Teachers have an opportunity to create awareness of the importance of the Great Lakes by incorporating lake examples of major science/social concepts into their curricula. A survey of 300 middle school science teachers in watershed counties of Great Lakes states and Ontario revealed topics that were highest priority and that teachers wanted to know more about: water quality, environmental responsibility, water uses and conservation, and toxic chemicals. Topics of lowest priority were those dealing with shipping, water diversion, human history, careers and hobbies, and aesthetics (art, music, and literature of the lakes). Reasons for not including low priority topics were primarily based on their not being a part of the assigned curriculum for the responding science teachers. Responses regarding topic priorities and knowledge did not differ significantly by state/province, gender, grade level taught, early vs. late response, or whether the teachers had participated in a Great Lakes education workshop, with the primary exception that teachers who had been in a workshop generally rated exotic species as more important and were teaching more about it. Teachers claim to get most of their Great Lakes information from workshops and classes, with newspapers as the primary mass media source. They prefer to receive instructional materials in the form of classroom-ready activities and units, and when they seek additional education they prefer one-day or summer workshops for college credit. Providers of Great Lakes education resources should consider teacher preferences in designing materials and experiences, and consider infusion as a means of introducing non-science topics into science classes.
