The ability of our northern Indigenous peoples (Inuit, Iñupiaq, and Yupik) to survive and thrive in the Arctic depends significantly upon underlying chemistry and chemical principles. Here, we explore four of these connections, then show how the Indigenous experience can be incorporated into science and chemistry courses. To accomplish our goals, we have have knitted together the Indigenous experimental knowledge and cultural background of two Inuit science students with the depth and breadth of chemistry knowledge of a teaching-focussed chemistry professor. Their combined investigations resulted in a series of published articles explaining the chemistry underpinning many aspects of Inuit life in the Arctic. Then we provide commentaries of the experiences of two high school science teachers who have incorporated this work into their chemistry and science classes in very different teaching environments. We contend that incorporating contextualized Indigenous content is important for two main reasons. Making chemistry more relevant for Indigenous students will spark their interest in the subject, make them feel valued, and possibly proceed to further science studies. Incorporating Indigenous-relevant chemistry for the wider population of students will enable them to appreciate the sophistication of an Indigenous culture and add an additional dimension to their chemistry studies.

Science classrooms are most engaging when students have the opportunity to engage in the practices of scientists. Unfortunately, many attempts to incorporate science into the classroom are disconnected from real scientific practice. When classroom science is divorced from genuine scientific research, collaboration also suffers. Students may sometimes collaborate with each other during traditional labs at school, but too often, the end goal is simply for students to see what the instructor wants them to see. Citizen science, however, gives students the opportunity to help scientists with real-world research projects. In a well-designed citizen science project, no one knows what the results will be! This creates the conditions for further collaboration: between students and teachers, between students and professional scientists, and even between students and the general public. Gung ho for Ginkgo (Enthusiastic for Ginkgo) is a citizen science project in which students help scientists by counting cells in online microscope images. Then students graph their data, analyze their graphs, and write about their results. Furthermore, the project could provide insight into the impacts of future climate change.

Researchers have long called for integrating socio-scientific issues (SSIs) in science instruction, recognizing the importance of connecting science learning with societal challenges. Our proposed three-day unit design addresses SSIs in secondary school science classrooms. We present the implementation of SSIs by showcasing an issue related to solar energy and land use. By incorporating real case issues from a Midwestern state in the US, students immersed themselves in a relevant local problem. We design role-play activities and a town hall meeting to engage students in multiple perspectives of the issues. This design centers the students' ideas and invites them to (1) act out as residents of the proposed solar farms, (2) think as experts in solar energy, such as electrical engineers and environmental scientists, and (3) share their viewpoints in town hall meetings. We follow the 5E instruction model (engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate) and dramatic inquiry approach to support the students in making evidence-based decisions and becoming responsible citizens. This SSI unit design serves as inspiration for secondary science teachers to incorporate interdisciplinary pedagogy in their curriculum to enhance students’ scientific literacy and promote meaningful science learning.

Providing more equitable pedagogies to all students, including those who are traditionally underrepresented, is a high priority of science education. In this paper, we outline how we coupled Indigenous Ways of Knowing with investigations about plant phenology, or the timing of plant development, a trait that is expected to shift with a warming climate. We paired the investigations with lessons that allow secondary students the opportunity to explore the cultural significance of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), a host plant for the iconic and threatened monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). In our teaching, we specifically investigate the effect of milkweed phenology, or the timing of development, on species interactions. From teaching students in a variety of contexts about milkweed phenology and species interactions, we have learned that the topic is engaging and accessible to many students. We find that coupling inquiry with explorations of the cultural significance of milkweed deepens students learning and generates opportunities to compare Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Western Science and to learn how they can work together to assess the impacts of climate change.

One of the goals of the Next Generation Science Standards is to make science accessible to all students, which includes students with disabilities such as blindness and visual impairments (BVI). However, educators of students with BVI have limited experience providing scientific investigations for this population. Carabajal et al., ( 2017) and Miles et al. ( 2022), have shared research that provides information and accommodations for students with BVI learning Earth Science. While challenging, teachers willing to facilitate science instruction with modified and assistive tools will help ensure the success of their BVI students in the classroom.

Freshman general science students already know the atom is composed of a nucleus containing protons and neutrons with electron circling the nucleus. This hands-on modeling lab allows students to visualize and discover the electrons mass is far less and negligible compared to the nucleus. They probably have been told this in previous science classes through memorization.

All students should have opportunities to investigate issues related to their personal interests and community priorities. Teachers value these goals but often lack materials that follow students' meaningful questions about phenomena while meeting standards. This article highlights strategies for developing materials that address standards rigorously and engage diverse student interests and community priorities. The strategies include choosing meaningful phenomena, building relevance, supporting understanding of how human systems shape phenomena and problems, and enabling equitable participation through educative guidance in materials. We illustrate these strategies by highlighting how a consortium of educators and researchers created the OpenSciEd instructional materials for high school, presenting examples of how they are reflected in courses in biology, chemistry, and physics. These materials use a storyline model centered on students’ questions about phenomena and addresses all high school NGSS performance expectations. The article also discusses how teacher teams can adapt these strategies to their local contexts, using resources like student surveys, Universal Design for Learning, and community-based investigations to make science education more inclusive and relevant for students from nondominant groups and communities.

Teaching Through Trade Books