171B04005
EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION:
GUIDELINES FOR LEARNING (PRE K-12)
Executive Summary & Self-Assessment Tool
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The North American Association
for Environmental Education
The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) is a network
of professionals, students, and volunteers working in the field of environmental
education throughout North America and in over 55 countries around the world.
NAAEE combines the perspectives of the environmental and educational
communities, taking a cooperative, non-confrontational, scientifically balanced
approach to promoting life-long learning about environmental issues.
NAAEE members think about how people become literate concerning environmental
issues and believe education must go beyond consciousness-raising about these issues.
It must prepare people to think together about the difficult decisions they have to make
concerning environmental stewardship, and to work together to improve, and try to
solve, environmental problems.
NAAEE recognizes the need for a coherent body of information about environmental
issues. Its members also recognize that information and analysis are only part of an
effective education program. To be truly effective, this body of knowledge must be
integrated into all aspects of the curriculum and into all types of educating institutions
for the widest array of audiences.
In order to provide support for environmental education and its practitioners, NAAEE
offers a variety of professional products, events, and services. These include the
NAAEE Annual Conference, printed and electronic publications, Internet-based
resources, and representation among leading organizations within the educational and
environmental communities.
NAAEE
2000 P Street, NW - Suite 540
Washington, DC 20036
USA
Telephone: (202) 419-0412
Fax:(202)419-0415
Email: email@naaee.org
www.naaee.org
www.eelink.net
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EXCELLENCE IN
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION:
GUIDELINES FOR LEARNING
(PRE K-12)
Executive Summary & Self-Assessment Tool
North American Association
for Environmental Education
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The Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive
Summary and Self Assessment Tool represents another in a series of documents published by the North
American Association for Environmental Education as part of the National Project for Excellence in
Environmental Education.
National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education
Bora Simmons, Chair Department of Teaching and Learning
Northern Illinois University
Michele Archie, Writer The Harbinger Institute
Karen Hollweg, Writer & Designer, North American Association
Self Assessment Tool for Environmental Education
Mary Vymetal-Taylor, Project Northern Illinois University
Assistant
Acknowledgments
The Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Execu-
tive Summary and Self Assessment Tool was funded by the United States Environmental
Protection Agency through the Environmental Education and Training Partnership
(EETAP) under agreement number EPA-NT902897-01 -1 with the North American
Association for Environmental Education.
Additional funding and support for this project have been received from Northern
Illinois University and the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation.
The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the
United States Environmental Protection Agency, nor does mention of trade names or
commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
Copies of Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12)
as well as additional copies of this book can be obtained by contacting:
NAAEE
2000 P. Street, NW -Suite 540
Washington, DC 20036 USA
(202) 419-0412 (phone) • (202) 415 -0415 (fax)
Web site: www.naaee.org • www.eelink.net
ISBN #1-884008-77-1
Copyright © 1999,2000,2004 by the North American Association for Environmental Educa-
tion (NAAEE). Commercial reproductions of any material in this publication is strictly prohibited
without written permission from the publisher, NAAEE. Educators may photocopy up to 100
copies of these materials for non-commercial educational purposes.
£J Printed on
recycled paper
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Excellence in Environmental Education—
Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12)
Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
Table off Content!
Title Page Number
Introduction 1
Executive Summary 1
Overview 2
Strand 1 4
Strand 2 6
2.1 6
2.2 6
2.3 8
2.4 10
Strand3 12
3.1 12
3.2 12
Strand 4 14
Self Assessment Tool 17
Grades K-4 18
Grades 5-8 22
Grades 9-12 26
Pulling It All Together 30
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Introduction
Welcome! Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12)
(NAAEE, 2004) offers a vision of environmental education and promotes progress toward sustaining a
healthy environment and quality of life. The Guidelines provide students, parents, educators, home
schoolers, administrators, policy makers, and the public a set of common, voluntary guidelines for
environmental education. The Guidelines support state and local environmental education efforts by:
• Setting expectations for performance and achievement in fourth, eighth, and twelfth
grades;
• Suggesting a framework for effective and comprehensive environmental education
programs;
• Demonstrating how environmental education can be used to meet standards set by
the traditional disciplines and to give students opportunities to synthesize knowledge
and experience across disciplines;
• Defining the aims of environmental education.
The Guidelines are organized into four strands, each of which represents a broad aspect of environ-
mental education and its goal of environmental literacy. To help you use the Guidelines most effectively,
this document, Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12)
Executive Summary and Self Assessment Tool, has been developed. It provides you with:
• An overview for becoming familiar with the four strands and how they become
more sophisticated at higher grade levels;
• A set of self assessment checklists for analyzing the degree to which your various
curricula and educational programs may meet the Guidelines.
Although the Executive Summary and the Self Assessment Tool can be used separately, they were
designed to be used together as a means of gaining a general understanding of the Guidelines and how
they can help you develop a comprehensive, cohesive environmental education program.
