Model Inquiries into Nature in The Schoolyard
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Helping teachers use their schoolyards to lead effective science lessons, helping students develop scientific and critical-thinking skills, and helping anyone look more closely into the natural world right outside their door !
MINTS is an outreach program of the Virginia Tech Museum of Natural History.
MINTS was developed to respond to teachers' request for information on local natural history in southwestern Virginia and for training in inquiry teaching methods.
Inquiry-based science activities in the schoolyard are the focus of The MINTS Book (An Inquiry Field Guide to the Natural History of Southwesterm Virginia Schoolyards). The book provides background information on common schoolyard plants and animals. It also includes many suggested "lines of inquiry" for guiding students through schoolyard science lessons. The content is based on habitats commonly found in schoolyards, such as a lawn and a parking lot. The book focuses on southwestern Virginia, but many of the topics are applicable throughout Virginia and in other states. If you are interested in ordering a copy of The MINTS Book, please contact MINTS Book/VTMNH at 428 N. Main Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0542; (540) 231-3001 or email: jtrumbo@vt.edu
MINTS workshops instruct teachers in how to use The MINTS Book, help them gain confidence in teaching science, and enable them to design their own inquiry-based lessons. Workshops are held at the museum in Blacksburg or at school sites. Group workshops can be arranged for school faculty, for a class of pre-service teachers, or for other educators. Teacher recertification points are available upon request to your principal.
MINTS supports many Virginia Science Standards of Learning. In addition, MINTS has received three national recognitions. First, the project was one of 20 selected nationwide for presentation at the 1993 Forum for School Science. Second, MINTS was included in Promising Practices in Mathematics and Science Education 1995, published by the Eisenhower Regional Consortia for Math and Science. Finally, MINTS was listed in the 1996 Guide to Math and Science Reform, published by the Annenberg Foundation and the Coroporation for Public Broadcasting.
Here you can find a sample from The MINTS Book about Goldenrods