Next Generation Science Standards
(NGSS) – Aligned Programs for Middle School
2024 – 2025
Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust in Woodbury is a regional leader in environmental education. We offer field-based programs for middle-schoolers to complement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Each of these programs is specifically designed to help prepare students to meet key grade-level NGSS performance expectations. Each can be incorporated into a unit plan or can stand as a self-contained lesson.
These immersive field-based programs are not only fun, but engaging, hands-on and authentic in a classroom of nature’s design.
A summary of our middle school programs is below.
NGSS programming is offered through district or school contracts, with the aim of providing whole grade levels the opportunity to share a common learning experience. For further inquiries and contact information, scroll to the bottom of this summary document.
NGSS PROGRAMS OFFERED BY GRADE LEVEL
Cycling of Matter in a Pond Ecosystem
Students engage in a discussion of energy flow through food chains and the important role plants have in the process. They observe microscopic views of cells from collected pond plants, identifying the cholorplasts where photosynthesis occurs. They visit a pond ecosystem, where in research teams, they collect, identify, and document the plant and animal life. Teams use provided references to construct a sample food web using their documented organisms showing the flow of energy through the pond ecosystem. In a final discussion students will consider consequences resulting from food web disruptions, and why a constant input of energy from light is needed for the ecosystem to be sustained. Time frame: 2 – 2.5 hours. Class size: 25 students. Available for fall and spring scheduling. NGSS connections: MS-LS1-2, MS-LS1-6.
Resource Availability and Wildlife Population Growth in a Forest Ecosystem
Students learn that animal population growth is limited by the resources available, as well as other factors, in the habitat. They examine the relationship between the gray squirrel population and several oak tree species, producers of one of the squirrel’s major food sources. They learn basic tree identification, with an emphasis on local oak trees, and how to estimate an oak’s output of acorns by measuring its diameter. In teams, students measure several trees in a designated study plot and use their data to determine the number of squirrels the trees can support. How would this number change during periods of abundance or scarcity, and why? What other factors might impact squirrel population growth? How is the relationship between oak trees and squirrels mutually beneficial? Time frame: 2 – 2.5 hours. Class size: 25 students. NGSS connections: MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2-2.
Maple Syrup – The Big Picture (Limited availability)
Students learn about the history of maple syrup production. At the Flanders Sugar House, they are provided with a demonstration of the evaporator to see how sap becomes maple syrup. Students learn about the Sugar Maple tree, how to identify it, and how to measure its diameter. In teams, they hike to a forested area, where their team challenge is to identify which of several tagged trees are Sugar Maples. For each one identified, they measure its diameter and determine if it is ‘tappable’. Next they are challenged to consider the role of the maple tree in its ecosystem. Finally, using the photosynthesis equation and team observations, the Flanders educator leads a discussion about what exchanges occur between the maple tree and the rest of the ecosystem and the importance of each. The educator sets up a microscopic view of leaf stomata to show how gas exchange between the maple leaf and the ecosystem occurs.
Time frame: 2 hours. Class size: 25 students. NGSS connections: MS-LS2-3, MS-LS1-2, MS-LS1-6.
Impact of Human Population Growth on Natural Resources
Human population growth impacts our environment in multiple ways. More people means the need for more things like food and housing, leading to an increase in consumption of natural resources. In this program, students engage in a discussion about human population growth then focus in on the impact that housing development has on the environment. Investigative questions include: How many board feet of lumber are needed to build a typical house? How do you measure the board foot volume of a tree? Working in research teams, they visit a selected site in our forest, measure the board foot volume of multiple trees, then use their data to estimate the board foot volume of a 100 -acre forest. Discussion questions include: How many trees would need to be harvested to build one house, and what are the environmental impacts of that? How sustainable is the timber industry in the United States? What actions can be taken to minimize the environmental impacts of timber harvesting? Time frame: 2 – 2.5 hours. Class size: 25 students. NGSS connection: MS-ESS3-4.
- Class size for NGSS field programs is approximately 25 students. In most instances, two programs can be provided simultaneously. The cost for each program is $18.00 per student. A $350.00 minimum applies per program
For questions regarding curriculum: please contact Eileen Reed, NGSS Program Coordinator at 203-233-9745 or eileen@flandersnaturecenter.org.
To register for a program: call Amber McDonald, Educator/Administrator, at 203- 263-3711, Ext. 12