Executive Summary
The Executive Summary can be used as an easy reference to Excellence in Environmental Educa-
tion—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) (NAAEE, 2004). As in the full document, the Executive
Summary is organized into four strands, each of which is further delineated by a set of guidelines that
describe a level of skill or knowledge appropriate for each of three grade levels—fourth, eighth, and
twelfth. In the Executive Summary, guidelines for a particular strand are arranged on two page layouts,
so that the user can quickly understand the flow of guidelines at a grade level or compare how guide-
lines progress across the grade levels. It should be remembered that the Executive Summary is designed
to provide only an overview. For a more in-depth view of the strands and their guidelines, it will be
necessary to refer to Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-
12).
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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OVERVIEW
FOURTH GRADE
Learners should be able to meet the guidelines
included in this section by the end of fourth grade.
The pre kindergarten through fourth grade years
are a time of tremendous cognitive development.
By third and fourth grades, learners have devel-
oped some basic skills that help them construct
knowledge. Instructors in earlier grade levels
should use these fourth grade guidelines as a
'target, extrapolating from this end goal appropri-
ate activities and lessons for younger learners.
In these early years of formal education, learners
tend to be concrete thinkers with a natural curios-
ity about the world around them. Environmental
education can build on these characteristics by
focusing on observation and exploration of the
environment—beginning close to home.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-l 2) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
Learners should be able to meet the guidelines
included in this section by the end of eighth grade.
hi the fifth through eighth grades, learners begin
to develop skills in abstract thinking and continue
to develop creative thinking skills —and along
with these, the ability to understand the interplay
of environmental and human social systems in
greater depth. Environmental education can foster
this development by focusing on investigation of
local environmental systems, problems, and
issues. As learners become actively engaged in
deciding for themselves what is right and wrong,
educators can use environmental problems to
help learners explore their own responsibilities
and ethics.
Learners should be able to meet the guidelines
included in this section by the time they
graduate from high school.
By the end of twelfth grade, learners are well on
their way to environmental literacy. They should
possess the basic skills and dispositions they need
to understand and act on environmental problems
and issues as responsible citizens—and to con-
tinue the learning process throughout their lives. In
the ninth through twelfth grades, environmental
education can promote active and responsible
citizenship by challenging learners to hone and
apply problem-solving, analysis, persuasive
communication, and other higher level skills—
often in real-world contexts.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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STRAND 1—
Questioning, Analysis and
Interpretation Skills
FOURTH GRADE
A) Questioning—Learners are able to develop
questions that help them learn about the environ-
ment and do simple investigations.
B) Designing investigations—Learners are
able to design simple investigations.
C) Collecting information—Learners are able
to locate and collect information about the
environment and environmental topics.
D) Evaluating accuracy and reliability—
Students understand the need to use reliable
information to answer their questions. They are
familiar with some basic factors to consider in
judging the merits of information.
E) Organizing information—Learners are able
to describe data and organize information to
search for relationships and patterns concerning
the environment and environmental topics.
F) Working with models and simulations—
Learners understand that relationships, patterns,
and processes can be represented by models.
G) Drawing conclusions and developing
explanations—Learners can develop simple
explanations that address their questions about
the environment.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-l 2) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Questioning—Learners are able to develop,
focus, and explain questions that help them learn
about the environment and do environmental
investigations.
B) Designing investigations—Learners are
able to design environmental investigations to
answer particular questions—often their own
questions.
C) Collecting information—Learners are able
to locate and collect reliable information about the
environment or environmental topics using a
variety of methods and sources.
D) Evaluating accuracy and reliability—
Students are able to judge the weaknesses and
strengths of the information they are using.
E) Organizing information—Learners are able
to classify and order data, and to organize and
display information in ways that help analysis and
interpretation.
F) Working with models and simulations—
Learners understand many of the uses and limita-
tions of models.
G) Drawing conclusions and developing
explanations—Learners are able to synthesize
their observations and findings into coherent
explanations.
A) Questioning—Learners are able to develop,
modify, clarify, and explain questions that guide
environmental investigations of various types. They
understand factors that influence the questions they
pose.
B) Designing investigations—Learners know
how to design investigations to answer particular
questions about the environment. They are able to
develop approaches for investigating unfamiliar
types of problems and phenomena.
C) Collecting information—Learners are able
to locate and collect reliable information for
environmental investigations of many types. They
know how to use sophisticated technology to
collect information, including computer programs
that access, gather, store, and display data.
D) Evaluating accuracy and reliability—
Learners can apply basic logic and reasoning skills
to evaluate completeness and reliability in a variety
of information sources.
E) Organizing information—Learners are able
to organize and display information in ways
appropriate to different types of environmental
investigations and purposes.
F) Working with models and simulations—
Learners are able to create, use, and evaluate
models to understand environmental phenomena.
