DNS Nature Unhooked Hybrid - Virtual Portion

Nature Unhooked is the middle-school unit in the Discover Nature Schools (DNS) series from the Missouri Department of Conservation. It covers all elements of aquatic ecosystems, from the properties of water molecules to the diversity of aquatic life, and how we conserve and enjoy Missouri’s aquatic ecosystems.

The “hybrid” professional development workshop format is divided into two parts. This “virtual portion” introduces important facets of the teacher guide and student materials including: Unit overview, organization of lessons and activities, assessments, alignment to the MLS and NGSS, and appendices. Outdoor field experiences, use of science notebooks, Project Based Learning component, obtaining teacher and student materials at no cost, and participation in the Nature Unhooked grant program will also be covered. Completion of this virtual portion is recommended prior to attending the Field Portion. A link to this on-line workshop will be sent by email a few days before the workshop date. Please check your spam/junk folder if you do not receive this.

Be sure to order your free Nature Unhooked curriculum materials prior to the workshop from the Teacher Portal since we will be referring to these during the workshop. Click on "DNS Order Form" to submit your request - allow 7-10 business days for arrival.

The second “Field Portion” of the workshop is to be conducted in-person, outdoors, at a field study location and date arranged with your local Conservation Educator. This section of the training will include an assessment of outdoor aquatic field experiences destination(s), utilization of science notebooks for data collection, practice with science tools and resources, and student management tips and techniques.

Participants who teach life science to more than 20 students and complete both portions of this hybrid workshop will become eligible to participate in the non-competitive grant program for equipment and field trips that support the unit.