Using Wyoming-Based Stories & Data to Understand Change

Overview

Kimberly Harper, a high school science teacher, created a lesson series rooted in stories of Wyoming's changing water. Using Wyoming-based stories and data, students analyze local climate projections, examine snowpack and temperature trends, and investigate how environmental shifts shape Wyoming's communities and landscapes.

Kimberly's overview of this activity is linked HERE. Scroll down to the Resources & Links section of this page to check out her specific materials.

Goals

• Analyze data to identify feedbacks and system interactions
• Strengthen student skills in data interpretation and evidence-based reasoning
• Use Wyoming-based resources to explore how local changes reflect broader Earth system dynamics
• Encourage students to connect scientific inquiry with human experience and community context

Implementation & Outcomes

• Implemented with 9th-12th grade Earth Science students
• Students used a Wyoming Water Stories StoryMap and Fact Sheets created by University of Wyoming Researchers (see below for links) to analyze local climate trends and connect them to community stories
• The StoryMap portion of the lesson has four parts: graph interpretation, project interpretation, stakeholder story reflections, and creating students' own water story
• The Factsheet portion of the lesson include two worksheets with analysis questions

Resources & Links

• Wyoming Water Stories StoryMap
• Wyoming Water Stories StoryMap Student Guide Part 1
• Wyoming Water Stories StoryMap Student Guide Part 2-3
• Wyoming Water Stories StoryMap Student Guide Part 4
• Factsheet 1: How much warmer will Jackson Hole become in the 21st century?
• Factsheet 1 Analysis Questions
• Factsheet 2: What will happen to snow around Jackson Hole in the 21st century?
• Factsheet 2 Analysis Questions
• Check out this Data Check-In Post for more ideas on how to use StoryMaps in the classroom
• Check out this Factsheet Post for more ideas on how to use them in the classroom
• TRKE StoryMap Resource List

Contact for More Information

For more details about this program or to learn how to incorporate similar activities in your school, please reach out to the TRKE program coordinators at smtcpd@uwyo.edu.