Whether we believe it or not, we all love a good story. Stories are all around us.. In the movies, on our bookshelves, history class, the library, our friend on the other side of the phone, our grandparents lap, and in our pictures. It’s no surprise that one of the greatest ways to interpret is to tell stories.
We have recently been challenged with the task of teaching environmental science to middle schoolers in an exciting and fun way. The topics include soil and water health, invertebrates, microorganisms, protists and bacteria. Making this fun for a 7th grader seems almost impossible.
Enter the power of a story. The class will start with a message over the intercom- a volcano in Yellowstone has erupted. Sirens and lights will begin going off in the classroom. A cloud of volcanic ash is heading towards Roper Mountain and we need YOUR help to figure out how this will impact the soil, water, and organisms here. The students will be working against a count down clock, trying to figure out how to save our precious resources before the cloud gets here. They’ll perform a variety of tests to assess the health of our soil and water and what would happen if they were covered in ash. What resources would be taken away from the diversity of animals that call Roper Mountain home? It’ll be up to them to figure it out and save the environment from this disasater!
This lesson begins at the end of March, so stay tuned for my next blog post to see how it works. 🙂 Storytelling really is such a powerful way to engage students and get them involved in the learning process, rather than just sitting back and listening.
NAI - The Sunny Southeast Region 