Nature Unhooked
Nature Unhooked includes a student book, science notebook, and teacher guide to help middle-school students learn about the role of water in an ecosystem.
Join the Missouri Department of Conservation for an immersive professional development experience that brings Missouri’s aquatic science curriculum to life.
During this training, educators will be guided through the Nature Unhooked curriculum for grades 6–8, gaining the knowledge and confidence to implement hands-on, inquiry-based lessons aligned with Missouri Learning Standards and NGSS. Participants will receive curriculum materials and learn how to incorporate outdoor learning, student investigations, and project-based experiences into their classrooms.
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.
This training is for 6-8 science teachers. The curriculum has detailed lessons in the Nature Unhooked Teacher Guide engage students in exploring the properties and effects of water in the environment, interactions in aquatic ecosystems, and the importance of practicing conservation.
DNS Unhooked Strafford ONLY
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. Tour of Field Experience site location and rotation activities was conducted on a different date.
The Discover Nature Schools (DNS) program, Nature Unhooked, is a curriculum of 6 units designed for 6th-8th grade students with hands-on, outdoor learning that focuses on water properties and Missouri aquatic ecosystems including weathering and erosion, food chains, organism roles and interactions, as well as macroinvertebrate sampling, water quality testing, and water pollution engineering. The curriculum is aligned with Missouri Learning Standards (MLS) in science, including life, physical, earth and space, and engineering practices.
The Discover Nature Schools (DNS) program, Nature Unhooked, is a curriculum of 6 units designed for 6th-8th grade students with hands-on, outdoor learning that focuses on water properties and Missouri aquatic ecosystems including weathering and erosion, food chains, organism roles and interactions, as well as macroinvertebrate sampling, water quality testing, and water pollution engineering. The curriculum is aligned with Missouri Learning Standards (MLS) in science, including life, physical, earth and space, and engineering practices.
Nature Unhooked Student Book features illustrations and activities that help middle school students (grades 6-8) understand, appreciate, and conserve Missouri’s waters. Detailed lessons in the Nature Unhooked Teacher Guide engage students in exploring the properties and effects of water in the environment, interactions in aquatic ecosystems, and the importance of practicing conservation.
The Discover Nature Schools (DNS) program, Nature Unhooked, is a curriculum of 6 units designed for 6th-8th grade students with hands-on, outdoor learning that focuses on water properties and Missouri aquatic ecosystems including weathering and erosion, food chains, organism roles and interactions, as well as macroinvertebrate sampling, water quality testing, and water pollution engineering. The curriculum is aligned with Missouri Learning Standards (MLS) in science, including life, physical, earth and space, and engineering practices.