Instructor Stories and Adaptations

These resources describe how the module was adapted for use in different settings. We hope these stories inspire your own use of the module and give you insight into how to adapt the materials for your classroom.

Sue DeBari: Geology and Everyday Thinking at Western Washington University - This module was used as one of the final modules in a quarter-long course developed specifically for pre-service elementary teachers. The course is part of a yearlong constructivist science sequence (no lecture) that begins with 'Physics and Everyday Thinking', and may be followed by similar quarter-long courses in biology, geology, and chemistry. This course focuses on transfer of matter and energy in Earth systems while developing the process of doing science. The previous modules in the course were about solid Earth processes driven by Earth's internal energy, so this module was a way to purposefully focus on surface processes driven by the hydrologic cycle (Sun-driven) and link them back to those solid Earth processes. It was also a way to help students think about how humans interact with the hydrologic cycle and surface processes. The course meets three times per week in two-hour increments, and has a maximum of 24 students per class. The five units were completed in 5 class periods (10 hours).

Kyle Gray: Investigations into Earth and Space Science at the University of Northern Iowa - This module was used in a semester-long Earth and space science content course designed specifically for students with a declared major in elementary education or early childhood education and who are working toward a minor in science education. Before taking this course, all students completed a prerequisite semester-long content course that covered material from geology, meteorology, and astronomy. To graduate, students are also required to take two similar introductory courses in physical science and life science. Investigations into... used a spiraled approach by revisiting many of the concepts covered in the previous class at a deeper level and introducing new concepts such as the effects of large asteroid impacts on humanity and identifying hazards from volcanoes and earthquakes and predicting the impacts on local communities. Both classes were taught from a constructivist perspective in which the students interact with the target concepts using real-world data when possible. Each course met for five hours a week (1 hour and 50 minutes on Mondays and Wednesdays and 50 minutes on Fridays) in a laboratory setting with no scheduled lecture. The section of Investigations into... that piloted this module had only 15 students, which is smaller than most sections of this course. Because there is no lecture in this course, this module was implemented over a two-week period as part of a larger unit on surficial Earth processes.

Julie Monet: Concepts in Earth & Space Science at the California State University - Chico - The module was used over two weeks in an Earth and space science course designed for future elementary teachers. This is a required course for students who are primarily in the Liberal Studies program. There is a smaller population of students from the BA in Natural Sciences program. The lab component of the course meets twice a week; each class runs for 1 hour and 50 minutes. All lab sections have 24 students. In addition, students from all lab sections come together for a 50-minute lecture once a week. This module is not designed to be taught in a lecture format and therefore I only implemented the materials during lab. After the first time of teaching the module, I revised it to fit over a two-week time frame and used only Units 1-4, with each activity fitting within a 1-hour and 50-minute time frame.

Learn more about using InTeGrate modules and courses

Additional Instructor Stories

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Michelle A. Fisher: Using Interactions between Water, Earth's Surface, and Human Activity in Biology for Majors at Three Rivers College
Michelle Fisher, Three Rivers Community College
Over a 6-week period, I incorporated the "Interactions between Water, Earth's Surface, and Human Activity" module into the ecology section of my Biology for Majors course to allow students to assess the interdependence between the abiotic and biotic world. Through use of the module, the study of geosciences was connected to the study of ecology and to the grand challenge of river flooding that occurs in our region.

Rachel Pigg: Using InTeGrate Materials in Survey of Life at Presbyterian College
Rachel Pigg, University of Louisville
My nonmajors biology students enjoyed the new content provided by three InTeGrate modules: (1) Interactions between Water, Earth's Surface, and Human Activity, (2) Climate of Change, and (3) A Growing Concern. Elements and exercises from all three were interleaved into existing course content, which greatly enhanced student engagement in lecture and lab.

Dr. Edith Davis: Using InTeGrate materials in GLY 2001 – Earth & Space Science 001, 002, and 003 at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Creating a Thirst for more knowledge about the Earth's Interface between Water, Earth's Surface and Human Activity. I used InTeGrate Modules and Courses >Interactions between Water, Earth's Surface, and Human Activity > Unit 1: Hydrology Cycle Module to Enhance my Earth Science classes. One of the world's major challenge the management of fresh water. Fresh water is one of the most precious commodities on Planet Earth. The InTergrate Hydrology Cycle Module enable me to give the students a REAL WORLD Experience in the class room. Water is one of the most precious resources on Plant Earth and Nations will rise as well as fall partly based on their source of water."