G) Drawing conclusions and developing
explanations—Learners are able to use evidence
and logic in developing proposed explanations that
address their initial questions and hypotheses.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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STRAND 2—
Knowledge of Environmental
Processes and Systems
FOURTH GRADE
STRAND 2.1—
The Earth as a Physical System
STRAND 2.2—
The Living Environment
A) Processes that shape the Earth—Learners
are able to identify changes and differences in the
physical environment.
B) Changes in matter—Learners are able to
identify basic characteristics of and changes in
matter.
Q Energy—While they may have little under-
standing of formal concepts associated with
energy, learners are familiar with the basic behav-
ior of some different forms of energy.
A) Organisms, populations, and communi-
ties—Learners understand basic similarities and
differences among a wide variety of living organ-
isms. They understand the concept of habitat.
B) Heredity and evolution—Learners under-
stand that plants and animals have different
characteristics and that many of the characteristics
are inherited.
C) Systems and connections—Learners
understand basic ways in which organisms are
related to their environments and to other organ-
isms.
D) Flow of matter and energy—Learners
know that living things need some source of
energy to live and grow.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Processes that shape the Earth—Learners
have a basic understanding of most of the physical
processes that shape the Earth. They are able to
explore the origin of differences in physical
patterns.
B) Changes in matter—Learners understand
the properties of the substances that make up
objects or materials found in the environment.
C) Energy—Students begin to grasp formal
concepts related to energy by focusing on energy
transfer and transformations. They are able to
make connections among phenomena such as
light, heat, magnetism, electricity, and the motion
of objects.
A) Organisms, populations, and communi-
ties—Learners understand that biotic communi-
ties are made up of plants and animals that are
adapted to live in particular environments.
B) Heredity and evolution—Learners have a
basic understanding of the importance of genetic
heritage.
C) Systems and connections—Learners
understand major kinds of interactions among
organisms or populations of organisms.
D) Flow of matter and energy—Learners
understand how energy and matter flow among
the abiotic and biotic components of the environ-
ment
A) Processes that shape the Earth—Learners
understand the major physical processes that
shape the Earth. They can relate these pro-
cesses, especially those that are large-scale and
long-term, to characteristics of the Earth.
B) Changes in matter—Learners apply their
understanding of chemical reactions to round out
their explanations of environmental characteristics
and everyday phenomena.
C) Energy—Learners apply their knowledge of
energy and matter to understand phenomena in
the world around them.
A) Organisms, populations, and communi-
ties—Learners understand basic population
dynamics and the importance of diversity in living
systems.
B) Heredity and evolution—Learners under-
stand the basic ideas and genetic mechanisms
behind biological evolution.
C) Systems and connections—Learners
understand the living environment to be com-
prised of interrelated, dynamic systems.
D) Flow of matter and energy—Learners are
able to account for environmental characteristics
based on their knowledge of how matter and
energy interact in living systems.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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STRAND 2—
Knowledge of Environmental
Processes and Systems
FOURTH GRADE
STRAND 2.3—
Humans and Their Societies
A) Individuals and groups—Learners under-
stand that people act as individuals and as group
members and that groups can influence individual
actons.
B) Culture—Learners understand that experi-
ences and places may be interpreted differently
by people with different cultural backgrounds, at
different times, or with other frames of reference.
C) Political and economic systems—Learners
understand that government and economic
systems exist because people living together in
groups need ways to do things such as provide
for needs and wants, maintain order, and manage
conflict
D) Global connections—Learners understand
how people are connected at many levels—
including the global level—by actions and com-
mon responsibilities that concern the environment.
E) Change and conflict—Learners recognize
that change is a normal part of individual and
societal life. They understand that conflict is
rooted in different points of view.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Individuals and groups—Learners under-
stand that how individuals perceive the environ-
ment is influenced in part by individual traits and
group membership or affiliation.
B) Culture—As they become familiar with a
wider range of cultures and subcultures, learners
gain an understanding of cultural perspectives on
the environment and how the environment may, in
turn, influence culture.
C) Political and economic systems—Learners
become more familiar with political and economic
systems and how these systems take the environ-
ment into consideration.
D) Global connections—Learners become
familiar with ways in which the world's environ-
mental, social, economic, cultural, and political
systems are linked.
E) Change and conflict—Learners understand
that human social systems change overtime and
that conflicts sometimes arise over differing and
changing viewpoints about the environment.
A) Individuals and groups—Learners under-
stand the influence of individual and group actions
on the environment, and how groups can work to
promote and balance interests.
B) Culture—Learners understand cultural
perspectives and dynamics and apply their
understanding in context.
C) Political and economic systems—Learners
understand how different political and economic
systems account for, manage, and affect natural
resources and environmental quality.
D) Global connections—Learners are able to
analyze global, social, cultural, political, economic,
and environmental linkages.
E) Change and conflict—Learners understand
the functioning of public processes for promoting
and managing change and conflict, and can
analyze their effects on the environment.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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STRAND 2—
Knowledge of Environmental
Processes and Systems
FOURTH GRADE
STRAND 2.4—
Environment and Society
A) Human/environment interactions—Learn-
ers understand that people depend on, change,
and are affected by the environment.
