DNS Nature Unhooked Middle School Aquatic Unit

Nature Unhooked is the middle school level aquatic unit of the Discover Nature Schools program and is aligned with the Missouri Learning Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards. Emphasis of this unit is on student-centered and collaborative investigations of the properties of water, water cycle, biotic energy flow, biodiversity, and human impacts on aquatic ecosystems. A Project Based Learning component is also included in this unit. This workshop will cover lessons and activities from the unit as well as an outdoor, experiential approach to student learning. All materials will be provided.

This portion of the training will include Teacher Guide walk through, intro to teacher portal and digital teacher guide, DNS Grant administrative process and reporting requirements, MDC Video series on Benefits of Nature Education, Conducting Field Experiences, Science Notebooking and Macro Invertebrates.  Certification in this curriculum will be completed during tour of field experience site location and rotation activities, as arranged with the instructor.

Participants in this workshop who will be teaching this unit to 20 or more students will become eligible to participate in the non-competitive grant program for equipment and field trips that support effective implementation of the unit.