Teachers and outreach professionals in Earth science all state that a major issue for society is the ‘disconnection’ between the general public, especially the present student generation, and the natural world. Strong Earth science education can bridge this gap, yet Earth science courses in elementary and secondary school programs across Canada are few and far between, especially at high schools. Where specialist Earth science credits are offered in high school, they are optional courses and taken by a relatively small number compared to other sciences. We accept that without a radical change in our education systems, specialized study of Earth science will most likely always be a minority subject. For many years, EdGEO has successfully supported teachers of these Earth science courses, but it was perceived that an alternate approach was needed to achieve EdGEO’s goals of increasing the understanding of all students about the Earth and how it works. To do this required a broader audience, so our target became courses which are either compulsory for all students or offered more widely than specialized Earth science designated credits. The springboard for this strategy came from projects already having impact in the United Kingdom: the Joint Earth Science Education Initiative and the Earth Science Education Unit [http://www.rsc.org/Education/Teachers/Resources/jesei/ and http://www.earthscienceeducation.com].

The development of the resource and the implementation of the workshop was part of an overall plan developed at a workshop of Earth Science Outreach experts that took place at the Geological Association of Canada meeting in Yellowknife in 2007 (Nowlan and Schreiner 2007). At that meeting of more than thirty Earth science education and outreach experts, it was agreed that we should try to ‘wedge’ Earth science into Canadian science and social studies curricula. Over time, the term ‘wedging’ was considered unnecessarily aggressive, but the need for making Earth science examples available to high school teachers remained a priority. Therefore, the idea behind Putting the Earth into Science was to provide a resource document containing Earth science-related activities for biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics curricula in grades 9–12 across Canada. The teaching material would be introduced to the target audience through professional development workshops. To this end, EdGEO applied for, and received, a grant from the Canadian Geological Foundation ($13 500) to support the development of materials by one of us (Stella Heenan, an Ontario-based geo-physicist and educator). This was supplemented by generous support from Natural Resources Canada for the execution of the workshop and field trip. The printed documents that constitute the resource can be viewed and downloaded at http://www.edgeo.org/images/pdf/putting-the-earth-into-science/putting-the-earth-into-science.pdf.

The first step in choosing student activities to be included in the resource was to establish a series of fundamental Earth science literacy statements: what are the far-reaching concepts that all individuals in society would benefit from understanding? Based on material from the Earth Science Literacy Initiative (see www.earthscienceliteracy.org), these statements are:

• The Earth is a complex system of integrated and interacting subsystems.

• Earth scientists use many tools to observe and study the Earth.

• Earth is a dynamic entity that changes over time.

• Evidence of the Earth’s past environment and climate is recorded in many places.

• Information and observations of the present-day Earth are used to understand past events.

• Many natural processes are cyclic and repeat over time.

• Natural processes are continuously changing the landscape around us.

• Natural processes affect the environment and people.

• Understanding Earth systems can help mitigate the negative effects of human activities.

• We use natural resources to create almost everything around us. Anything not developed from a plant or animal resource was mined.

• Water supply and consumption is a major issue affecting global society.

• Studying natural hazards can provide valuable information to mitigate their effects.

The next step was to review the high school chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics curricula from all provinces and territories and identify common expectations that illustrated these statements of Earth science literacy. Finally, the challenge was to create a selection of learning activities for teachers of these subjects that emphasized Earth science applications of curriculum content that they were already required to teach. In many cases it was possible to start with familiar and common activities, and by adding an application or method of approaching the task, to enhance the connection to the Earth. For example, in grades 9 or 10 biology, students study physical characteristics of organisms and adaptations to a local environment. Putting the Earth into Science includes a field study from which students establish simple correlations between characteristics and environment. They then apply that knowledge to a paleogeography exercise using fossils to interpret ancient environments. In completing both tasks, students experience the Earth science literacy statements that the Earth is continually changing, and that we study the present as the key to the past.

The workshop for teachers was held on Saturday, May 8, 2010 at the Geological Survey of Canada building in Calgary. The registration fee was $50 and participants were also able to take advantage of attendance at the Geo-Canada 2010 conference. Our goal was to involve teachers who were well positioned to expand the inclusion of Earth science into mainstream high school science and mathematics courses in their home region. This included science teachers, school board consultants, and experienced professional development presenters. To achieve this, an application form was put together and sent to selected Earth science outreach people across Canada with the hope that they would identify key teachers in their region to attend the workshop.

At the same time, regional and provincial Earth science organizations were approached across the country to solicit their financial support for the travel and accommodation expenses of teachers attending the workshop. Of the 25 registrants for the workshop, 21 were supported by a variety of organizations, and were also assisted in most cases by their school boards. The regis-trants came from eight provinces: British Columbia (3), Alberta (3), Saskatchewan (10), Manitoba (1), Ontario (4), New Brunswick (1), Nova Scotia (2) and Newfoundland and Labrador (1). A list of the Earth science organizations that supported teachers is included in the appendix. The estimated total level of support approached $23 000 and the workshop could not have taken place without these multiple contributions.

The field trip, entitled Education and Learning at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, took place on Saturday, May 9, 2010, with 36 registrants. GeoCanada 2010 conference delegates were offered spaces on the trip and most workshop participants and presenters went as well (Fig. 4). Registration for workshop participants was $50 and for full conference delegates it was $100. The trip by coach from Calgary to the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller was accompanied by a commentary on geology and culture and a stop at Horseshoe Canyon. The weather did not cooperate because it rained through Friday night in Drumheller, making access to the badlands impossible. The badlands hike had to be cancelled and was replaced with a second activity (Fig. 5). The trip included workshops on a Cretaceous Crime Scene and Badlands/Goodlands as well as a tour of the Learning Centre (including distance learning studio). The balance of the time was spent discovering the galleries in the museum.

The trip was led by Godfrey Nowlan and Earl Wiebe (Education Director, Royal Tyrrell Museum). Despite the disappointment of not making it into the badlands on foot, the trip was instructional and enjoyed by the participants. Most of the expenses were covered by a grant from Natural Resources Canada.

The development of the Putting the Earth into Science resource is a landmark step in the evolution of Earth science education in high school in Canada. The workshop on this resource proved that there is an appetite for ‘real world’ examples of physical, chemical and biological principles and that there is an abundance of such examples within Earth science. The resource, which is now freely available on line at the EdGEO web site (www.edgeo.org), will have considerable value in getting more Earth science into regular science teaching practice in Canada. The fact that many participants in the workshop have already provided the materials to their local peers through workshops, courses, sessions and other events means that the workshop is having a cascading effect, reaching out to many more teachers nationally.

Despite the great success of this event, we should recognize that this is just a first step down an important road and we must consider additional efforts to add to this resource for serving the needs of science teachers. We should also consider developing a similar set of Earth science examples for use in the high school social studies curricula across Canada.

We take this opportunity to express our thanks to all the supporters of this expensive but worthwhile venture.