B) Places—Learners understand that places
differ in their physical and human characteristics.
C) Resources—Learners understand the basic
concepts of resource and resource distribution.
D) Technology—Learners understand that
technology is an integral part of human existence
and culture.
E) Environmental issues—Learners are
familiar with some local environmental issues and
understand that people in other places experience
environmental issues as well.
10 Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Human/environment interactions—
Learners understand that human-caused
changes have consequences for the immedi-
ate environment as well as for other places
and future times.
B) Places—Learners begin to explore the
meaning of places both close to home and around
the world.
C) Resources—Learners understand that
uneven distribution of resources influences their
use and perceived value.
D) Technology—Learners understand the
human ability to shape and control the environ-
ment as a function of the capacities for creating
knowledge and developing new technologies.
E) Environmental issues—Learners are familiar
with a range of environmental issues at scales that
range from local to national to global. They
understand that people in other places around the
world experience environmental issues similar to
the ones they are concerned about locally.
A) Human/environment interactions—
Learners understand that humans are able to alter
the physical environment to meet their needs and
that there are limits to the ability of the environ-
ment to absorb impacts or meet human needs.
B) Places—Learners understand "place" as
humans endowing a particular part of the Earth
with meaning through their interactions with that
environment
C) Resources—Learners understand that the
importance and use of resources change over
time and vary under different economic and
technological systems.
D) Technology—Learners are able to examine
the social and environmental impacts of various
technologies and technological systems.
E) Environmental issues—Learners are familiar
with a range of environmental issues at scales that
range from local to national to global. They
understand that these scales and issues are often
linked.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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STRAND 3—
Skills for Understanding and
Addressing Environmental Issues
FOURTH GRADE
STRAND 3.1—
Skills for Analyzing and
Investigating Environmental
Issues
STRAND 3.2—
Decision-Making and
Citizenship Skills
A) Identifying and investigating issues—
Learners are able to identify and investigate
issues in their local environments and communi-
ties.
B) Sorting out the consequences of issues—
As students come to understand that environmen-
tal and social phenomena are linked, they are
able to explore the consequences of issues.
C) Identifying and evaluating alternative
solutions and courses of action—Students
understand there are many approaches to resolv-
ing issues.
D) Working with flexibility, creativity, and
openness—Learners understand the importance
of sharing ideas and hearing other points of view.
A) Forming and evaluating personal views—
Learners are able to examine and express their
own views on environmental issues.
B) Evaluating the need for citizen action—
Learners are able to think critically about whether
they believe action is needed in particular situa-
tions and whether they believe they should be
involved.
C) Planning and taking action—By participat-
ing in issues of their choosing mostly close to
home—students learn the basics of individual and
collective action.
D) Evaluating the results of actions—Learn-
ers understand that civic actions have conse-
quences.
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Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Identifying and investigating issues—
Learners are able to use primary and secondary
sources of information, and apply growing
research and analytical skills, to investigate
environmental issues, beginning in their own
community.
B) Sorting out the consequences of issues—
Learners are able to apply their knowledge of
ecological and human processes and systems to
identify the consequences of specific environmen-
tal issues.
C) Identifying and evaluating alternative
solutions and courses of action—Learners are
able to identify and develop action strategies for
addressing particular issues.
D) Working with flexibility, creativity, and
openness—Students are able to consider the
assumptions and interpretations that influence the
conclusions they and others draw about environ-
mental issues.
A) Forming and evaluating personal views—
Students are able to identify, justify, and clarify
their views on environmental issues and alternative
ways to address them.
B) Evaluating the need for citizen action—
Learners are able to evaluate whether they
believe action is needed in particular situations,
and decide whether they should be involved.
C) Planning and taking action—As students
begin to see themselves as citizens taking active
roles in their communities, they are able to plan
for and engage in citizen action at levels appropri-
ate to their maturity and preparation.
D) Evaluating the results of actions—
Learners are able to analyze the effects of their
own actions and actions taken by other individu-
als and groups.
A) Identifying and investigating issues—
Learners apply their research and analytical skills
to investigate environmental issues ranging from
local issues to those that are regional or global in
scope.
B) Sorting out the consequences of issues—
Learners are able to evaluate the consequences
of specific environmental changes, conditions,
and issues for human and ecological systems.
C) Identifying and evaluating alternative
solutions and courses of action—Learners are
able to identify and propose action strategies that
are likely to be effective in particular situations
and for particular purposes.
D) Working with flexibility, creativity, and
openness—While environmental issues investiga-
tions can bring to the surface deeply held views,
learners are able to engage each other in peer
review conducted in the spirit of open inquiry.
A) Forming and evaluating personal views—
Students are able to communicate, evaluate, and
justify their own views on environmental issues
and alternative ways to address them.
B) Evaluating the need for citizen action—
Learners are able to decide whether action is
needed in particular situations and whether they
should be involved.
