GEMS faculty and graduate trainees co-develop curriculum materials with professional K-12 science teachers. GEMS education and outreach activities, such as the Translating Science course and GEMS Institute summer workshops, served as engines of initial development, testing, and feedback in the ongoing development of these curricula.
Published K-12 Curriculum
These materials are published on Google Drive and ready for you to use! All of our materials have been tested by teachers in classrooms.
How does our water get messy?
Status: Published
Developed by Nick Leonardi and Darienne Ciuro Sanchez
Connects to GEMS research by Carla Caceres
In this curriculum unit, middle school students explore the phenomenon of harmful algal blooms. Through their investigation, students engage in science practices to examine interdependent relationships in ecosystems, and how resource availability affects populations of organisms. In the central investigation, students plan and carry out investigations to determine what factors (e.g., concentration of fertilizer) cause algae to grow, and figure out how dead zones can impact aquatic ecosystems. After making sense of their data, students return to the original lake phenomenon and determine what their data do and do not tell them about the algal bloom in the lake.
Where does our food waste go?
Status: Published
Grades: Upper Elementary (4th-5th)
Developed by Julia Poel & Tiffany Clark
Connects to GEMS research by Rachel Whitaker
During this unit, students figure out how much food is wasted and its environmental consequences. Through students’ investigation, they evaluate the differences between anaerobic and aerobic conditions for decomposition and consider how this relates to decomposing food in landfills and composts. Through their work, students figure out how composting can reduce the harmful consequences of food waste in landfills and use their investigation findings to develop a strategic plan to reduce food waste in their community. Students also engage with how food waste and compost can be connected to food apartheid, making connections between science and justice.
Curriculum and Instruction graduate students and local elementary school teachers helped develop this unit. We piloted the unit during the 2023-2024 academic year in elementary classrooms in Illinois and New York City.
Units in Development
We are actively developing and testing these materials. Contact us if you are interested in piloting these materials in your classroom.
What makes soil healthy?
Status: In development
Grades: High School (9th-12th)
Developed by Chloe Yates, Annika Bagazinski, & Joan Jach
Connects to GEMS research by Meghan Blaszynski
This unit includes earth, life, and agriculture science performance expectations that allow students to think through the many different aspects of soil health (erosion, soil microbes, plant-bacteria symbiosis, soil nutrients, nutrient cycling) and how we measure soil health.
Why do pollinators matter?
Status: In development
Grades: Elementary (3rd-5th)
Developed by Julia Poel & Tiffany Clark
Connects to GEMS research by Adam Dolezal
In Why do pollinators matter?, students explore pollinators’ roles in maintaining community health. Throughout the unit, students investigate differences between wild bees and honey bees and how their habitual differences affect how much they are impacted by the overuse of harsh herbicides and pesticides. Additionally, students figure out how bees pollinate different plants and the symbiotic relationship between bees and flowers. In a culminating project, students consider how they can balance the need for farm chemical use and also the need for conservation space for pollinators. In evaluating this balance, students develop a strategic plan to support pollinator life in their local community.
Curriculum and Instruction graduate students and local elementary school teachers are helping develop this unit.
Where does our food waste go?
Status: In development
Grades: High School (9th-12th)
Developed by Julia Poel & Joan Jach
Connects to GEMS research by Rachel Whitaker
During this unit, students figure out the environmental consequences of food waste and explore composting as a possible solution. Through students’ investigation, they explore the consequences of anaerobic decomposition in landfills and investigate what makes a compost healthy. Students also explore the impact of healthy compost on plant growth. In a culminating action project, students develop a strategic plan for implementing a successful citywide composting system.
Curriculum and Instruction graduate students and local high school teachers are helping develop this unit.
Related Curriculum
If you’re interested in GEMS science curriculum, you may also like these materials from the same developers!
Project Microbe
Status: Published
Grades: High School (9th-12th)
Connects to GEMS research by Rachel Whitaker
Students investigate how Carl Woese and his research partners used molecular methods to discover the Archaea domain through an exploration of the technological advances that led to the current three-domain tree of life. After observing live microbial communities from a Winogradsky column, students develop a model of the matter and energy cycles within ecosystems that can be applied to biological communities, micro or macro. Through reading adapted scientific articles, students develop science literacy skills and discover the critical role of microbial communities in human health and development. Finally, students model the stability and change of these microbial ecosystems by analyzing published data on the effects of antibiotics on the native microbes of the human microbiome.