Resources for Rethinking (R4R.ca)

The Top R4R Picks box has been providing educators exemplary classroom resources connected to our Step Outside Nature Guides since its inception. Now, the resource type icons have been added to the Picks box, making it easier for educators to identify the type of resources they'd like to view.

With these resources, educators can expand the happenings in nature from a factoid into an engaging and exciting lesson or unit. Resources include outdoor activities, which encourage teachers to bring students into the school yard to discover the local flora, fauna and climate events.

With future support, we will provide guides for each of Canada's geographic regions, ensuring teachers have more locally relevant and accurate nature happenings to explore with their students.

Example of success story (see http://resources4rethinking.ca/en/step-outside/success-stories for complete story):

• Students commented about how the role they were in changed the way they looked at the area around them. I presented the questions they asked which I had recorded and invited the students to respond to some of the questions in role as a scientist or poet. The resulting work showed an amazing variety of text forms and art styles.  Poetry ranged from the classic acrostic poem, through haiku, rhyming and free verse. Poets had the opportunity to learn about specific poetry forms through small group instruction, the web and seeing various examples in anthologies. This poetry was accompanied by an equally diverse variety of visual art ranging from watercolour landscapes, impressionistic pastels to realistic sketches.

Thank you for supporting Step Outside and Resources for Rethinking. With your support, students are getting to experience and build a relationship with nature. Do you remember playing in nature as a kid? Remember how much fun you had? Wouldn't it be great if all kids had the opportunity to see nature up close and be excited by it. With Step Ouside and your support, that's exactly what happens. Improving engagement leads to better learning.

Links:

• Resources for Rethinking
• Step Outside Nature Guides
• Latest Nature Guide