C) Planning and taking action—Learners
know how to plan for action based on their
research and analysis of an environmental issue. If
appropriate, they take actions that are within the
scope of their rights and consistent with their
abilities and responsibilities as citizens.
D) Evaluating the results of actions—Learn-
ers are able to evaluate the effects of their own
actions and actions taken by other individuals and
groups.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K.-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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STRAND 4—
Personal and Civic Responsibility
FOURTH GRADE
A) Understanding societal values and
principles—Learners can identify fundamental
principles of U.S. society and explain their
importance in the context of environmental issues.
B) Recognizing citizens' rights and
responsibilities—Learners understand the basic
rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
C) Recognizing efficacy—Learners possess a
realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness as
citizens.
D) Accepting personal responsibility—
Learners understand that they have responsibility
for the effects of their actions.
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Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Understanding societal values and
principles—Learners understand that societal
values can be both a unifying and a divisive force.
B) Recognizing citizens' rights and
responsibilities—Learners understand the rights
and responsibilities of citizenship and their
importance in promoting the resolution of
environmental issues.
C) Recognizing efficacy—Learners possess a
realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness as
citizens.
D) Accepting personal responsibility—
Learners understand that their actions can have
broad consequences and that they are respon-
sible for those consequences.
A) Understanding societal values and
principles—Learners know how to analyze the
influence of shared and conflicting societal values.
B) Recognizing citizens' rights and
responsibilities—Learners understand the
importance of exercising the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship.
C) Recognizing efficacy—Learners possess a
realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness as
citizens.
D) Accepting personal responsibility—
Learners understand that their actions can have
broad consequences and accept responsibility
for recognizing those effects and changing their
actions when necessary.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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16 Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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Self Assessment Tool
The Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) describes what
learners should know and be able to do when they have successfully completed a comprehensive,
multidisciplinary environmental education program. Many of us know we do not yet have such a pro-
gram for our students, but would like to know how we are doing and how far we have come. In other
words, we want to assess the program elements we currently deliver, see the degree to which they
provide a comprehensive set of learning experiences, and determine where the gaps are.
The following checklists were developed to enable educators to self-assess their environmental educa-
tion programs. School administrators, classroom teachers, and environmental educators in other settings
may use them to find out whether they are providing students with the entire array of pre K-12 learning
experiences that will enable them to become environmentally literate.
We do not expect any one program to fully address all of the guidelines. For example, a nature center
that provides school programs may find that their programs concentrate on developing student knowl-
edge and skills in only one or two strands. A school district may use this tool to determine the guidelines
that are entirely addressed through their classroom curricula and those that are best delivered in col-
laboration with community-based institutions.
We hope that you will use these checklists to identify the areas you feel you are fully addressing and
then will ask yourself:
Are there other places or teachers that provide these students with
appropriate learning opportunities in the strands that we do not, and if
not, should we or other partners in our community take on those
challenges to enable all learners to get a more complete environmental
education?
As noted at the beginning of each of the checklists, reading the entire entry for a guideline in the volume
entitled Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) will give you
a deeper understanding of the concepts and skills students are expected to develop and some specific
examples of ways in which learner achievement might be demonstrated. We believe you will want to use
that document and these checklists together, referring back and forth from one to the other.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pve K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool 17
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Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning
Pre K-4th Grade Self Assessment Tool
PLEASE NOTE: For more detailed information about the guidelines briefly listed below, see pages
1 1-28 of Excellence in Environmental Education — Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) pro-
duced by the North American Association for Environmental Education.
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides Pre K-4 students with learning
experiences so that by the time they finish 4th grade
they are able to. . .
Strand 1 — Questioning, Analysis and Interpretation Skills
A. Generate and develop questions that are appropriate for
initiating inquiry.
B. Design simple investigations.
C. Locate and collect information about the environment and
environmental topics from a variety of sources.
D. Understand the need to use reliable information; explain
some of the factors to consider in judging the merits of the
information they are using.
E. Describe data and organize information to show relationships
and patterns.
F. Work with models and simulations, using them to describe
relationships, patterns, and processes.
G. Describe their observations and develop simple explanations.
Strand 2 — Knowledge of Environmental Processes and
Systems
2.1 — The Earth as a Physical System
A. Identify and explain changes and differences in the physical
environment.
B. Identify and describe basic characteristics of and changes in
matter.
C. Describe the basic sources and uses of some different forms of
energy (light, heat, etc.).
Yes - fully
addressed
-a
D
tj 3
Ctf T3
DH C3
No - not
addressed
18
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides Pre K-4 students with learning
experiences so that by the time they finish 4th grade
they are able to. . .
2.2 — The Living Environment
A. Identify similarities and differences among a wide variety of
living organisms; describe organisms' basic needs, habitats, and
ways organisms meet their needs in different habitats.
B. Explain that both plants and animals have different
characteristics and that many of the characteristics are inherited
from their parents.
C. Explain basic ways in which organisms are related to their
environments and to other organisms.
