Before developing your own Nature Boxes, visit a local
nature center or park to learn more about the area’s natu- ral history. Ask yourself what is unique to your region. For example, is there a geological formation that could be used when teaching about rocks and minerals? Find out the name of the watershed your school is located on, and the names of nearby creeks, streams and rivers. What is the history sur- rounding these features? It is important to become familiar with the natural history of your particular region, as this is essential to making learning place-based. After the investigations are complete, it is time to create
your own Nature Boxes, which can be shared amongst teach- ers and stored safely for future use. Here at the Cibolo Nature Center & Farm, our Nature Box lesson plans were developed to follow the 5E Instructional Model (i.e. Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate). Our center is home to a restored tallgrass prairie that we manage utilizing a variety of techniques, including prescribed burns. Tallgrass prairies are an extremely complex and endangered ecosystem and we are fortunate to have an example of one locally. The following is a step by step example of how we pres-
ent Cibolo Prairie Nature Box. If grasslands are indigenous to your region (and they generally are in some form), you will only need local modifications to use much of the fol- lowing information. Usually, the Nature Box presenter will begin the lesson during a 45 minute classroom visit and then leave the teacher with all of the materials needed to com- plete the lesson over the next few days.
Engage Each of our Nature Box sessions begin with students view-
ing a map of the Cibolo Nature Center to see where the prai- rie is located. This enables students to make connections between the lesson and their community. When creating your own boxes, collect maps from the places you visit and notate where students would find the concepts being taught. For example, if you are discussing a specific creek be sure to show students where in their community the creek runs. Students are then presented with a variety of items from
the prairie such as pressed and laminated plants, actual grass samples, and photographs of the prairie and its’ ani- mals. We also use the “Life in the Cibolo Tallgrass Prai- rie” poster developed by a local artist because it shows the variety of life present in a tallgrass prairie. Additionally,
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children are encouraged to touch and feel a real bison pelt. A lively discussion usually occurs about all that might be found in the prairie. This is an excellent opportunity to reinforce important vocabulary words such as herbivore, carnivore, predator and prey. Instructors often post the unit vocabulary words on the board prior to the lesson and rein- force these words throughout the session. The instructor might choose to then read an age appro-
priate book or short story about a prairie ecosystem, such as “A Sea of Grass” by David Dvorak Jr.1, or “A Day on the Prairie” written by elementary students in Long Grove, Illinois2.
Explore (Hands-on Centers) Grass Center: In this center, students observe samples of the
“big four” grasses that dominated North American prairies in the past and currently grow in the local prairie (Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Indian grass, and Switchgrass). Samples of the four grasses are laid out on the table so that students are able to touch and feel them. Additionally, students have lami- nated photos of the grasses growing wild in the tallgrass prai- rie at the nature center. Using the “What Does a Grass Look Like?” activity from the Texas Prairies curriculum, children attempt to identify the individual parts of the grass samples they are viewing. Utilizing a nature journal or observation sheet, students write about and illustrate their observations. Food Webs of the Prairie Center: Students look at the
“Life in the Cibolo Tallgrass Prairie” poster and other lami- nated images of a tall grass prairie ecosystem3. Using this information, students create a simple food chain/web as a group. If age appropriate, they will then write a brief para- graph in their journals describing their food webs. Another option for older students, is to illustrate their own food webs, based on the information provided. Indigenous Peoples and Bison Center: Students study
the relationship between the prairie and indigenous groups and the bison through short, developmentally-appropriate informative pieces and laminated photos gathered online (see the Resources section for suggested readings). It is also a good idea to study the history of your region and look for literature that is relevant to your area’s indigenous groups. Students can read as a group or independently. After read- ing, students answer guided questions in their journals such as: How did the bison help the prairies? How did the aborigi-
GREEN TEACHER 109
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