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be supporting the shifts in students' understanding of the nature of science more
broadly, in relation to traditions of students' community-based practices, histories,
and knowledge.
The learning environments
. A significant focus of our project was the creation
of curricular units by the Chicago and Menominee CBD teams. The curricula
were relationally driven, place-based and problem-based, involving locally mean-
ingful interventions focused on ecosystems. They were organized around the global
idea that we (humans, other animals, plants) are all related (see Cajete, 1999,
2000; Kawagley, 2000; Chinn, 2007). The curricula included a breadth of con-
tent concerning plant and aquatic life through a series of hands-on experiences
(e.g,. cutting down invasive buckthorn from forest), guest speakers (e.g., elders
and professionals working in relevant fields), and “labs” (e.g., testing pH lev-
els of water samples). At the AIC we used the medicinal garden surrounding
the building as an anchor and then branched out to various local neighborhoods
to identify and experience urban ecosystems, local forest preserves, and lake-
front restoration sites. On the Menominee reservation our focus was on the forest
and waters but the program included activities like visiting the Menominee water
treatment plant which maintains its own laboratory for water quality testing.
Another specific element of the curriculum is the inclusion of culturally based
stories that convey some knowledge about nature, primarily stories about plants
and animals.
The following is a brief vignette that exemplifies the kind of activities that were
designed and implemented. Although there are some particulars to this activity,
generally our designers followed a similar structure and logic for all of the activities.
The Chicago program was based on plant ecology and organized around the
big idea that everything is related. Each student “recognized their relatives” by
engaging in close study with one medicinal plant species that was in the medici-
nal garden surrounding the AIC. Students “remade a relative” by interacting with
the same plant daily in a variety of ways that were integrated into other activities.
For example, part of the summer program involved learning about invasive species.
One activity was centered around understanding European buckthorn's (an inva-
sive species) impact on local forest ecosystems. We went to a local forest preserve,
accompanied by forest preserve staff (practicing scientists) where buckthorn is dam-
aging the health of oak trees (and thus the forest canopy) and ultimately the entire
health of the forest ecosystem.
Upon arriving at the forest preserve, students were first introduced to the history
of the preserve and Native peoples' relationships with the forest before European
contact. Through this history students were introduced to their community respon-
sibilties to the forest and to the respectful protocol for entering into special places.
They were also asked to locate their plant relative in the forest. After each stu-
dent located their plant we gathered together to learn about buckthorn from the
plant's perspective (including its history in the area) in order to strategically clear
(cut) some of the buckthorn. Students learned appropriate community-based proto-
cols for cutting down these plants, safe and proper use of tools, as well as species
identification strategies at various stagies in a plant's life cycle.
