Need something different to teach population dynamics? Try using this 13 minute video in your class.

This summer Patrick and I paddled to Isle Royale National Park. Isle Royale is an absolutely amazing place and the perfect example to use when teaching kids the basics of population biology. It is 400 square miles of wilderness in the middle of a frigid lake and it is absolutely loaded with animals. The wolf and moose populations there are the focus of one of the world's longest running studies of large animal populations. We filmed on the island and Patrick used the footage to make a 14 minute movie to teach my students about population dynamics and an amazing place where science happens.

We had a ton of fun making the movie and would love to share it with other teachers out there. I will soon post the lesson plans for the predator prey simulation lab that followed the movie in class. Click on this text to view the movie. Please drop us a line and let us know what you think! We had a ton of fun making the movie and would love to share it with other teachers out there. I will soon post the lesson plans for the predator prey simulation lab that followed the movie in class. Click on this text to watch the movie on vimeo. Please drop us a line and let us know what you think!

Mr. Reedy's Voyage to Isle Royale from Patrick Hanlon on Vimeo.

Teacher's Philosophy

Science teachers need to see themselves as scientists. This would represent a major shift in the way that we approach science education in this country. Science is not a body of knowledge, but rather a process and a way of looking at the world. When science teachers actively engage in research they sharpen their own skills, get in touch with the wider world of science, and inspire their students. Simply put, when teachers do science they are able to teach kids how to do science.

When I began getting involved in research, it changed my entire approach to teaching and learning. Click on this text to hear the talk describing my first research project outside of the classroom, a 1000 mile expedition by kayak on the Mississippi River. The project spilled over into the classroom and changed my thinking on what the high school science classroom could and should be.