For the past six summers, teams of teachers have met in Superior, Wisconsin, to kick off a week of watershed exploration. From tracking lake sturgeon and sampling cyanobacteria to monitoring water quality, they were immersed in the science and conservation of Lake Superior, the town’s namesake and the largest surface of freshwater in the world.
Educators left the Rivers2Lakeoffsite link Summer Institute energized to share local, hands-on science experiences with their students, but back in the classroom, the realities of the busy school year set in. “I was overwhelmed when I left the institute,” said one teacher. “I loved everything I was exposed to, … but I was intimidated because I knew I had a scope and sequence back in my classroom and didn’t know how to make what I learned at the institute fit.”
Deanna Erickson, education coordinator at the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserveoffsite link, was determined to find a better way to support teachers. She knew she had a successful program on her hands. Before Rivers2Lake, there was extensive scientific research taking place in the community, but little connection to local schools. Rivers2Lake filled that gap in 2012, supported over the years by NOAA’s Great Lakes B-WET (Bay Watershed Education and Training) program and Wisconsin Sea Grantoffsite link. But it was clear that the program would need to go further to make sure that students gained the full benefit of their teachers’ participation in this award-winning experience.
Continue reading at NOAA.
Image via NOAA.