Red Marsh or Leaf Worm (Lumbricus rubellus), and Nightcrawler (Lumbricus Terrestris), are considered helpful to soil ecology.9,10
The following series of lessons is used in a first-grade class in Seattle, Washington, where the students began the year studying the importance of living and nonliving things in the environment. This unit and another on the study of weather, properties of water, and the water cycle set the foundation for our study of ecosystems later in the year. Each of these units provides opportunities for students to discuss and plan how people can take action as environmental stewards.
Suzanna Joor has been teaching for twenty years, eighteen of which have been with highly capable and gifted children in independent schools. She uses assessments to challenge each child to reach her/his potential and to think critically and creatively, while having fun. Integrating Math, Art, Language Arts, and social-emotional learning into Science and Social Studies units is one of her strong suits. Ask her about special celebrations of learning such as Ecosystems Day or the Inclusive Playground.
References:
1. Myers, C. et. al (N.D.) Dragonfly QUEST Leaders Guide: Leading Teams of Young Investigators on Astounding Expeditions. Project Dragonfly (c) www.masters.projectdragonfly.org
2. Louv, R. (2006). Last child in the woods : saving our children from nature-deficit disorder. Chapel Hill, NC : Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2006.
3. Thomas, G. J. (2018). Pedagogical frameworks in outdoor and environmental education. Journal of Outdoor & Environmental Education, 21(2), 173–185. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-018-0014-9
4. Boehnert, J. j. (2015). Ecological Literacy in Design Education. Formakademisk, 8(1), 1-11.5. Clayton, S. & Myers, G. (2009). Conservation psychology: Understanding and promoting human care for nature. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, (15-33).
5. Clayton, S. & Myers, G. (2009). Conservation psychology: Understanding and promoting human care for nature. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, (15-33).
6. Kudryavtsev, A., Stedman, R. & Krasny, M. (2012). Sense of place in environmental education, Environmental Education Research, 18:2, 229-250, DOI: 10.1080/13504622.2011.609615
7. Orr, D. (2005). Place and Pedagogy. In M. Stone & Z. Barlow (Eds.), Ecological Literacy: Educating Our Children for a Sustainable World (pp. 85 -94). San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
8. Butt, K., Grigoropoulou, N. Basic Research Tools for Earthworm Ecology. (2010). Applied and Environmental Soil Science. Vol. 2010, pp. 1-13.
9. Lavoipierre, F. (2009). Garden Allies: Earthworms. Pacific Horticulture. Vol. 70, No. 1.
10. Kalu, S., Koirala, M., and Khadaka, U.R., Earthworm population in relation to different land use and soil characteristics, (2015). Journal of Ecology and the Natural Environment. Vol 7(5), pp. 124-131
11. Llewellyn, D. (2007). Using questioning skills in inquiry. Inquire within: Implementing inquiry-based science standards in grades 3-8 (pp.201-214) (2nd) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.
12. Gautier, N. (2017). Developing a Curriculum Framework for Field Studies Using Experiential and Environmental Education Theory. Science and Mathematics Teaching Center. University of Wyoming: Wyoming Scholars Repository. Spring 5-13-2017. SMTC Plan B Papers.
13. Goodlad, K., & Leonard, A. E. (2018). Place-Based Learning across the Disciplines: A Living Laboratory Approach to Pedagogy. Insight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, 13150-164.
14. Lowenstein, E., Grewal, I. K., Erkaeva, N., Nielsen, R., & Voelker, L. (2018). Place-Based Teacher Education: A Model Whose Time Has Come. Issues in Teacher Education, 27(2), 36–52. Retrieved from: https://proxy.lib.miamioh.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid,cpid&custid=s9002934&db=eric&AN=EJ1185420&site=eds-live&scope=site