Overview

Kimberly Harper, a high school science teacher, created this lesson to help students explore how one change to Earth's surface can create feedbacks that drive changes in other systems. Using Wyoming-based stories and data, students analyze local climate projections, examine snowpack and temperature trends, and investigate how environmental shifts shape Wyoming's communities and landscapes.

Take a closer look at Kimberly's project poster HERE

Goals

  • Analyze data to identify feedbacks and system interactions
  • Strengthen student skills in data interpretation and evidence-based reasoning
  • Use Wyoming-based resources to explore how local changes reflect broader Earth system dynamics
  • Encourage students to connect scientific inquiry with human experience and community context

Implementation & Outcomes

  • Implemented with 9th-12th grade Earth Science students
  • Students used a Wyoming Water Stories StoryMap and Fact Sheets created by University of Wyoming Researchers (see below for links) to analyze local climate trends and connect them to community stories
  • The StoryMap portion of the lesson has four parts: graph interpretation, project interpretation, stakeholder story reflections, and creating students' own water story
  • The Factsheet portion of the lesson include two worksheets with analysis questions

Resources & Links

Contact for More Information

For more details about this program or to learn how to incorporate similar activities in your school, please reach out to the TRKE program coordinators.