Since 1991, Archbold Biological Station has included environmental instruction for elementary schoolchildren as a part of its activities. Over 10,000 students have participated in this outdoor environmental education program. Each year, virtually every 4^th grade student in Highlands County completes prepared classroom material on scrub ecology and participates in a full day of outdoor activities during a field trip to Archbold. One of the program’s strengths is that the Education staff has easy access to Archbold’s research programs and facilities and, as a result, is able to convey recent scientific findings to students.

Although the program has been very successful, one field trip for each Highlands County 4^th grade student was not enough. The Education staff who developed this curriculum (Nancy Deyrup and Charlotte Wilson) wanted to do more. We wanted to reach more students and teachers and make Archbold education products available in other regions of Florida with scrub habitat. We wanted to give teachers ideas and expanded material so they could further develop their instruction and provide students with enhanced opportunities to learn outside. We wanted students throughout the state to be more involved with hands-on science exploration and to discover, from first-hand experience, many of the organisms and interactions that make an ecosystem—especially Florida scrub—so outstanding. These were the motivating factors that led us to develop Discovering Florida Scrub; a guide to exploring science in a native ecosystem.

This curriculum is designed to serve as a bridge between the interesting and complex world of science, the needs of busy teachers, and the learning styles of curious students. The goal of the curriculum is to give teachers and students a deeper understanding of science and the practice of science, and a greater appreciation for the Florida scrub.

The specific objectives of this curriculum are to provide science activities that:

• Increase teacher and student understanding of ecological principles such as predatory/prey relationships, food webs, microhabitats, and adaptations.
• Convey the principles of the scientific method to teachers and students.
• Increase teacher and student knowledge of the scrub—a unique Florida ecosystem.
• Provide teachers with scientific tools and techniques appropriate for 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grades that will enhance student understanding of how science is conducted.
• Show how science can be integrated with other subjects, such as language arts and math.
• Increase the use of inquiry-based, action-oriented learning by students in the classroom and on field trips.
• Encourage teachers to take their classes out in the field more often by providing the structure needed for outdoor learning.
• Increase the use of collaborative learning, including teamwork and discussion, among students.
• Enable teachers to use this curriculum to meet their needs for science, math, and language arts education by providing cross-references between this curriculum and the Sunshine State Standards.
• Increase student interest in, and attitudes towards, ecology and science.
• Increase positive attitudes among teachers and students about the need to conserve and protect the Florida scrub and other native ecosystems.

• The Florida scrub is a unique ecosystem with extraordinary species and features that make it a dynamic and interesting system in which to explore science. The major factors that affect scrub organisms, such as sand and fire, are both fascinating and relatively easy to understand.
• We could capitalize on the extensive knowledge collected by Archbold on the scrub ecosystem—making it one of the best understood systems in the state.
• Third, increasing community-wide understanding that protecting endangered habitats such as Florida scrub is important and perhaps critical to their preservation.

However, it is important to realize that many of the ideas behind these projects, such as the significance of soil types and drainage or the relationships between producers, consumers, and decomposers, apply to other Florida ecosystems. Furthermore, this curriculum is not a comprehensive overview of scrub ecology. We chose to focus on plant and animals that would most likely be present regardless of how big or intact a scrub site might be. Almost all of the activities focus on plants and invertebrates. Vertebrates are not highlighted for several reasons. Most scrub mammals are nocturnal. Because they spend the day in their burrows or nests, scrub mammals can be very difficult to observe directly. In addition, there are no activities involving fire. Although fire is an important feature of Florida scrub and working with fire is an outstanding educational experience, it is not recommended for schoolchildren!

One of the main goals of this curriculum is simply to get students out in the scrub with their eyes wide open. Who knows what they will see? Perhaps something that no scientist has ever noticed. They will certainly see many organisms and phenomena not mentioned in this curriculum. Each time your students see something new, they have the opportunity to ask their own questions and, with your guidance, to find interesting ways to answer these questions.

Please fill out our evaluation form Any curriculum is a work in progress and is in constant need of refinement and refreshment. We are very interested in your views of how well this curriculum works. Please let us know. We will post educator feedback along with curriculum updates and changes on our web site www.archbold-station.org.