Also Related to Interactions between Water, Earth's Surface, and Human Activity

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Water and Food Sustainability
Feb 15 2017 Water and food are critical to human life, but the quality and supply of these substances is not consistent throughout the world. Guiding students through activities that focus on agriculture, water resources, river systems and food access can help them see where their lives intersect local or national/global issues of water and food sustainability. This webinar will highlight teaching strategies and examples using data-driven teaching activities and place-based learning to help students analyze data and give them relevant issues to anchor their knowledge. Chris Sinton, InTeGrate module co-author, will discuss examples of how to get students to work with large datasets and consider regional issues related to crop and irrigation patterns from the "Water, Agriculture, and Sustainability" module. Cynthia Hewitt, co-author of the "Food as the Foundation of Healthy Communities" module will focus on food access as a starting point to build interdisciplinary awareness of the nexus of food with energy and water systems in sustainable communities. She will also discuss innovative collective learning to introduce systems thinking at the intersection of social science and science-based inquiry. Mark Sweeney, co-leader of the University of South Dakota Implementation program "Sustainable Rivers", will share how place-based learning related to river processes can be infused across the liberal arts curriculum. The webinar will include 30 minutes of presentations and 25 minutes of discussion. Participants are encouraged to both ask questions of the presenters and discuss their own experiences regarding water and food sustainability.

Transforming Teacher Preparation to Teach for Sustainability
Jun 2 2016 This webinar will provide an opportunity to learn from faculty and staff who are using InTeGrate teaching principles and materials as a vehicle for transforming teacher preparation. Anne Egger is an InTeGrate project leader, team leader/editor of InTeGrate's teacher preparation modules. She and Ed Geary are leaders of the Washington State STEM Teacher Preparation Implementation Program. Kathryn Baldwin, Kyle Gray, and Scott Linneman are authors of the InTeGrate teacher preparation modules, Soils, Systems, and Society, Interactions between Water, Earth's Surface, and Human Activity, and Exploring Geoscience Methods, respectively. Together, the speakers will address the alignment of InTeGrate principals with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), demonstrate how to use InTeGrate modules to transforming teacher preparation, and how this topic extends to STEM teacher preparation in general. The webinar will include 35 minutes of presentation and 20 minutes for discussion. Participants are encouraged to both ask questions of the presenters and discuss their own experiences on the subject.

InTeGrate 101: How to incorporate InTeGrate classroom materials into your courses
Dec 8 2017 In this free, one-hour webinar participants will be introduced to the large collection of InTeGrate teaching materials and provided with strategies to incorporate activities into their own college classrooms. These data-rich activities provide up front learning outcomes, embedded assessment tools, and instructor stories from a variety of institution types. Following a brief overview of how the InTeGrate materials were designed, we will navigate through the online collection and examine several specific activities that use active learning strategies such as jigsaws, role-playing, and gallery walks. Several module authors will also join us and give brief overviews of highlights of their modules.

Using InTeGrate Materials in K-8 Teacher Preparation
Sep 27 2017 In this webinar, we will discuss the structure and adaptability of InTeGrate interdisciplinary materials and how they (1) address content and skills that can be aligned to NGSS and (2) model inquiry-based instruction. The webinar includes and overview of the resources available and examples of how they have been used in a variety of courses and at a variety of levels. In addition, the webinar will provide participants with an opportunity to explore a module and ask questions about methods of adaptation.

Adapting InTeGrate Materials to Best Effect
Oct 13 2015 Interested in using InTeGrate materials, but not sure where to start? Join us for this webinar, led by Anne Egger (Central Washington University), to learn about how to effectively utilize InTeGrate materials in your classroom. The webinar will highlight recently developed, thoroughly tested, data-rich activities that provide learning outcomes, embedded assessment tools, and instructor stories from a variety of institution types.

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