Overview

A team of elementary science teachers (Josh Cox, Liz David, Andrea Hayden, Kelli Petrick, and Becky Qualm) developed this collaborative statewide project. The goal was to give students authentic, place-based experiences by working with real weather data and connecting to students in other schools who were doing the same. Third-grade students across Wyoming collected and analyzed weather data to identify patterns, and evaluate solutions to help reduce the impacts of local weather hazards. The project fostered collaboration among schools, increased data literacy, and strengthened students' sense of connection to communities across the state.

The team's overview of this activity is linked HERE. Scroll down to the Resources & Links section of this page to check out their specific materials.

Goals

  • Collect and analyze local weather data to identify patterns and changes over time
  • Use shared datasets to compare and contrast weather conditions across Wyoming communities
  • Evaluate solutions that help reduce the impacts of local weather hazards
  • Develop data visualization, interpretation, and communication skills
  • Build community and collaboration among student scientists statewide

Implementation & Outcomes

  • Implemented with 3rd grade students from Buffalo, Evanston, Jackson, Laramie, and Pinedale
  • Students collected local weather data daily and contributed to a shared spreadsheet
  • Students analyzed graphs to identify patterns and compare them to other communities
  • Classes applied findings to real-world decisions (e.g., festival planning, approaches to building snow structures, reducing hard-packed snow piles)
  • Increased motivation and connection through student-collected, place-based data
  • Strengthened statewide collaboration among teachers through shared resources and lesson exchanges
  • Future plans include continuing to collect and add to their data for students to use in their analysis and creating a lesson bank for continued collaboration

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 at smtcpd@uwyo.edu.