Educator Spotlight: Investigating Ecosystem Diversity

Zana Pouncey, an educator at a botanical garden, asked students to step into the shoes of botanists studying the diversity of native plants in an ecosystem. Following methods used by the garden’s conservation team, students practiced identifying plants and conducted diversity surveys. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Investigating Ecosystem Diversity

Educator Spotlight: Advocating for Wildlife Conservation

Charlie Pettitt empowered his English as a Second Language (ESL) students in China to advocate for an issue they cared about: wildlife conservation. When Charlie connected his lesson to a topic relevant to his students, they were more willing to speak up, practice their environmental vocabulary, and explore solutions. Charlie implemented this project with eighth-graders. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Advocating for Wildlife Conservation

Strategy Share: Conservation Lessons From Galápagos

I have been fascinated with the Galápagos Islands since reading Darwin’s On the Origin of Species as a college student. When I had the opportunity to explore the islands as a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, I naturally thought I would design a student project focused on evolution. However, observations I made while in Galápagos led me down a different path. Continue reading Strategy Share: Conservation Lessons From Galápagos

Educator Spotlight: Examining the Impact of Keystone Species

Wendy Threatt’s fourth-grade class learned about keystone species extinction by conducting research, hosting a guest speaker, and watching a video about a wildlife photographer. Students demonstrated their learning by creating keystone arches to identify connections between animals in an ecosystem. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Examining the Impact of Keystone Species