Middle School Students
Lesson Plans Written
Phenology
Forest Plots
Microclimates
Climate Justice
Deliverables
Phenology
Phenology is the study of different life stages and cycles of plants. In this lesson plan, students learned to identify plant species using field guides, as well as identify which life stage the plant is in (budding, flowering, etc.). Students developed an understanding of the broad impacts of climate change on phenophases, and subsequent impacts on local and broad scale habitats.
Forest Plots
The Forest Plots lesson centers around students gathering data on tree diameter, height, and overall health. Students learned to identify Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, and Western Red Cedar. The main outcome of this lesson is an understanding of the importance of old-growth forests and monitoring them over the course of climate change.
Microclimates
Microclimates focused on having students gather data with thermometers to find how temperatures can vary within a small distance. This showcased microclimates to the students and taught them how to create a testable hypothesis.
Climate Justice
Climate Justice focused on the recent Holiday Farm fire that devastated the areas nearby H.J Andrews forest. Students developed an understanding of climate justice, relating to indigenous removal of the Kalapuya and Molalla tribes' land and subsequent consequences of poor land management resulting in the current devastating wildfires.