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Place-Based Learning Activities
Learning Through Experiences
Place-based education immerses students in local heritage, culture, landscapes, and experiences; and then utilizes those activities as the basis for studying a variety of academic disciplines. This innovative teaching method strengthens students' engagement and commitment to their local environment and community. Explore this collection of free resources to integrate place-based education principles within your Flint Hills studies.Place-based lesson plans, teaching resources, and websites for studying the Flint Hills from local organizations.
| Lesson Topic | Resource |
|---|---|
| Agriculture, Wildlife | Kansas Ag in the Classroom Over 150 lesson plans related primarily to agriculture but some wildlife. Searchable by subject, grade level, or commodity. |
| Environment | Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education Promotes science-based, environmental education with workshops and conferences for teachers. |
| History | Kansas State Historical Society Teacher-made lesson plans on Kansas history, large variety of ready-to-use plans. |
| History | Read Kansas! - Kansas State Historical Society Social Studies, reading and writing lesson plans for K-12 correlated to state standards. Students use primary source materials, see multiple perspectives, and interpret complex text. |
| History | Territorial Kansas Online Lesson plans on Kansas history prepared by Kansas State Historical Society for grades 6-12. Emphasis on pioneer experience and territorial conflict over slavery issues. |
| Nature | Kansas Wildscape, Outdoor Kansas for Kids Promotes outdoor nature-related events for kids around the state. |
| Plants | K-State Herbarium - Flora of Your County Lesson Plan Familiarizes students with the KSU Herbarium collections database and how to use it, then they develop queries based on their own county’s flora. |
| Prairie Environmental Education Program | Dyck Arboretum Summer Institute An Earth Partnership for Schools program for K-12 teachers. Learn how to teach about the prairie and natural history of Kansas. Participants receive book of lesson plans. |
| Soil, Soil Life | Kansas Natural Resource Conservation Service, Guide to Soil Activities Lesson plans for K-6 with basic, hands-on activities and learning centers to teach soil composition, erosion, earthworms, and more. |
| Water, Rivers | Friends of the Kaw River Science Curriculum Entire Kansas-based river curriculum with numerous fully-developed lesson plans on a variety of water topics, can easily be adapted to Flint Hills rivers. |
| Wildlife | Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism Educational materials for preschoolers through adults to promote an understanding and appreciation for Kansas wildlife, wetlands, and other natural resources. |
| Wildlife | Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism, Outdoor Wildlife Learning Sites Grant program to fund construction of small wildlife habitat areas on school grounds. |
Place-based lesson plans and teaching resources on topics adaptable to the Flint Hills.
| Lesson Topic | Resource |
|---|---|
| Aquatics | Project WET Water education for teachers; features lesson plans, webinars, and extensive teaching resources. Goal is to advocate water education in solving world’s most pressing water issues. |
| Environment & Wildlife | Project WILD Active, outdoor, nature-based lesson plans; resource materials for students, and ideas for activities to get kids outside in natural places and learning. Many are free for download. |
| Geography, Map Making | National Geographic Education Diverse and multi-faceted map-making activities for students with tutorials. |
| Geology | US Geologic Survey Schoolyard geology; lessons on mapping your schoolyard, sedimentary rocks, and more. |
| Life Science, Earth & Space Science | Concord Consortium Free K-12 and above activities in biology, chemistry, earth and space science, engineering, math, and physics. Activities can be selected by subject or grade level. |
| Nature's Cycles | Partners in Place Project for children to observe nature and record changes and cycles over time in Phenology Wheel Booklet (PDF). |
| Nature's Cycles, Rain | University of Wisconsin Earth Partnership Program Thorough environmental lesson plans and sample activities from K-12 Curriculum Guide including adaptable Rain Garden activities and K-12 Phenology Wheel Curriculum. To access entire guide, you must take the Earth Partnership workshop offered at Dyck Arboretum. |
| Precipitation | Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network Lesson plans on precipitation including equipment and measuring, data entry, conservation, reading rain gauges, and history of the sky-observing climate. |
A collection of websites that offer additional learning around place-based education.
| Website |
|---|
| Discovering Place Examples of place-based student projects and activities. |
| Getting Smart: Place-Based Education Wealth of current articles, podcasts, program examples of place-based learning. |
| Promise of Place Defines place-based education and offers in-depth project descriptions cross-referenced for searches. |