Bears.  Montana is full of them.  But, how much do you really know about bears and bear conservation and management?

Bear Trust International is an organization that seeks to “help raise conservation awareness and environmental literacy while simultaneously providing critical STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) skills for all of our kids.”  They also focus on teaching youth the differences between emotion and evidence-based information.

Additionally, Bear Trust International offers FREE downloadable courses for teachers to use in their classrooms!  Materials for education levels from kindergarten to 12th grade are available to download at beartrust.org/for-teachers.

Bear Trust’s Student Scientist Series is a science-based education program that places students in the role of scientist.  Using real-world data from timely field studies, students answer research questions that have implications for real wildlife conservation.

“The students really do actual analysis of the data–it’s pretty cool,” said Kara Daniels,  Bear Trust International’s Outreach Coordinator.  There may even be downloadable science-based education programs for other animals in the future, too.  Bear Trust International even has a lesson plan on the controversial Grizzly bear delisting, endorsed by US Fish and Wildlife Service, Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC), Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) and Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (MFWP).

So, turn your students into scientists, while learning something new yourself, and check out these awesome FREE downloadable courses today.  Visit beartrust.org for more information on the organization and education program options.

(Photo via redorbit.com)