Designing a Scientific Study is a lesson plan created by 2000 HOST Teacher Deanna Smith-Turnag Objectives To define a question, then undertake a scientific study to answer the question. Location and Time ClassroomTIME REQUIRED: Initial set-up time is approximately 1 hour Teacher Preparation Before the project, spend some class time reviewing the scientific process.  What is supposed […]

20 Questions is a lesson plan created by 2000 HOST Teacher Deanna Smith-Turnage.   Objectives  To learn how to make observations To learn how to ask questions that are testable To learn how to work in cooperative groups To learn how to form an hypothesis This lesson is designed so students can make observations of their natural […]

Objective To encourage and train participants to develop a habit of documenting their observations and impressions of their environment and introduce the convention of creating a field notebook  Rationale For centuries, naturalists have kept field notebooks containing detailed field observations. Their thorough written accounts have become invaluable inspirations that stimulated many scientific revolutions. One notable […]

Objective To encourage and train participants to develop sensible questioning skills and inspire creative, self-directed scientific inquiry that will attempt to answer or offer an explanation to the question  Rationale Many people feel intimidated and awkward asking questions for fear of being perceived as unintelligent, slow or an annoyance. On the contrary, “intelligent” individuals are […]

Objective To develop and enhance sensitivity to the aromatic intimations of nature Rationale Humans are capable of identifying tens of thousands of chemical scents, but describing them is a difficult task. There is nothing more primal a sensation than olfaction. Because of the proximity of olfactory receptor cells and its association to the limbic system, […]

Objective To enhance spatial awareness and sensitivity to visual intimations of nature.  Rationale Just like ACTS, Awareness & Connection Through Intimate Visual Experience (ACTIVE) proffers participants an opportunity to experience nature via the environment’s visible intimations. This activity aims to enhance the participants’ attention to detail, especially the unique characteristics of each object. Location and […]

Objective To enhance spatial awareness and sensitivity to aural intimations of nature.  Rationale Awareness & Connection Through Sounds (ACTS) is designed so that participants can develop awareness of their environment using their sense of hearing.  In a technological world where ears are seemingly flooded with endless bustles, individuals have often become inattuned and unable to differentiate sounds.  […]

ACTION is a series of lesson plans created by 2000 HOST Teacher Farr Niere.   Just as the broad title suggests, Awareness & Connection Through Intimations Of Nature (ACTION) is created to increase the ecological awareness and connection of participants through nature’s intimations. By enabling students to experience a natural setting, ACTION achieves several aims: to enhance a […]