D. Explain that living things need some source of "energy" to
live and grow and that matter is recycled — e.g., through life,
growth, death, and decay.
2.3 — Humans and Their Societies
A. Identify ways that people act as individuals and as group
members, and give examples of ways groups influence
individual actions.
B. Give examples of how experiences and places may be inter-
preted differently by people with different cultural backgrounds,
at different times, or with other frames of reference.
C. Describe government and economic systems that exist be-
cause people living together in groups need ways to do things
(such as provide for needs and wants, maintain order, and
manage conflict).
D. Understand how people are connected at many levels —
including the global level — by actions and common responsibili-
ties that concern the environment.
E. Recognize that change is a normal part of individual and
societal life and that conflict is rooted in different points of view.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
19
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides Pre K-4 students with learning
experiences so that by the time they finish 4th grade
they are able to. . .
2.4 — Environment and Society
A. Identity ways people depend on, change, and are affected
by the environment.
B. Describe ways places differ in their physical and human
characteristics.
C. Demonstrate an understanding of "resources" and describe
various sources and origins of resources they use in their lives.
D. Understand that technology is an integral part of human
existence and culture.
E. Identify and describe a range of local environmental issues
and understand that people in other places also experience
environmental issues.
Strand 3— Skills for Understanding and Addressing
Environmental Issues
3.1 — Skills for Analyzing and Investigating
Environmental Issues
A. Identify and investigate local environmental issues.
B. Speculate about and explore the social, economic, and
environmental consequences of issues and proposed solutions
to them.
C. Identify and evaluate alternative approaches to resolving
issues.
D. Discuss and critique ideas representing different perspec-
tives; hear and respect viewpoints that differ from their own.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
20
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides Pre K-4 students with learning
experiences so that by the time they finish 4th grade
they are able to. . .
3.2 — Decision-Making and Citizenship Skills
A. Examine and express their own views on environmental issues.
B. Consider whether they believe action is needed in particular
situations and whether they think they should be involved.
C. Leam the basics of individual and collective action, by
participating in close-to-home issues of their choosing.
D. Evaluate the results of actions, understanding that civic
actions have consequences.
Strand 4 — Personal and Civic Responsibility
A. Identify the fundamental principles of U.S. society and
explain their importance in the context of environmental issues.
B. Understand the basic rights and responsibilities of
citizenship.
C. Possess a realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness as
citizens.
D. Understand that they have responsibility for the effects of
their actions.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
21
-------
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning
5th-8th Grade Self Assessment Tool
PLEASE NOTE: For more detailed information about the guidelines briefly listed below, see pages
29-48 of Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) pro-
duced by the North American Association for Environmental Education.
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 5th-8th grade students with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 8th
grade they are able to. . .
Strand 1 — Questioning, Analysis and Interpretation Skills
A. Develop, focus, and explain questions that help them learn
about the environment and do environmental investigations.
B. Design environmental investigations to answer particular
questions — often their own questions.
C. Locate and collect reliable information about the environment
or environmental topics using a variety of methods and sources.
D. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the information
they are using.
E. Classify and order data, and organize and display information
in ways that help analysis and interpretation.
F. Understand many of the uses and limitations of models.
G. Synthesize their observations and findings into coherent
explanations.
Strand 2 — Knowledge of Environmental Processes and
Systems
2.1 — The Earth as a Physical System
A. Understand the basics of most of the physical processes that
shape the Earth, and relate differences in physical patterns to
their causes.
B. Understand the properties of the substances that make up
objects or materials found in the environment.
C. Begin to grasp formal concepts related to energy by focusing
on energy transfer and transformations; and make connections
among phenomena such as light, heat, magnetism, electricity,
and the motion of objects.
Yes - folly
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
22
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 5th-8th grade students with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 8th
grade they are able to. . .
2.2 — The Living Environment
A. Understand that biotic communities are made up of plants
and animals that are uniquely adapted to live in particular
environments.
B. Understand and describe the importance of genetic variation
in species and possible implications of species extinction.
C. Understand major kinds of interactions among organisms or
populations of organisms.
D. Understand how energy and matter flow among the abiotic
and biotic components of the environment.
2.3 — Humans and Their Societies
A. Understand that how individuals perceive the environment
is influenced in part by individual traits and group membership
or affiliation.
B. Gain an understanding of cultural perspectives on the
environment and how the environment may, in turn, influence
culture, as they become familiar with a wider range of cultures
and subcultures.
C. Become more familiar with political and economic systems
and how these systems take the environment into consideration.
D. Identify and explain ways in which the world's environmen-
tal, societal, economic, cultural, and political systems are linked.
E. Understand that human social systems change over time and that
conflicts sometimes arise over differing viewpoints about the
environment.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
23
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 5th-8th grade students with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 8th
grade they are able to. . .
2.4 — Environment and Society
A. Understand that human-caused changes have consequences
for the immediate environment as well as for other places and
future times.
