A major requirement of the NSF GK-12 Graduate STEM Fellowship experience is for graduate fellows to create a research-based lesson plan to communicate their research to K-12 students. As a USM GK-12 Connections in the Classroom: Molecules to Muscles (C2M2) graduate fellow, I developed and taught a hands-on lesson and led a field trip to introduce the basics of prescribed fire and longleaf pine ecology to minority Biology I high school students at Hattiesburg High School. Lesson plan development was guided by the 5 E’s of inquiry-based learning with consideration for state and national science objectives. Prior to the field trip, I led a day’s class to prepare students for the field. I supplied a worksheet to introduce the fire triangle and facilitate discussion of attitudes about forest fire, demonstrated burning of different forest fuels, and presented a short lecture on plant and animal adaptations to fire in the longleaf pine forest. For the field trip, I designed a scavenger hunt intended to focus observation of the forest and reinforce ecology concepts and vocabulary. Additionally, I created an exercise using simple equipment to compare plants, animals, soil, and physical properties of burned versus unburned areas of the forest.
Results/Conclusions
By creating this lesson plan, I gained experience designing an inquiry-based lesson that met teaching objectives and curriculum requirements. In my future career, I will apply these skills to design college courses and outdoor educational programs. I intend to share this lesson with other teachers and schools through the remainder of my graduate work and it will become part of the offerings of the education outreach program of the University of Southern Mississippi’s Lake Thoreau Environmental Education and Research Center. Further research will include collection of data to assess student learning. The Longleaf Pine Fire Ecology lesson plan and supporting materials are available on the USM C2M2 GK-12 website.