ABSTRACT
Professional learning opportunities for teachers of science have revolved more and more around the Next Generation Science Standards. The cross-cutting themes in the NGSS, too, provide teachers with new ways of thinking about curriculum and organizing instruction. The Beaver Island Institute provides teachers with the time, space, and experiences to rethink their approach to writing in science by immersing them in scientific inquiry and leading them through a variety of approaches to teaching writing. Teachers will study ecosystems, technology, and strategies for integrating reading, writing, critical thinking into the classroom. By counting the total number of species in each plot, participants can see patterns of biodiversity emerge from the shore to the tree line. While they often predict that biodiversity of plants in any plot would increase as they near the tree line, the data shows that diversity is highest in the middle of the dunes, which is a well-demonstrated scientific phenomenon, the “intermediate-disturbance hypothesis.”