B. Describe, analyze, and make inferences about the characteris-
tics of various places, and explore differences in perceptions and
importance of places close to home and around the world.
C. Understand that uneven distribution of resources around the
world influences their use and perceived value.
D. Link the human ability to shape and control the environment
with our ability to create knowledge and develop new technologies.
E. Describe a range of environmental issues at scales that range
from local to national to global, and understand that people in
other places around the world experience environmental issues similar
to the ones they are concerned about locally.
Strand 3 — Skills for Understanding and Addressing
Environmental Issues
3.1 — Skills for Analyzing and Investigating
Environmental Issues
A. Use primary and secondary sources of information, and apply
their growing research and analytical skills to investigate environ-
mental issues, beginning with those in their own community.
B. Apply their knowledge of ecological and human processes and
systems to identify the consequences of specific environmental
issues.
C. Identify and develop action strategies for addressing particular
issues.
D. Consider the assumptions and interpretations that influence the
conclusions they and others draw about environmental issues.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
24
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-l 2) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 5th-8th grade students with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 8th
grade they are able to. . .
3.2— Decision-Making and Citizenship Skills
A. Identify, justify, and clarify their views on environmental
issues and alternative ways to address them.
B. Evaluate whether they believe action is needed in particular
situations, and decide whether they should be involved.
C. Begin to see themselves as citizens taking active roles in
their communities; plan for and engage in citizen action at levels
appropriate to their maturity and preparation.
D. Evaluate the effects of their own actions and actions taken
by other individuals and groups.
Strand 4 — Personal and Civic Responsibility
A. Understand that societal values can be both a unifying and
a divisive force.
B. Understand the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and
their importance in promoting the resolution of environmental
issues.
C. Possess a realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness as
citizens.
D. Understand that their actions can have broad consequences
and that they are responsible for those consequences.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
25
-------
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning
9th-12th Grade Self Assessment Tool
PLEASE NOTE: For more detailed information about the guidelines briefly listed below, see
pages 49-70 of Excellence in Environmental Education — Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12)
produced by the North American Association for Environmental Education.
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 9th-12th grade students with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 12th
grade they are able to —
Strand 1— Questioning, Analysis and Interpretation Skills
A. Develop, modify, clarify, and explain questions that guide
environmental investigations of various types, and identify
factors that influence the questions they pose.
B. Design investigations to answer particular questions about
the environment — even developing approaches for investigating
unfamiliar types of problems and phenomena.
C. Locate and collect reliable information for environmental
investigations of many types. Know how to use sophisticated
technology to collect information, including computer programs
designed to address, gather, store, and display data.
D. Apply basic logic and reasoning skills to evaluate
completeness and reliability in a variety of information sources.
E. Organize and display information in ways appropriate to
different types of environmental investigations and purposes.
F. Create, use, and evaluate models to understand environmental
phenomena.
G. Use evidence and logic in developing proposed explanations
that address their initial questions and hypotheses.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
26
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 9th-12th grade students with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 12th
grade they are able to. . .
Strand 2 — Knowledge of Environmental Processes and
Systems
2.1 — The Earth as a Physical System
A. Understand the major physical processes that shape the Earth;
relate these processes, especially large-scale and long-term ones,
to characteristics of the Earth's surface.
B. Apply their understanding of chemical reactions to round out
their explanations of environmental characteristics and everyday
phenomena.
C. Apply their knowledge of energy and matter to understand
phenomena in the world around them.
2.2 — The Living Environment
A. Understand basic population dynamics and the importance of
diversity in living systems.
B. Understand the basic ideas and genetic mechanisms behind
biological evolution.
C. Understand the living environment to be comprised of
interrelated, dynamic systems.
D. Account for environmental characteristics based on their
knowledge of how matter and energy interact in living systems.
2.3— Humans and Their Societies
A. Understand the influence of individual and group actions
on the environment and comprehend how groups can work to
promote and balance interests.
B. Understand cultural perspectives and dynamics and apply
their understandings to particular contexts.
C. Understand how different political and economic systems
account for, manage, and affect natural resources and environ-
mental quality.
D. Analyze global social, cultural, political, economic, and
environmental linkages.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
27
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 9th-12th grade students with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 12th
grade they are able to. . .
E. Understand the functioning of public processes for promoting
and managing change and conflict, and analyze their effects on
the environment.
2.4 — Environment and Society
A. Understand that humans are able to alter the physical environ-
ment to meet their needs and that there are limits to the ability of
the environment to absorb impacts or meet human needs.
B. Understand "place" as humans endowing a particular part
of the Earth with meaning through their interactions with that
environment.
C. Understand that the importance and use of resources change
over time and vary under different economic and technological
systems.
D. Examine the social and environmental impacts of various
technologies and technological systems.
E. Converse, write about, and evaluate environmental issues at
scales that range from local to national to global; understand that
these scales and issues are often linked.
