Loanable Science Kits
Articles/Websites
Grades3, 4, 5Science
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Sea Grant Illinois-Indiana
What it is
- This website provides information on 10 educational kits related to water that are available to reserve through the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant program.
- Many hands-on opportunities for learning, data collection, and data analysis are presented in the kits.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The kits are adaptable to many grade levels, and the majority can be used across grade bands 3-5.
- There are clickable links on the website to a variety of lesson plans that can be used to teach about water quality, invasive species, sustainable farming, and more.
Prerequisites
- Teachers will need to travel to either Chicago or Des Plaines to pick up and return the kits.
- There is a form to fill out to request a kit which requires at least a 7 day waiting period, so advanced planning is essential to make sure the kit is available.
- Lesson plans and implementation guides are only available for two of the kits: Know your H2O and the Limno Loan Program. All other kits will require the teacher to devise ways to implement the kit into their curriculum.
- Students will need background knowledge of the connections between climate change and water quality prior to engaging with these kits.
- Students should understand the availability of water on the planet and that amount of water currently is considered a constant.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Graphing the amount of water on Earth in a pie chart and then breaking it down into freshwater and saltwater, as well as the reservoirs for each, can be very helpful in solidifying the urgency of protecting freshwater sources.
- Some of the kits can be used as an anticipatory set to a unit. Data can be collected and examined and then connected to climate change.
- Many of the kits can be used as culminating activities to a unit of study on natural resources or the water cycle.
- Teachers can use this ready-to-go lesson on watersheds prior to reserving a kit.
- Students can learn more about being part of solutions to climate change through citizen science programs in Illinois using this website.
- As an extension, students can propose and design solutions to water quality improvement.
From the scientist review
This resource is a collection of science kits for educators to borrow for lessons. All the kits are related to water in some way but cover various topics, from aquatic invasive species to pollution to watershed basics. All topics can be connected to the climate and climate change because the entire water system is affected by climate change. The information presented is accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
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