Classrooms Enhanced

A new spin on traditional outdoor education.

This year, due to COVID, outdoor and science education across the US has taken a major hit. Many students will not have the opportunity to participate in outdoor education experiences. We have started building a bridge for this gap. Our Classrooms Enhanced program does this by bringing outdoor education right to your school. This program includes three hands-on science lessons and an experiential field trip to apply what’s learned to real-world problems and scenarios. Designed around The Learning Cycle and Next Generation Science Standards, our curriculum is engaging, fun, and supportive of all learning styles and needs. If you or your school is interested in trialing one of our new units at a reduced cost, please contact our Partnership Development Director, Sheridan, at sstegner@boojum.org.

4th Grade: Energy and Natural Resources

Summary: In this unit, students will learn about what energy is and how humans produce electricity through the use of technological advances and natural resources. Students will get to build solar cars and/or windmills in order to measure their different electrical outputs and compare their efficiencies and shortcomings. They will discover what makes a resource renewable or nonrenewable and compare the pros and cons that come with using each resource. Students will participate in a 3-hour field trip to a local powerplant or energy production site to see first-hand the technology used in the production of today’s electricity. Finally, students will play a game that simulates the real-life competition for resources and how humans use of resources has had (and still has) a lasting impact on our environment.

Unit Lesson Breakdown

Lesson 1: Energy and Electricity – What is energy? In what ways do people utilize/harness it? (90 Min.)
Lesson 2: Renewable Vs. Nonrenewable – What makes a resource renewable or nonrenewable? Why are some resources better for energy production than others? (90 Min.)
Lesson 3 Field Trip: (Location TBD) – In what ways are people making a positive impact on the consumption of resources? What can we do as individuals to make a difference? (3 Hrs.)
Lesson 4: The Race for Resources – Why is there so much competition for resources? Is there a way to balance our need for resources and the impact we make on our environment? (90 Min.)

5th Grade: Hydrology

Summary: In this unit, students will gain a deeper understanding of how water cycles and moves through watersheds and the world. They will create and study models of The Water Cycle, watersheds, and storm drains. Students will also participate in a 3-hour field trip to a local water source within their watershed to test the overall health and quality of the water through basic chemical tests, looking for macroinvertebrates, and making scientific observations. Lastly, they will cover how humans have an impact on water sources and how to become water heroes of their communities by making small changes one step at a time.

Unit Lesson Breakdown

Lesson 1: Water and How it Cycles – How much water on earth is drinkable and accessible? How is the hydrologic cycle different from the water cycle? (90 Min.)
Lesson 2: Shedding Light on Watersheds – What are watersheds? How do people have an impact on them? (90 Min.)
Lesson 3: Field Trip: (Location TBD) – Is our local watershed healthy? Why or why not? (3 Hrs.)
Lesson 4: Becoming a Water Hero – What can we do as individuals to have a more positive impact on our earth’s water? (90 Min.)

To express interest and begin registering, please fill out the attached survey and someone will be reach out to you via email.