Strand 3 — Skills for Understanding and Addressing
Environmental Issues
3.1 — Skills for Analyzing and Investigating
Environmental Issues
A. Apply their research and analytical skills to investigate
environmental issues ranging from local issues to those that
are regional or global in scope.
B. Evaluate the consequences of specific environmental changes,
conditions, and issues for human and ecological systems.
C. Identify and propose action strategies that are likely to be
effective in particular situations and for particular purposes.
D. Engage each other in peer review conducted in the spirit of
open inquiry, knowing that environmental issues investigations
can bring to the surface deeply held views.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
28
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 9th-12th grade students with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 12th
grade they are able to. . .
3.2 — Decision-Making and Citizenship Skills
A. Communicate, evaluate, and justify their own views on
environmental issues and alternative ways to address them.
B. Decide whether action is needed in particular situations,
and whether they should be involved.
C. Plan for action based on their research and analysis of an
environmental issue. If appropriate, take actions that are within
the scope of their rights and consistent with their abilities and
responsibilities as citizens.
D. Evaluate the effects of their own actions and actions taken
by other individuals and groups.
Strand 4 — Personal and Civic Responsibility
A. Analyze the influence of shared and conflicting societal
values.
B. Understand the importance of exercising the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship.
C. Possess a realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness as
citizens.
D. Understand that their actions can have broad consequences
and accept responsibility for recognizing those effects and
changing their actions when necessary.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
29
-------
Pulling It All Together
Now that you have completed the checklist(s) appropriate for your program(s), what do you
know? Take a few minutes to tally the results of your self assessment in the table provided
below. This should provide you with an overview of the results of your self assessment.
Self Assessment Summary
Directions: Starting with Strand 1 on your first
checklist, add up the total number of check
marks for each of the three columns: Yes-fully
addressed, Partly addressed, No-not addressed.
Enter the total number in the appropriate
column. If you have assessed programs for
additional grade levels, also complete a
summary for them using the same procedure.
Strand 1— Questioning, Analysis and Interpretation
Strand 2 — Knowledge of Environmental
Processes and Systems
2.1— The Earth as a Physical System
2.2— The Living Environment
2.3 — Humans and Their Societies
2.4 — Environment and Society
Strand 3— Sills for Understanding and Addressing
Environmental Issues
3.1 — Skills for Analyzing and Investigating
Environmental Issues
3.2— Decision-Making and Citizenship
Skills
Strand 4— Personal and Civic Responsibility
Grade 4
Total
•B
£
"O
•o
10
5
i
^
1
I/I
•o
n
I
13
VI
•o
•o
s
c
e
Grade 8
Total
"S
£
10
>«
£
i
5!
I/I
f
£
'w
M
•a
3
o
Grade 12
Total
IB
V)
£
•o
i
«
VI
£
•o
ra
f
'
M
To
0
c
e
By examining the results of your self assessment you should be in a better position to identify
those guidelines that are fully addressed by your program(s) and those that are not. Further, if
you completed more than one of the checklists, you should have a clearer idea of the strengths
of your program across different grade levels. This assessment is meant to be used as a diag-
nostic tool to help you gauge how far you have come in providing your students with a compre-
hensive environmental education program. Hopefully, you are now in a better position to de-
velop programs and/or partnerships that will help you reach all of your environmental education
goals.
30
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
-------
-------
-------
THE NATIONAL PROJECT FOR EXCELLENCE
IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
What does it mean to be environmentally literate? The National Project for Excellence in
Environmental Education, initiated by the North American Association for Environmental
Education (NAAEE) in 1993, is attempting to answer that question. Environmental
education is a process that aims to develop an environmentally literate citizenry that can
compete in our global economy; has the skills, knowledge, and inclinations to make well-
informed choices; and exercises the rights and responsibilities of members of a community.
Publications
Publications created by the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education
include:
• Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence (2nd edition, 2004). A
set of recommendations for developing and selecting environmental education materials.
• Excellence in Environmental Education: Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) (2nd
edition, 2004). A comprehensive framework for environmental education, demonstrating
environmental education's alignment with national academic standards.
• Excellence in Environmental Education: Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12)
Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool (2nd edition, 2004). An easy-to-use
outline listing the guidelines and a set of checklists for analyzing educational activities.
• Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental
Educators (2nd edition, 2004). A set of competencies for educators preparing to teach
environmental education in a variety of job settings.
• Nonformal Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence (2004). A
set of recommendations to be used in the development of comprehensive environmental
education programs or to trigger improvements in existing ones.
• Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence Workbook - Bridging
Theory and Practice (2000). Activities and examples to deepen your understanding of
Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence.
• The Environmental Education Collection: A Review of Resources for Educators,
Volume 1 (1997). A resource guide to help educators find curricula, multimedia resources,
and other educational materials that can enhance the teaching of environmental
education.
• The Environmental Education Collection: A Review of Resources for Educators,
Volume 2 (1998).
• The Environmental Education Collection: A Review of Resources for Educators,
Volume 3 (1998).
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North American Association for Environmental Education
------- |