Hands-On Curriculum
Bring STEM and STEAM learning into your classroom with hands-on teaching resources from the South Dakota Discovery Center!
South Dakota Grasslands Education Framework
The South Dakota Discovery Center is pleased to announce the publication of the South Dakota Grasslands Education Framework which will inform a coordinated and comprehensive approach to grasslands education for youth in South Dakota.
The South Dakota Grasslands Education Framework (Framework) was developed through a Conservation Collaborative Cooperative Agreement with South Dakota USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service. This effort convened education and technical experts to offer input on what high quality grasslands education should look like in South Dakota. The resulting Framework provides a common set of understandings which can be used to evaluate existing grasslands youth education resources and inform the development of new resources and initiatives.
One of the deliverables of this project was to use the Framework to evaluate existing resources to identify gaps. This first-pass review has shown that there is a need for curriculum that
- Aligns to the Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings
- Provides lessons and curriculum for kindergarten through second grade
- Integrates Career Exploration by mentioning or aligning to careers
- Can support student involvement in community action, service learning or citizen science opportunities.
Our recommendation is that future grasslands education initiatives should prioritize addressing these gaps.
We invite you to be part of the on-going conversation about grasslands, soil, water, air, and environment education by joining SD NREE (South Dakota Natural Resource/Relative and Environmental Education) network. You can subscribe to email group at SDNREE+subscribe@groups.io. Note that you will have to confirm your subscription request prior to acceptance.
Hands-on Curriculum and Lesson Plans
Our curriculum and lesson plans support science learning in grades K-12 running the gamut from short activities that enhance your classroom goals to full units that will cover a semester of study.
Please note:
Our curriculum and lesson plans continue to be added to and updates, so please contact us if you have any questions or can’t find what you are looking for. You can also email us at info@sd-discovery.org to let us know if there is a subject you suggest we develop resources for!
Hands-On Experiences
We focus on hands-on, experiential learning (learning-by-doing) to ensure high-quality class standards and lasting impact to help students find their STEM identity and hone their talents beyond school while developing college and/or career readiness skills (collaboration, creativity, communication and critical thinking) to grow a STEM workforce for South Dakota.
STEM Equity
We believe STEM is for all—every child (and adult) deserves access to hands-on science education. To ensure access, we structure learning so that everyone is engaged regardless of background or ability, and thanks to the generosity of local sponsors, we can provide scholarships and reduced fees.
Contact us at info@sd-discovery.org or visit the
Our Teaching Mission webpage to learn more.
STEMVentures Exploration Kits
Make sure that you also check out our STEMventure Exploration Kits! They make it easy for you to transform any informal or formal lesson into a fun, hands-on STEM learning opportunity!