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U-M divers retrieve 8,900-year-old piece of wood from Lake Huron
Annarbor.com (12/12)
University of Michigan researchers announced they have found a 5 1/2 foot long, pole-shaped piece of wood that is 8,900 years old in Lake Huron.
Internationally renowned ‘Ocean Doctor’ to speak in Grand Rapids
MLive.com (2/3)
Known as the “Ocean Doctor,” David Guggenheim will speak in Grand Rapids, Mich., about the many similarities between the threats to the oceans and to our Great Lakes.
SSC students taking part in marine science bowl
Arenac County Independent (1/31)
Teams of Michigan high school students will be heading to Ann Arbor this weekend to take part in the annual Great Lakes Bowl, a quiz event that focuses on questions about marine and freshwater systems and biology.
No aquarium for Windsor
CBC News (1/31)
Aquariums in Cleveland, Toledo, and Chicago prove to be too much competition for Windsor.
Clarkson receives $1.4 million to study contaminants in Great Lakes fish
North Country Now (1/31)
Clarkson University has received $1.4 million to monitor formerly untraceable contaminants to water supply by studying the effects on fish in each of the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes scientists educate communities; put research to work
Great Lakes Echo (1/26)
At the Lake Superior Estuarine Research Reserve, scientists study the usual Great Lakes issues – invasive species, pollution, habitat loss, and climate change. This research is then taken directly to the community, addressing local issues.
What's going on in your neighborhood this month? Meet other people and learn together at recreational and educational events! Our new dynamic calendar is updated daily with current educational events.
Purpose
The purpose of this site is to facilitate teaching about the Great Lakes and its fisheries. The clearinghouse identifies teaching materials that currently exist on these topics (as of September 2005) and seeks to help individuals select from among these materials by offering professional reviews based on content and environmental education guidelines. Free lesson plans from each of the reviewed materials can also be accessed, all of which have been aligned with Michigan science education benchmarks. Lastly, the clearinghouse offers a forum for exchanging resources and ideas on Great Lakes and fisheries education.
- To promote Great Lakes and fisheries education through facilitating access to and selection among existing teaching materials on these topics.
- To c ontribute to building community among those interested in Great Lakes and fisheries education through providing a means for sharing resources and ideas.
K-12 teachers and non-formal educators
Secondary Audience
Developers of teaching materials and other supporters of Great Lakes and fisheries education
How were the teaching materials listed on the site identified, selected, and reviewed?
To identify teaching materials with a focus on the Great Lakes and its fisheries, we reviewed bibliographies of education resources, searched the Internet and requested identification of relevant materials via list-serves, and consulted with leaders in Great Lakes and fisheries education. We reviewed materials which met the following selection criteria:
- They cover one or more of the concepts identified by the Great Lakes and fisheries education content guidelines.
- They are designed for youth or can clearly be adapted for youth.
- They are interactive (i.e. require thought or action); i.e. they are not just a reference or support material.
- They are at least 10 pages long, i.e. they are not a brochure or a single activity.
One reviewer with a professional background in Great Lakes and fisheries education reviewed all of the selected materials. This reviewer assessed how well each material covered eleven different content issues ranging from fish habitat, pollution, and biodiversity to promoting stewardship and fisheries careers. For each issue, the reviewer determined the percent of concepts covered as related to each issue and weighted these by how extensively they were covered.
The following assessment scale was based on the final distribution of scores for the eleven issues which ranged from 0 to 60%:
| - | content not covered |
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limited coverage (i.e., 1-12%) |
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fair coverage (i.e., 13-24%) |
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moderately good coverage (i.e., 26-36%) |
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good coverage (i.e., 37% and above) |
The quality of the materials’ pedagogy based on environmental education guidelines was assessed similarly with:
| - | no indicator present for a particular guideline |
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limited number of indicators present (i.e., 1-34%) |
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fair number of indicators present (i.e., 35-54%) |
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moderately good number of indicators present (i.e., 55-74%) |
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good number of indicators present (i.e., 75% or more) |
How were the free lesson plans selected and aligned with Michigan science education benchmarks?
The developer of each teaching material was contacted and asked to provide one free lesson illustrative of their resource. These lesson plans were then reviewed by four Michigan-certified K-12 teachers with a background in Great Lakes and science education. The teachers were asked to independently identify the Michigan science education benchmarks with which they felt the lesson plans aligned. The benchmarks listed for each lesson plan are those identified by at least three of the four teachers.
Why were the lesson plans aligned with Michigan science education benchmarks?
Based on available funding it was possible to align lessons plans with one set of standards for one Great Lakes state. Because all of the lesson plans had a science education focus, this particular set of standards was the most appropriate. Michigan was selected because the funding source of this site, the Great Lakes Fishery Trust, focuses its efforts on this Great Lakes state.
Funded by: 
Teacher's Corner was produced by the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources & Environment with funding from the Great Lakes Fishery Trust. For more information, contact: Dr. Michaela Zint, Project Leader.
This section of TEACH was made possible through the work of:
Steering Commitee membersGreat Lakes Commission staff
School of Natural Resources and Environment students