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Abstract
Our program seeks to introduce middle school students to a range of STEM topics and careers. We planned and enacted a five-lesson unit themed around the contributions of trees/green spaces to ecological and community health. Humans thrive in ecologically healthy communities; however, not all communities have access to healthy ecosystems. Students were introduced to basic ecology tools and concepts, investigated urban parks to make ecological and sociological observations, and analyzed and interpreted the data for shared patterns of interest. The centerpieces of this unit were field work in parks where we followed a question-driven, observational study with scientific investigations into the effect of tree canopy on surface temperature, followed by independent student research to create final products allowing students to blend creativity, technology, and their newly acquired ecological understanding toward making a lasting impact.
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS
Handout to guide students’ schoolyard investigations in Lesson 1.
Handouts for students’ notebooks that accompany Lesson 2 during field work.
Directions and questions for each station and instructor’s guide.
Five-star reviews to help students summarize their analyses.
Rubric for evaluating student work.
Supplementary data for this article can be accessed online at https://10.1080/08872376.2024.2363109
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Yelena Janumyan
Yelena Janumyan ([email protected]) is an instructor and Zachary C. Conley is an instructor, both with the Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach (CSEO) at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Heidi Carlone is the Katherine Johnson Chair of Science Education, Hannah Hayeon Ziegler is a graduate student, Tessaly Jen is a graduate student, Liwei Zhang is a graduate student, and Jingyi Chen is a graduate student, all in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt University Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee.
Zachary C. Conley
Yelena Janumyan ([email protected]) is an instructor and Zachary C. Conley is an instructor, both with the Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach (CSEO) at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Heidi Carlone is the Katherine Johnson Chair of Science Education, Hannah Hayeon Ziegler is a graduate student, Tessaly Jen is a graduate student, Liwei Zhang is a graduate student, and Jingyi Chen is a graduate student, all in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt University Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee.
Heidi Carlone
Yelena Janumyan ([email protected]) is an instructor and Zachary C. Conley is an instructor, both with the Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach (CSEO) at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Heidi Carlone is the Katherine Johnson Chair of Science Education, Hannah Hayeon Ziegler is a graduate student, Tessaly Jen is a graduate student, Liwei Zhang is a graduate student, and Jingyi Chen is a graduate student, all in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt University Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee.
Hannah Hayeon Ziegler
Yelena Janumyan ([email protected]) is an instructor and Zachary C. Conley is an instructor, both with the Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach (CSEO) at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Heidi Carlone is the Katherine Johnson Chair of Science Education, Hannah Hayeon Ziegler is a graduate student, Tessaly Jen is a graduate student, Liwei Zhang is a graduate student, and Jingyi Chen is a graduate student, all in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt University Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee.
Tessaly Jen
Yelena Janumyan ([email protected]) is an instructor and Zachary C. Conley is an instructor, both with the Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach (CSEO) at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Heidi Carlone is the Katherine Johnson Chair of Science Education, Hannah Hayeon Ziegler is a graduate student, Tessaly Jen is a graduate student, Liwei Zhang is a graduate student, and Jingyi Chen is a graduate student, all in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt University Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee.
Liwei Zhang
Yelena Janumyan ([email protected]) is an instructor and Zachary C. Conley is an instructor, both with the Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach (CSEO) at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Heidi Carlone is the Katherine Johnson Chair of Science Education, Hannah Hayeon Ziegler is a graduate student, Tessaly Jen is a graduate student, Liwei Zhang is a graduate student, and Jingyi Chen is a graduate student, all in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt University Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee.
Jingyi Chen
Yelena Janumyan ([email protected]) is an instructor and Zachary C. Conley is an instructor, both with the Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach (CSEO) at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Heidi Carlone is the Katherine Johnson Chair of Science Education, Hannah Hayeon Ziegler is a graduate student, Tessaly Jen is a graduate student, Liwei Zhang is a graduate student, and Jingyi Chen is a graduate student, all in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt University Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee.