Excellence in EE —
Guidelines for Learning
CK-12J
flflEE
.NORTH AMERICAN.
ASSOCIATION fOR
ENVIRONMENTAL
E O U C A T 1 O.tt
North
American .
Association for
Environmental
Education
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mm
NORTH AMERICAN
ASSOCIATION FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL
E D U CAT I O N
The North American Association for Environmental Education
(NAAEE) is a network of professionals and students working
in the field of environmental education throughout North
America and in over 50 countries around the world. For more
than 25 years, the Association has promoted environmental :
education and supported the work of environmental educators.
There are many environmental interest groups and many
organizations dedicated to the improvement of education.
NAAEE integrates these perspectives and takes a positive,
cooperative, non-confrontational approach to promoting
education about environmental issues.
The Association is made up of people who have thought
seriously—HOver lifetimes—about how people become literate
concerning environmental issues. NAAEE members believe
education must go beyond consciousness-raising. It must
prepare people to think together about the difficult decisions
mey have to make regarding environmental stewardship, and to
work together to improve and 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 translate theory into reality andjprovide tangible
support for environmental education and environmental
educators, NAAEE engages in a variety Of programs and
activities: an annual conference at varying North American
sites; an active publications program; the Environmental
Education Training Institute; the VINE (Volunteer-led
Investigations of Neighborhood Ecology) Network; the
Environmentallssues Forums (EIF)program; NAAEE Skills
Bank; and the Environmental Education and Training
Partnership (EETAP). ,
For more information contact:
NAAEE Publications and Membership Office
; 410 Tarvin Road
Rock Spring, GA 30739 USA /
(706) 764-2926 (phone) • (706) 764-2094 (fax) .
E-mail: beager410@aol.com • Web site: www.naaee.prg
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Excellence in EE —
Guidelines for Learning
CK-12J
North American Association
for
Environmental Education
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THE NATIONAL PROJECT FOR EXCELLENCE
IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning
(K-12) is the sixth in a series of documents published by the North
American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) as
part of the National Project for Excellence in Environmental
Education. The Project is committed to synthesizing the best
thinking about environmental education through an extensive
process of review and discussion. Thus far, thousands of individu-
als and organizations representing all aspects of education and
environmental education have reviewed working outlines and
drafts. Reviewers include teachers, educational administrators,
environmental scientists, curriculum developers, and natural
resource agency and education department staff.
Publications
The National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education
publications include:
1. The NAAEE Standards Project: Papers on the Development
of Environmental Education Standards (1995), working
documents that provided background research for the
project.
2. Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for
Excellence (1996), a set of recommendations for developing
and selecting environmental education materials.
3. 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 teaching
environmental education in a variety of settings.
4. The Environmental Education Collection—A Review of
Resources for Educators, Volume 2 (1998).
5. The Environmental Education Collection—A Review of
Resources for Educators, Volume 3 (1998).
6. Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for
Learning (K-12), guidance for fostering and gauging
environmental literacy in kindergarten through twelfth
grade (1999).
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7. Environmental Education Guidelines for Excellence: Initial
Preparation of Educators, a set of recommendations for the
preparation of teachers and other environmental education
practitioners (1999 publication anticipated).
Members of the Guidelines Writing Team
Deborah Simmons, Chair Department of Curriculum
and Instruction
Northern Illinois University
Michele Archie, Writer The Harbinger Institute
Lori Mann, Copy Editor. Environmental Education
Design and Lay out..... Consultant
Mary Vymetal-Taylor, Project Northern Illinois University
Assistant and Cover Design
Alan Berkowitz Ecological Society of America
Terry Bedell The Clorox Company
Judy Braus World Wildlife Fund - U.S.
Glenda Holmes Washington, D.C. School
District
MaryPaden World Resources Institute
Robert Raze Office of Environmental
Education
Florida Gulf Coast University
Talbert Spence National Audubon Society
BrendaWeiser National Envirothon
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to the thousands of teachers, curriculum
developers, educational administrators, environmental
education specialists, and environmental scientists who
have reviewed drafts of this document.
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Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning
(K-12) 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.
Additional copies of this book can be obtained by contacting:
NAAEE Publications and Membership Office
410TarvinRoad
Rock Spring, GA 30739 USA
(706) 764-2926 (phone)
(706) 764-2094 (fax)
E-mail: beager410@aol.com
Web site: www.naaee.org
ISBN #1-884008-75-5
Copyright © 1999 by the North American Association for
Environmental Education (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.
Printed on recycled paper
EETAR
III
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Environmental Education: A Vision for the Future — 1
Essential Underpinnings of Environmental Education. 2
Teaching from the Guidelines
How the Guidelines are Organized
The Guidelines at a Glance..—........... ............... 6
Guidelines for Fourth Grade 10
Guidelines for Eighth Grade 29
Guidelines for Twelfth Grade si
Appendix: . 75
Background for the Development
of the Learner Guidelines Framework
The Learner Guidelines in Context ........ 75
Building from a Rich History ..... 76
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INTRODUCTION
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning
(K-12) provides students, parents, educators, home schoolers,
administrators, policy makers, and the public a set of common,
voluntary guidelines for environmental education. The guide-
lines 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 and curricula;
• 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; and
• Defining the aims of environmental education.
These guidelines set a standard for high-quality
environmental education in schools and other learning settings
across the country, based on what an environmentally literate
person should know and be able to do. They draw on the best
thinking in the field to outline the core ingredients for
environmental education.
Environmental Education:
A Vision for the Future
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning is
grounded in a widely shared understanding of effective
environmental education. For many educators, that
understanding begins with two founding documents of the
field: the Belgrade Charter (UNESCO-UNEP, 1976) and the
Tbilisi Declaration (UNESCO, 1978).
The Belgrade Charter was adopted by a United Nations
conference and provides a widely accepted goal statement for
environmental education:
The goal of environmental education is to develop
a world population that is aware of, and con-
cerned about, the environment and its associated
problems, and which has the knowledge, skills,
attitudes, motivations, and commitment to work
individually and collectively toward solutions of
current problems and the prevention of new ones.
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A few years later, the world's first intergovernmental
conference on environmental education adopted the Tbilisi
Declaration. This declaration built on the Belgrade Charter
and established three broad objectives for environmental
education. These objectives provide the foundation for
much of what has been done in the field since 1978:
• To foster clear awareness of, and concern about,
economic, social, political and ecological
interdependence in urban and rural areas;
• To provide every person with opportunities to acquire
the knowledge, values, attitudes, commitment and
skills needed to protect and improve the
environment;
• To create new patterns of behavior of individuals,
groups and society as a whole towards the
environment.
As the field has evolved, these principles have been
researched, critiqued, revisited, and expanded. They still
stand as a strong foundation for a shared view of the core
concepts and skills that environmentally literate citizens
need. Since 1978, bodies such as the Brundtland
Commission (Brundtland, 1987), the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development in Rio
(UNCED, 1992), and the Thessaloniki Declaration
(UNESCO, 1997) have influenced the work of many
educators, highlighting the importance of viewing the
environment within the context of human influences. This
perspective has expanded the emphasis of environmental
education, focusing more attention on social equity,
economics, culture, and political structure.
Environmental education is rooted in the belief that
humans can live compatibly with nature and act equitably
toward each other. Another fundamental belief is that
people can make informed decisions that consider future
generations. Environmental education aims for a democratic
society in which effective, environmentally literate citizens
participate with creativity and responsibility.
Essential Underpinnings
of Environmental Education
Environmental education builds from a core of key
principles that inform its approach to education. Some of
these important underpinnings are:
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Systems—Systems help make sense of a large and
complex world. A system is made up of parts that can be
understood separately. The whole, however, is understood
only by understanding the relationships among the parts.
The human body can be understood as a system; so can
galaxies. Organizations, individual cells, communities of
animals and plants, and families can all be understood as
systems. And systems can be nested within other systems.
Interdependence—Human well being is inextricably
bound with environmental quality. Humans are a part of the
natural order. We and the systems we create—our societies,
political systems, economies, religions, cultures, technolo-
gies—impact the total environment. Since we are a part of
nature rather than outside it, we are challenged to recognize
the ramifications of our interdependence.
The importance of where one lives—Beginning close to
home, learners forge connections with, explore, and
understand their immediate surroundings. The sensitivity,
knowledge, and skills needed for this local connection
provide a base for moving out into larger systems, broader
issues, and an expanding understanding of causes,
connections, and consequences.
Integration and infusion—Disciplines from the natural
sciences to the social sciences to the humanities are
connected through the medium of the environment and
environmental issues. Environmental education offers
opportunities for integration and works best when infused
across the curriculum, rather than being treated as a
separate discipline or subject area.
Roots in the real world—Learners develop knowledge
and skills through direct experience with the environment,
environmental issues, and society. Investigation, analysis, and
problem solving are essential activities and are most effective
when relevant to the real world.
Lifelong learning—Critical and creative thinking,
decision making, and communication, as well as
collaborative learning, are emphasized. These skills are
essential for active and meaningful learning, both in school
and over a lifetime.
Teaching from the Guidelines
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning
(K-12) is primarily focused on student achievement. The
instructional strategies necessary for implementing
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environmental education are taken up in more detail in two
other documents in this series, Environmental Education
Materials: Guidelines for Excellence (1996) and Guidelines for
Excellence: The Initial Preparation of Environmental Educators
(forthcoming).
Learning and instruction are closely linked, however, so
these environmental education guidelines for learning
include examples that offer specific ideas for implemen-
tation in instructional settings. These examples are based on
several general principles that help guide environmental
education instruction:
The learner is an active participant. If learning is to
become a natural, valued part of life beyond school,
instruction should be guided by the student's interests and
treated as a process of building knowledge and skills. Using
the guidelines and knowledge of individual learners and
different classes, instructors can make environmental
education relevant to specific learners at particular
developmental levels.
Instruction provides opportunities for learners to
enhance their capacity for independent thinking and
effective, responsible action. Engaging in individual and
group work helps learners develop these capacities
independently and in collaborative situations that anticipate
the ways in which problem-solving happens in the
community, on the job, and in the family. A strong emphasis
on developing communication skills means that learners will
be able to both demonstrate and apply their knowledge.
Because environmental issues can prompt deep feelings
and strong opinions, educators must take a balanced
approach to instruction. Educators incorporate differing
perspectives and points of view even-handedly and
respectfully, and present information fairly and accurately.
Environmental literacy depends on a personal
commitment to apply skills and knowledge to help ensure
environmental quality and quality of life. For most learners,
personal commitment begins with an awareness of what
immediately surrounds them. Instructors foster learners'
innate curiosity and enthusiasm, providing them with early
and continuing opportunities to explore their environment.
"Taking the show on the road"—or at least out of the
classroom—is an important instructional strategy for
engaging students in direct discovery of the world around
them.
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How the Guidelines are Organized
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning
(K-12) offers a vision of environmental education that makes
sense within the formal education system and promotes
progress toward sustaining a healthy environment and quality of
life. Guidelines are suggested for each of three grade levels—
fourth, eighth, and twelfth. Each guideline focuses on one
element of environmental literacy, describing a level of skill or
knowledge appropriate to the grade level under which it
appears. Sample performance measures illustrate how mastery
of each guideline might be demonstrated.
The guidelines are organized into four strands, each of
which represents a broad aspect of environmental education
and its goal of environmental literacy. The strands are:
Strand 1: Questioning and Analysis Skills
Environmental literacy depends on learners' ability to ask
questions, speculate, and hypothesize about the world around
them, seek information, and develop answers to their questions.
Learners must be familiar with inquiry, master fundamental
skills for gathering and organizing information, and interpret
and synthesize information to .develop and communicate
explanations.
Strand 2: Knowledge of Environmental Processes
and Systems
An important component of environmental literacy is
understanding the processes and systems that comprise the
environment, including human systems and influences. That
understanding is based on knowledge synthesized from across
traditional disciplines. The guidelines in this section are
grouped in four sub-categories:
• 2.1—The Earth as a physical system;
• 2.2—The living environment;
• 2.3—Humans and their societies; and
• 2.4—Environment and society.
Strand 3: Skills for Understanding
and Addressing Environmental Issues
Skills and knowledge are refined and applied in the context of
environmental issues. These environmental issues are real-life
dramas where differing viewpoints about environmental
problems and their potential solutions are played out.
Environmental literacy includes the abilities to define, learn
about, evaluate, and act on environmental issues. In this section,
the guidelines are grouped in two sub-categories:
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• 3.1—Skills for analyzing and investigating
environmental issues; and
• 3.2—Decision-making and citizenship skills.
Strand 4: Personal and Civic Responsibility
Environmentally literate citizens are willing and able to act
on their own conclusions about what should be done to
ensure environmental quality. As learners develop and apply
concept-based learning and skills for inquiry, analysis, and
action, they also understand that what they do individually
and in groups can make a difference.
Taken together, these strands create a vision of
environmental literacy. The sequence of the strands—and
the individual guidelines themselves—may suggest that some
skills or knowledge serve as a foundation for others. But the
process of becoming environmentally literate is not linear,
and the sequence of the guidelines is more a function of
bringing an order and logic to this document than a
reflection of a hierarchy of skills and knowledge.
The Guidelines** a Glance
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning
(K-12) sets appropriate expectations for learner performance
and achievement at the end of fourth and eighth grades and
by high school graduation. The diagram on page 7 will help
the user understand how this guidelines document is
constructed, and what kinds of information it offers.
Sample classroom techniques for meeting the guidelines
are included throughout the publication. These summaries
also indicate correlations to specific guidelines and suggest
additional performance measures.
Also included in this Guidelines document are:
• Introductory materials that place the guidelines in
context, outlining a comprehensive vision of
environmental education.
• Background for the Development of the Learner Guidelines
Framework, an appendix that relates key developments
in the field of environmental education to the
framework around which the guidelines are
structured.
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Sample Page:
Strand 1
Questioning and Analysis Skills
Organizing Strands—Divide
the guidelines into four
broad, thematic areas.
Guidelines:
A) Questioning—Learners are able to develop questions that
help them learn about the environment and do simple investi-
gations.
• Generate ideas and questions aboutVbjects, organisms,
events, places, and relationships in theWivironment.
• Identify questions they are likely to be aBle to answer
by combining their own observations and investigations
of the environment with existing informatio
• Pose questions based on experiences in their oiwn com-
munity and local environment as well as from other
sources, such as journalistic reports about the en^ron-
ment.
B) Designing investigations—Learners are able toVesign sin
pie investigations. ^v
• Speculate about possible answers to their questis
developing and discussing simple alternative hypo\
ses.
• Design ways of answering questions based on systematic^
observations. For example, devise a way to learn about
the life cycle of a caterpillar or the means of transporta-
tion that children take to and from their school.
• Design simple experiments to answer questions and
test ideas they have about the environment.
Sample Indicators—
Illustrate some ways in
which learner achievement
might be demonstrated.
English Language Arts
38-39
Geography 42-43, 46
History 20-22
Mathematics 23-25
Science 121-123
Mathematics 23-25
Science 122
Connections with Other
Disciplinary Standards—
Refer to particular pages in
national standards set by pro-
fessional organizations of sev-
eral academic disciplines.
Contain standards, perform-
ance objectives, and exam-
ples related to the environ-
mental education guideline.
The documents referenced
are listed on page 8.
Guidelines—Suggest gen-
eral goals for learner
achievement.
Communication and expression are skills that are obviously critical to environ-
mental literacy. Examples of how learners might communicate their understand-
ing and express ideas and conclusions are scattered throughout this document.
These are only a representation of the modes of artistic and linguistic expression
that are both fundamental to, and fostered by, environmental education. The
richness of the relationship between environmental education and the language
and fine arts is not fully reflected by the few references made to their disciplinary
standards. Learners should use many forms of communication in their pursuit of
environmental literacy, ranging from oral and written communication to thea-
ter, and from dance and music to the visual arts.
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These are the national standards documents referenced and
the short titles used to represent them:
Short Title Standards Document
Referenced
Arts National Standards for Arts Education:
What Every Young American Should Know
and Be Able to Do in the Arts. Reston, VA:
Music Educators National Conference,
1994.
Science Benchmarks
Civics and Government
Economics
Project 2061, American Association for
the Advancement of Science.
Benchmarks for Science Literacy. New York,
NY: Oxford University Press, 1993.
National Standards for Civics and
Government. Calabasas, CA: Center for
Civic Education, 1994.
Voluntary National Content Standards in
Economics. New York: National Council
on Economics Education, 1997.
English Language Arts Standards for the English Language Arts.
Urbana, IL: National Council of
Teachers of English, 1996.
Geography - Geography for Life: National Geography
Standards 1994. Washington, DC:
National Geographic Research and
Exploration, 1994
History
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
National Standards for History. Los
Angeles, CA: National Center for
History in the Schools, 1996.
Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for
School Mathematics. Reston, VA: National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics,
1989.
National Science Education Standards.
Washington, DC: National Academy
Press, 1996.
Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum
Standards for Social Studies. Washington,
DC: National Council for the Social
Studies, 1994.
8
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References
Brundtland, G. H. (1989) Our Common Future: The World
Commission on Environment and Development. New York.:
Oxford University Press.
NAAEE (1996) Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines
for Excellence. Washington, DC: North American Association
for Environmental Education.
NAAEE (forthcoming) Guidelines for Excellence: The Initial
Preparation of Environmental Educators. Washington, DC: North
American Association for Environmental Education.
UNCED (1992) Agenda 21: Programme of Action for Sustainable
Development. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development.
New York: United Nations.
UNESCO-UNEP (1976) "The Belgrade Charter." Connect:
UNESCO-UNEP Environmental Education Newsletter, Vol. 1 (1)
pp. 1-2.
UNESCO (1978) Final Report Intergovernmental Conference on
Environmental Education. Organized by UNESCO in
Cooperation with UNEP, Tbilisi, USSR, 14-26 October 1977.
Paris: UNESCO ED/MD/49. .
UNESCO (1997) Educating for a Sustainable Future: A
Transdisciplinary Vision for Concerted Action. (Report from the
International Conference on Environment and Society:
Education and Public Awareness for Sustainability,
Thessaloniki, December 8-12, 1997.)
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GUIDELINES FOR FOURTH GRADE
Learners should be able to meet the guidelines included
in this section by the end of fourth grade.
The kindergarten through fourth grade years are a
time of tremendous cognitive development. By third and
fourth grades, learners have developed 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
appropriate activities and lessons for younger learners.
In these early years of formal education, learners tend
to be concrete thinkers with a natural curiosity 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.
Examining Environmental Issues
in Fourth Grade
Many educators believe that exploring issues helps
fourth-grade learners make, important links between
conceptual understanding, what is happening in their
community, and their own responsibility for
environmental quality. Others caution that fourth
graders are only beginning to synthesize their knowledge
into the kind of complex understanding that is essential
to examining environmental issues. When deciding how
to handle environmental issues in the fourth grade
classroom, educators must rely on their own judgment
about what each class—and each student—is ready to
handle.
Basic guidelines for examining environmental issues
with fourth graders are:
• Keep it simple.
• Keep it local.
• Make close links with what they're observing and
learning about the local environment.
Local solid waste and water issues easily fit these basic
guidelines. They are especially appropriate for these
young learners.
10 Grades K-4
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Understanding the Local Environment
Experiencing and observing the local environment is an essential part of environmental
education. Understanding their surroundings helps learners build a strong foundation of
skills and knowledge for reaching out further into the world and deeper into the
conceptual understandings that environmental literacy demands. Direct experience in
the environment also helps foster the awareness and appreciation that motivate learners
to further questioning, better understanding, and appropriate concern and action.
The following chart suggests ways in which learners at different grade levels might
explore and understand the local environment. It is printed in each grade level section of
diese guidelines to help show progression as learners mature. Other ideas are included in
the guidelines.
Grades K-4
Identify basic types of
> habitats (e.g., forests,
I wetlands, or lakes). Create a
| short list of plants and
> animals found in each.
>
I Trace die source of their
| drinking water and where it
> goes after it is used.
', Recognize resident animal
| species, migrants, and diose
diat pass through on
', migratory routes.
Collect or produce images
, of the area at the beginning
[ of European settlement.
> Describe aspects of the
I environment that change on
| a daily, weekly, monthly, and
> yearly basis.
\ •
I Identify sources of electricity]
• used in die community
(e.g., hydroelectric, fossil
| fuels, solar, nuclear).
. Record weather observations
', such as precipitation,
temperature, or cloud cover.
', Identify food crops that are
' grown or processed locally.
Grades 5-8
Classify local ecosystems
(e.g., oak-hickory forest or
sedge meadow). Create food
webs to show—or describe
their function in terms of—
die interaction of specific
plant and animal species.
Describe how drinking water
and wastewater are treated.
Map migratory routes of
birds, butterflies, and other
animals that pass through
the area. Identify their local
habitat needs.
Monitor changes in water or
air quality, or other aspects
of the local environment.
Identify species that are
locally threatened,
endangered, or declining in
population. Describe their
habitat needs.
Describe the area's climate
and identify factors that
contribute to it.
Create a map for the local
area'that shows where food
that is consumed locally
comes from.
Grades 9-12
Identify several plants and
animals common to local
ecosystems. Describe
concepts such as succession,
competition, predator/prey
relationships, and
parasitism.
Evaluate sources of non-
point source pollution of
local bodies of water, includ-
ing sources that are not
local.
Investigate short- and long-
term environmental changes
in a local watershed, and
aquifer, or in air quality. Or
document changes in land
use and their environmental
effects.
Research population trends
for a locally threatened
species. Describe changes,
activities, and other factors
that seem to affect the
population trends.
Calculate the potential for
generating wind or solar
power on a particular site.
Trace human population
trends for their region and
make projections, based on
research findings, for the
future.
Grades K-4 11
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Strand 1—
Questioning and Analysis Skids
References fo Standards:
English Language Arts 38-39
Geography 42-43, 46
History 20-22
Mathematics 23-25
Science 121-123
Mathematics 23-25
Science 122
Arts 31
English Language Arts 27-29,
38-39
Geography 46, 106-107
History 22
Mathematics 51-53
Science 122
Social Studies 35
Guidelines:
A) Questioning—Learners are able to develop questions
that help them learn about the environment and do
simple investigations.
• Generate ideas and questions about objects,
organisms, events, places, and relationships in the
environment.
• Identify questions they are likely to be able to
answer by combining their own observations and
investigations of the environment with existing
information.
• Pose questions based on experiences in their own
community and local environment as well as from
other sources, such as journalistic reports about
the environment.
B) Designing investigations—Learners are able to design
simple investigations.
• Speculate about possible answers to their own
questions, developing and discussing simple alter-
native hypotheses.
• Design ways of answering questions based on
systematic observations. For example, devise a way
to learn about the life cycle of a caterpillar or the
means of transportation that children take to and
from their school.
• Design simple experiments to answer questions
and test ideas they have about the environment.
C) Collecting information—Learners are able to locate
and collect information about the environment and envi-
ronmental topics.
• Observe and record characteristics, differences,
and change in objects, organisms, events, places,
and relationships in the environment.
• Find, assess, select, and use resources such as
atlases, data bases, charts, tables, graphs, and
maps.
• Use basic field skills, such as interviewing and
measuring, to collect information.
12 Grades K4
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Oil SPI([ Clean-Up Contest
From: Environmental Education Association of New
Mexico
Grade Level: 4fh
Correlating Guidelines:
Strand 1A, B, C, E, F, G
Strand 2.4 A
Strand 3.1 A
While on an after-school community
clean-up walk, fourth graders from a
school in New Mexico traced a puddle of
dirty oil to the dumpster behind an auto
lubrication service. The students talked to
die owner, who assured them this was not
normal procedure, and showed them how
they collect motor oil for recycling.
A follow-up class discussion generated
a lot of questions about oil pollution.
Many students were particularly con-
cerned about a recent oil spill, which
prompted an Oil Spill Clean Up Contest.
Allowed to work independently or in
groups, die students were challenged to
clean a tablespoon of gear lube oil from a
beaker of water. They were given diree
days to conduct research and plan dieir
approach and each team was allowed to
bring from home one shoebox-worth of
equipment. To ensure safety, plans had to
be approved by die teacher.
Then came the contest! Students
tested their techniques, recording the time
required to complete their process. The
students dien rated die cleanliness of each
beaker and entered their findings into a
database later used to examine the advan-
tages and disadvantages of each method.
Using dieir research results, students
also mapped die size and location of die
world's largest spills and explored actual
mediods of cleaning oil spills.
Finally, students devised dieir own as-
sessments to show what they had learned,
and still wanted to learn, about oil spills.
Assessments included books created for
third graders, a computerized presenta-
tion, a comic book, and illustrated essays.
• Use tools such as rulers, thermometers, watches,
scales, magnifiers, and microscopes to make obser-
vations and measurements.
• Use computers and calculators to conduct investi-
gations and manipulate information.
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.
• Provide specific examples of information they
believe to be factual, fictitious, or of questionable
merit and explain their reasoning.
• Identify some factors that might influence the
credibility of a specific source of information, for
example, who created it, how old it is, and what
kind of arguments or evidence are used.
History 20-21
Science 121-123
Grades K-4 13
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Arts 34
English Language Arts 35-36
Geography 47,107-111
Mathematics 54-56, 60-62
E) Organizing information—Learners are able to
describe data and organize information to search for
relationships and patterns concerning the environment
and environmental topics.
• Summarize observations and describe data.
• Construct, read, and interpret maps, graphs,
tables, diagrams, and other displays of data.
• Identify regularities in events, designs, organisms,
and sets of numbers.
• Describe mathematical relationships and use
those relationships as a way of organizing data.
Finding Urban Nature
From: Changing What We Do, North American
Association for Environmental Education,
Rock Spring, Georgia
Grade Level: 3rd
Correlating Guidelines:
Strand 1A, B, C, F, G
Strand 2.2 A, C
What's better than having fun volunteers
leading outdoor activities with your stu-
dents? Having FUN volunteers!
Finding Urban Nature (FUN) is one of
the VINE (Volunteer-led Investigations in
Neighborhood Ecology) programs found
in cities across the country. On designated
days, specially trained volunteers go to
schools to facilitate student investigations
on school grounds. Teams of FUN educa-
tors have developed pre and post class-
room studies to enhance FUN visits.
One Seattle teacher tied his planned
FUN visit to a year-long unit on habitats.
The unit began when the teacher placed a
cracked aquarium in front of his third
grade students and asked what they
wanted to do with it. Before long, the
aquarium became a four-star worm hotel!
The teacher asked what the worms
would need to live in their habitat. The
discussion triggered as many questions as
answers: What do worms eat? Why do they
come out when it rains? Are they really
more active at night? The questions were
recorded in a concept map that laid the
foundation for many future investigations.
Prepared by schoolyard observations
and research, the students built their
worm hotel. Anxiously, they designed ex-
periments to find answers to all their ques-
tions. Carefully, they poured water into
one corner to study how worms react to
rain. The students blocked light from one
side of the aquarium to see if they could
learn why worms come out at night. Hand
lenses, microscopes and soil guides be-
came routine tools as the third graders en-
thusiastically explored every change.
Volunteer seedlings sprouted, launch-
ing more investigations on plants and
roots. Students discovered that worms and
plants Were interconnected, an essential
part of understanding habitats.
The FUN volunteers were delighted to
extend these classroom investigations out-
doors. Out there, students measured envi-
ronmental factors that affect worms and
discovered different numbers of worms
living in different schoolyard habitats.
14 Grades K-4
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For example, chart the relationship between plant
growth and different amounts of water or
sunlight.
F) Working with models and simulations—Learners
understand that relationships, patterns, and processes
can be represented by models.
• Interpret information and situations by noting
associations and similarities, and recognizing
patterns, trends, relationships, and sequences.
• Give examples of models or simulations and how
they can be used to learn about what they repre-
sent. Identify ways in which a model differs from
what it represents.
• Use a number of types of models such as geomet-
ric figures, graphs, and maps to summarize obser-
vations of the environment.
G) Developing explanations—Learners can develop
simple explanations that address their questions about
the environment.
• Summarize information, compare findings, and
use basic mathematics to analyze data.
• Identify information that is not relevant to a
proposed explanation and explain their
reasoning.
• Use models and examples to explain their
thinking.
• List strengths and weaknesses of the explanations
they propose.
Geography 47-48, 106-107
Mathematics 29-31, 48-49, 60-
62
Science Benchmarks 267-268
English Language Arts 38-39
Geography 48-49
History 22
Mathematics 29-31
Strand 2—
Knowledge of Environmental Processes
and Systems
Strand 2.1—The Earth as a Physical System
Guidelines:
A) Processes that shape the Earth—Learners are able to
identify changes and differences in the physical
environment.
References to Standards:
Geography 118-199
Science Benchmarks 72
Grades K-4 15
-------
Science 127
Science Benchmarks 76-77
Science 127
Science Benchmarks 83-84
• Identify some of the forces that cause erosion
within their own region, pointing out factors such
as freezing and thawing, wind, waves, soil-building
processes, and gravity.
• Identify some distinctive landforms within their
region and, using maps and images, in other areas
of the world.
• Differentiate among climates, considering factors
such as precipitation, temperature, and resident
plants and animals.
• Observe and record seasonal differences. For
example, draw a series of pictures or compile
photographs that illustrate differences such as day
length, position of the sun, migration of specific
bird species, and when specific tree species lose
their leaves.
B) Changes in matter—Learners are able to identify basic
characteristics of and changes in matter.
• Describe objects in terms of the materials they are
made of and their observable properties. For
example, describe buildings constructed with
different materials and discuss why these materials
may have been selected based on such properties
as rigidity, ability to reflect or gather heat, and
transparency.
• Identify the effects of factors such as heating,
cooling, and moisture on the properties of
materials and how quickly change happens.
For example, describe the change of water from
solid to liquid to gas in the environment or
describe the effects of temperature and moisture
on how quickly dead plants or animals
decompose.
• Describe the basic elements of the hydrologic
cycle and geologic processes (including erosion,
transportation,'and deposition). Locate examples
of these in the local environment.
C) Energy—While they may have little understanding of
formal concepts associated with energy, learners are
familiar with the basic behavior of some different forms
of energy.
16 Grades K-4
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Identify different forms of energy including light,
heat, electricity, and magnetic energy. Identify
examples of these different forms in their homes,
school, community, and natural environment.
Explain some of the ways in which heat, light, or
electricity are produced, travel, stored and used.
Use examples such as the sun, power generation,
batteries, and so forth.
Strand 2.2—The Living Environment
Guidelines:
A) Organisms, populations, and communities—Learners
understand basic similarities and differences among a
wide variety of living organisms. They understand the
concept of habitat.
• Identify similarities and differences among living
organisms ranging from single-celled organisms
they can observe under microscopes to plants and
animals they encounter through direct
observation, videos, books, or other media.
• Classify or group organisms using categories such
as how animals bear their young, anatomical
features, or habitats.
• Describe the basic needs of all organisms and
explain how organisms meet their needs in
different types of environments such as deserts,
lakes, or forests.
B) Heredity and evolution—Learners understand that
plants and animals have different characteristics and that
many of the characteristics are inherited.
• Identify some similarities among offspring and
parents as being inherited and others as resulting
from the organism's interactions with its
environment.
• Identify some basic traits of plants and animals.
Give examples of how those traits may vary among
individuals of the same species.
• Compare fossil life forms and living organisms to
identify similarities and differences between
organisms that lived long ago and those alive
today.
References to Standards:
Science Benchmarks 102-103
Science 127-129
Geography 120
Science 127-129
Science Benchmarks 107, 123
Grades K-4 17
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Geography 132
Science 129
Science Benchmarks 116
Science 129
Science Benchmarks 119
C) Systems and connections—Learners understand basic
ways in which organisms are related to their
environments and to other organisms.
• Describe ways in which an organism's behavior
patterns are related to its environment. Identify
examples of environmental change and discuss
how these changes may be helpful or harmful to
particular organisms.
• Identify ways in which organisms (including
humans) cause changes in their own
environments. Create a skit that shows how these
changes may help or harm both the organisms
that caused the change and other organisms.
• Identify ways in which organisms interact with
each other. For example, some animals eat plants,
some fish depend on other fish to keep them free
of parasites, earthworms keep soil loose and
fertile, which makes it easy for plants to grow.
D) Flow of matter and energy—Learners know that living
things need some source of energy to live and grow
• Explain how most living organisms depend on the
sun as the source of their life energy. Give
examples that illustrate the understanding that
animals ultimately depend on plants for this
energy and that plants depend on the sun. Use
this idea to trace the energy in the food they eat
for lunch back to the sun.
• Describe how matter can be recycled, sometimes
in a changed form from the original material. Use
examples from their own experience, such as
fleece jackets made from recycled soda bottles or
envelopes made from recycled telephone books.
Or make their own recycled paper and explain
how the use of matter differs between making
recycled paper and new (or "virgin") paper.
• Explain the process of life, growth, death, and
decay of living organisms as a form of recycling.
For example, use a compost pile as an example of
recycling of organic materials.
18 Grades K-4
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Strand 2.3—Humans and Their Societies
Guidelines:
A) Individuals and groups—Learners understand that
people act as individuals and as group members and that
groups can influence individual actions.
• Give examples of influences on individual
behavior, particularly behavior that affects the
environment. For example, discuss why a person
might choose to dispose of household garbage,
candy wrappers, or toxic products in certain ways.
Consider influences such as financial costs,
convenience, laws, and the opinions of friends
and family members.
• Identify some of the many groups that a person
can belong to at the same time. Describe some
tensions that a person might feel as a result of
belonging to different groups.
• Discuss why students might belong to school or
after-school clubs (such as environmental clubs or
scouting troops). Consider personal benefits
(such as fun and learning) as well as good things
the clubs do for the whole school or community.
B) Culture—Learners understand that experiences and
places may be interpreted differently by people with
different cultural backgrounds, at different times, or with
other frames of reference.
• Describe a favorite place or their own community
from a variety of perspectives, including their own.
• Role-play die reactions of different people to a
place or historical event—especially one with local
significance.
• Compare how people live in different regions and
how different cultures meet basic human needs.
For example, prepare a visual display diat
compares how people support themselves in
different regions and discuss how those
livelihoods can both affect the environment and
depend on the environment.
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.
References to Standards:
Science Benchmarks 140, 154,
158
Social Studies 57-62
Arts 30
Civics & Government 15-21
English Language Arts 27-29,
38-39
Geography 117, 124-125
History 27
Science Benchmarks 154
Social Studies 49-50
Economics 5-6, 30-31
Geography 126-127
Science Benchmarks 168-169
Social Studies 63-66
Grades K4 19
-------
Civics & Government 33-34
Economics 11,13
Geography 126-127
Science Benchmarks 176
Social Studies 70-72
• Discuss what might happen if there were no laws
to protect the environment in their area.
Consider possible positive and negative effects
on plants and animals, specific natural areas,
landowners, specific businesses, water users, and
others.
• List jobs in their community that are linked to
processing natural resources. Identify clusters of
related businesses and interview employees or
owners to determine why those economic
activities are located in their community.
• Identify elements of infrastructure in their
community. For example, create a map or a skit
showing how information, people, and goods
move from place to place. Include information
about who is responsible for, or who pays for,
this infrastructure (e.g., the government, private
business, individuals).
D) Global connections—Learners understand how
people are connected at many levels—including the
global level—by actions and common responsibilities
that concern the environment.
• Identify ways in which individual needs and
wants are related to environmental concerns
such as energy use and environmental
protection.
• Describe how trade connects people around the
world and enables them to have things they
might not be able or willing to produce
themselves. For example, create a map that
shows where a learner's food, clothing and
household items are produced, where the raw
materials come from, products that are traded
into and out from their region, and so forth.
• Identify possible environmental concerns that
might come up in other regions or countries as a
result of producing or shipping products that
learners use regularly.
• Discuss how television, computers, and other
forms of communication connect people around
the world.
20 Grades K4
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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.
• Identify aspects of family and community life that
have remained constant over generations, as well
as aspects that have changed. For example,
interview family or community members and
develop a visual display abouit their findings.
• Give examples of rules related to the environment
at home, in school, or elsewhere that have
changed and others that have stayed the same.
• Identify some basic ways in which individuals,
groups, and institutions such as schools resolve
conflict concerning the environment. For
example, develop and perform short skits about
different ways of solving a school problem such as
littering on the playground or in hallways.
English Language Arts 38-39,
45-46
Science Benchmarks 162,
165, 172
Social Studies 51-53
Strand 2.4—Environment and Society
Guidelines:
A) Human/environment interactions—Learners
understand that people depend on, change, and are
affected by the environment.
• Identify ways in which people depend on die
environment. For example, create an artistic
representation of how the environment provides
food, water, air, recreation, minerals, and other
resources.
• Identify ways in which human actions change the
environment. For example, list changes that
activities such as building houses or stores with
parking lots, farming, or damming rivers have
caused within dieir community or region.
• Describe how the environment affects human
activities in dieir community or region. For
example, describe the effects of weather or
climate, the likelihood of earthquakes or flooding,
soil and mineral types, or the presence of water on
where people live, how they make a living, how
they recreate, and so forth.
References to Standards:
Geography 132-135
Science 140
Grades K-4 21
-------
Arts 34
Geography 113-117
History 29-31
Social Studies 54-56
Economics 1-2
Geography 136-137
History 22
Science 140
History 37-38
Science 140
Science Benchmarks 54-55, 184-
185, 188-189,193,197-198,
201-202, 205
B) Places—Learners understand that places differ in
their physical and human characteristics.
• Identify and describe places in their region that
they or others think are important. For example,
draw pictures, create a video, or take photographs
that illustrate what people find unique or
important about regional landmarks, downtown
areas, parks, farms, wilderness areas, and so forth.
• Discuss how humans create places that reflect
their ideas, needs, and wants, as well as the
physical environment. Illustrate with examples of
places within their experience such as
playgrounds, parks, classrooms, and homes.
• Compare their neighborhood or town with
another nearby place, or compare their favorite
park with another park they know. List
characteristics that make one place different from
another.
C) Resources—Learners understand the basic concepts
of resource and resource distribution.
• Explain what a natural resource is and give
examples.
• Distinguish among resources that are renewable
and nonrenewable, and resources (like running
water or wind) that are available only in certain
places at certain times.
• Identify ways they use resources in their daily lives.
• Locate sources of various resources on a map. For
example, trace the origins of the local water
supply or map the region's natural resources.
• Link patterns of human settlement and other
activity with the presence of specific resources
such as mineral deposits, rivers, or fertile farming
areas. Research the origins of their own
community and explain the role of resource
availability in how the community developed.
D) Technology—Learners understand that technology is
an integral part of human existence and culture.
• Describe technologies as tools and ways of doing
things that humans have invented. Give examples
of technologies that affect their lives in areas such
22 Grades K-4
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as transportation, communications, and
entertainment.
• Interview family members or community members
to trace technological changes that have taken
place over the last three generations.
• Identify drawbacks and benefits of specific
technologies. Consider the fact that technologies
can benefit some humans and other organisms
while harming others.
• Identify important technological systems such as
agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing.
E) Environmental issues—Learners are familiar with
some local environmental issues and understand that
people in other places experience environmental issues
as well.
• Discuss some local environmental issues by
identifying some changes or proposals that people
disagree about. Describe or role-play how
different people feel about these changes and
proposals.
• Discuss how people in other places with similar
conditions might react or perceive the situation in
similar ways.
Geography 140-141
Strand 3—
Skills for Understanding and Addressing
Environmental Issues
Strand 3.1—Skids for Analyzing and Investigating
Environmental Issues
Guidelines:
A) Identifying and investigating issues—Learners are
able to identify and investigate issues in their local
environments and communities.
• Identify and describe a current or historical
environmental issue in their community.
• Use primary and secondary sources of information
to explore the dilemma confronting people in a
References to Standards:
Arts 31
English Language Arts 38-39
History 6, 23
Social Studies 49-53, 57-62,
Grades K-4 23
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People Can Choose to Care About
and Protect Living Things
A Child's Place in the Environment,
Lessons 16-18, California Department of
Education, Sacramento, California
Grade Level: 1st
Correlating Guidelines:
Strand 1 B, C
Strand 2.2 A, C
Strand 2.4 A
Strand 3.2 A, C, D
This series of lessons focuses on people's
attitudes and actions toward other living
things. It is part of a lengdiy integrated
first grade unit on respecting living diings.
The lessons begin by introducing the
students to role models that care for living
things. Professionals whose work involves
protecting wildlife and habitats are invited
to speak to die class. The teacher also
reads stories such as Miss Rumphius (by
Barbara Cooney) and Make Way for
Ducklings (by Robert McCloskey), which
give more examples of people helping
living diings.
Students dien draw themselves and
what diey might be doing to care for living
things. The illustrations are posted and,
over several days, each student is given die
opportunity to describe dieir drawing.
Lesson 17 concentrates on actions
students can take to show diey care about
plants and animals, including pets. The
teacher reads Byrd Baylor's Amiga to
emphasize diat wild animals are better left
in their own habitats. Students design a
class book, mural or paper quilt to illus-
trates kind actions toward living things.
In lesson 18, class members brain-
storm ideas for a community project. They
gather ideas from family, friends, and
community representatives such as
veterinarians or people working in wildlife
rehabilitation. Students then select and
complete a class project.
Finally, students write poems or
stories, or create dioramas, collages or
demonstrations dial can be presented in a
special open house.
Geography 132-133
Social Studies 54-56
24 Grades K-4
current or historical situation that involves the
environment.
• Apply ideas of past, present, and future to local
environmental issues. For example, describe what
has changed, is changing, and could change or
discuss how long the issue has existed.
• Identify people and groups that are involved.
• Identify some of die decisions and actions related
to the issue.
B) Sorting out the consequences of issues—As students
come to understand that environmental and social
phenomena are linked, they are able to explore the
consequences of issues.
-------
• Observe and speculate about social, economic,
and environmental effects of environmental
changes and conditions, and proposed solutions
to issues. For example, describe short-term and
long-term effects of existing uses of land or
another resource in the home, community, and
region.
• Discuss how an environmental issue affects
different individuals and groups.
C) Identifying and evaluating alternative solutions and
courses of action—Students understand there are many
approaches to resolving issues.
• Identify proposed solutions to an issue and discuss
arguments for and against them.
• Explain why various strategies may be effective in
different situations, and that each proposed
strategy is likely to have a different effect on
society and the environment. Illustrate with
examples from a specific issue.
• Describe some of the different levels at which
action can be taken-for example by individuals,
families, school classes, different levels of
government, or businesses. Identify ways that
these groups might take action on a specific issue.
• Propose alternative approaches to problems.
D) Working with flexibility, creativity, and openness—
Learners understand the importance of sharing ideas
and hearing other points of view.
• Engage in critique and discussion as part of die
process of inquiry. Explain why these processes
are important.
• Hear and respect different perspectives and
communicate with people whose lives, cultures,
and viewpoints are different from their own.
• Identify ideas and interpretations that differ from
theirs. Ask questions about different perspectives
and discuss their strong points and drawbacks.
Geography 48
History 23
Social Studies 73-75
English Language Arts 31-34,
41, 44
Geography 140
Mathematics 29
Social Studies 57-59
Grades K-4 25
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References to Standards:
Arts 31, 34
Geography 140-141
History 23
Social Studies 57-59
Civics 38-39
Social Studies 73-75
Civics and Government 6
Social Studies 73-75
Strand 3.2—Decision-Making and Citizenship Skills
Guidelines:
A) Forming and evaluating personal views—Learners are
able to examine and express their own views on
environmental issues.
• Identify and express their own ideas about
environmental issues and alternative ways to
address them.
• Test their views against what they know and
believe, remaining open to new information and
ideas.
• Identify unanswered questions.
• Identify, clarify, and express their own beliefs and
values regarding the environment.
B) Evaluating the need for citizen action—Learners are
able to think critically about whether they believe action
is needed in particular situations and whether they
believe they should be involved.
• Discuss whether citizens should take action on a
particular environmental issue. Consider findings
from their issue investigations such as causes of
the problem and promising strategies for
addressing it.
• Identify types of citizen action appropriate for a
specific issue.
• Discuss whether and how they think they would
like to be involved. Identify reasons for and
against taking specific kinds of action.
C) Planning and taking action—By participating in issues
of their choosing-mostly close to home-students learn
the basics of individual and collective action.
• Develop action plans they can carry out
individually, in small groups, or as a class. Include
clear reasons and goals for action. Consider the
results of their environmental issue investigation
and their assessment of the need for action.
• Set realistic goals for action and measures of
success consistent with learners' abilities.
26 Grades K-4
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• Decide whether their plan should be
implemented immediately or at another time,
changed, or abandoned; and carry through with
action when appropriate.
D) Evaluating the results of actions—Learners
understand that civic actions have consequences.
• Describe the apparent effects of their own actions
and actions taken by other individuals and groups.
• Discuss some of the reasons why identifying the
effects of actions may be difficult. Consider, for
example, the time required to see effects, the
influences of others' actions, and other changes in
the situation.
History 23-24
Social Studies 73-75
Strand 4—Personal and Civic
Responsibility
Guidelines:
A) Understanding societal values and principles—
Learners can identify fundamental principles of U.S.
society and explain their importance in die context of
environmental issues.
• Identify examples of beliefs that many U.S.
citizens hold in common, such as the importance
of individual property rights, the right to pursue
happiness, the public or common good, and the
well-being of future generations. Create a skit that
explores why people might decide to act on
environmental issues, considering possible
connections with these basic beliefs.
• Discuss how dieir own beliefs about the
environment, environmental issues, and society
compare to these general, societal beliefs.
• Recognize tensions that occur when basic values
and beliefs differ. Illustrate with examples from
local environmental issues.
B) Recognizing citizens' rights and responsibilities—
Learners understand die basic rights and responsibilities
of citizenship.
• Identify examples of die personal, political, and
economic rights of U.S. citizens.
References to Standards:
Arts 31
Civics and Government 22-27
English Language Arts 44
Social Studies 60-64, 73-75
Civics and Government 35-37
Social Studies 73-75
Grades K-4 27
-------
Civics and Government 38-39
Social Studies 60-64
Civics and Government 38-39
Social Studies 73-75
• Identify examples of the responsibilities of
citizenship.
• Discuss rights and responsibilities in the context of
local environmental issues.
C) Recognizing efficacy—Learners possess a realistic self-
confidence in their effectiveness as citizens.
• Describe ways in which individuals and groups act
within their community to protect the environ-
ment. Identify cases where citizen action has had
an effect on an environmental decision or action.
• Identify ways in which they have made a difference
through their own actions. Give examples from
situations over which learners have some control
(for example, in the classroom, at home, or in the
community) and that are appropriate to their level
of understanding.
D) Accepting personal responsibility—Learners
understand that they have responsibility for the effects of
their actions.
• Identify and describe some of the effects that they
and-the groups they belong to (e.g., family or
school class) have on the environment and on
humans and other living things.
• Discuss the notion of responsibility and identify
some of their personal responsibilities.
Recycling Snowballs
From: Getting Started, National Consortium for
Environmental Education and Training, Ann
Arbor, Michigan
Grade Level: Lower Elementary
Correlating Guidelines:
Strand 1A
Strand 2.2 D
Strand 2.3 A, C, E
Strand 2.4 A, C
Strand 4 C, D
Third graders at Greenwood Elementary
School in LeGrande, Oregon set up a class
recycling center that snowballed into an
exploration of a town problem. With their
success at school, the students decided to
encourage recycling at home. But when
families took materials to the town recy-
cling center, they found the bins unat-
tended and spilling over.
The students were also learning about
local government, so they invited the
mayor to speak to their class about recy-
cling problems. The mayor listened care-
fully, then explained budget issues at the
heart of the drop-off station's problems.
The snowball kept rolling; next, the
students started to investigate ways to re-
duce and reuse classroom materials.
28 Grades K-4
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GUIDELINES FOR EIGHTH GRADE
Learners should be able to meet the guidelines included in this
section by the end of eighth grade.
In the fifth through eighth grades, learners develop greater
skills in abstract and creative thinking—and along with these,
the ability to understand the interplay of environmental and
human 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.
Strand 1—
Questioning and Analysis Skills
References:
Geography 49
Mathematics 75-77
Science 145
Mathematics 75-77
Science 145, 148
Guidelines:
A) Questioning—Learners are able to develop, focus, and
explain' questions that help them learn about the environment
and do environmental investigations.
• Identify environmental questions based on personal
experiences both in and outside school, newspaper and
magazine articles, television or radio news, or videos.
• Summarize an environmental problem or situation to
provide context for, or explain the origin of, a particular
question. Create visual presentations (such as maps,
graphs, or video tapes) and written and oral statements
that describe their thinking about the problem.
• Pose clear questions and ideas to test (hypotheses),
reformulating them when necessary.
• Clarify their own beliefs about the environment and
discuss how those beliefs are reflected in the questions
they ask.
B) Designing investigations—Learners are able to design
environmental investigations to answer particular questions—
often their own questions.
• Select types of inquiry appropriate to their questions.
• Define the scope of their inquiry, identifying the main
variables and phenomena to be studied.
Grades 5-8 29
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Understanding the Local Environment
Experiencing and observing the local environment is an essential part of environmental
education. Understanding their surroundings helps learners build a strong foundation of
skills and knowledge for reaching out further into the world and deeper into the
conceptual understandings that environmental literacy demands. Direct experience m
the environment also helps foster the awareness and appreciation that motivate learners
to further questioning, better understanding, and appropriate concern and action.
The following chart suggests ways in which learners at different grade levels might
explore and understand the local environment. It is printed in each grade level section of
these guidelines to help show progression as learners mature. Other ideas are included in
the guidelines. _^_^_^_^__^_^^_
Grades K-4
Identify basic types of
habitats (e.g., forests,
wetlands, or lakes). Create
a short list of plants and
animals found in each.
Trace die source of their
drinking water and where it
goes after it is used.
Recognize resident animal
species, migrants, and
those that pass through on
migratory routes.
Collect or produce images
of the area at the
beginning of European
settlement.
Describe aspects of die
environment that change
on a daily, weekly, monthly,
and yearly basis.
Identify sources of
electricity used in the
community (e.g.,
hydroelectric, fossil fuels,
solar, nuclear).
Record weadier
observations such as
precipitation, temperature,
or cloud cover.
Identify food crops that are
grown or processed locally.
Grades 5-8
Classify local ecosystems
(e.g., oak-hickory forest or
sedge meadow). Create
food webs to show—or
describe their function in
terms of—the interaction
of specific plant and animal
species.
Describe how drinking
water and wastewater are
treated.
Map migratory routes of
birds, butterflies, and odier
animals diat pass through
die area. Identify their local
habitat needs.
Monitor changes in water
or air quality, or other
aspects of the local
environment.
Identify species that are
locally threatened,
endangered, or declining
in population. Describe
their habitat needs.
Describe the area's climate
and identify factors diat
contribute to it.
', Create a map for the local
area that shows where food
' diat is consumed locally
', comes from.
Grades 9-12
Identify several plants and
animals common to local
ecosystems. Describe
concepts such as
succession, competition,
! predator/prey
relationships, and
'. parasitism.
Evaluate sources of non-
point source pollution of
local bodies of water,
including sources that are
-not local.
Investigate short- and long-
term environmental
changes in a local
watershed, and aquifer, or
in air quality. Or document
changes in land use and
their environmental effects.
Research population trends
for a locally threatened
species. Describe changes,
activities, and other factors
that seem to affect die
population trends.
Calculate the potential for
generating wind or solar
power on a particular site.
Trace human population
trends for their region and
make projections, based on
research findings, for the
future.
30 Grades 5-8
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• Select appropriate systems of measurement and
observation.
• Select tools that are appropriate for their
environmental investigations based on the
question asked and the type of information
sought.
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.
• Observe systematically, measure accurately, and
keep thorough and accurate records, which may
include written notes and data tables, sketches,
and photographs.
• Understand and use various systems of
measurement and derived measurements such as
rates.
• Assess, choose, and synthesize materials from
resources such as aerial photographs, topographic
maps, and satellite images; library and museum
collections, historical documents, and eyewitness
accounts; computerized databases and
spreadsheets; die internet; and government
records.
• Collect firsthand information about their own
community using field study skills.
D) Evaluating accuracy and reliability—Students are able
to judge the weaknesses and strengths of the information
they are using.
• Identify and evaluate vague claims they hear on
television or through other media. For example,
examine the credibility of results of public
opinion polling about environmental topics,
considering such factors as sampling methods,
logical conclusions, and appropriate analogies.
• Identify factors that affect the credibility of
information, including assumptions and
procedures used to create it; the social, political,
and economic context in which the information
was created; and potential bias due to omission,
suppression, or invention of factual information.
Arts 47
English Language Arts 27-28,
38-40
Geography 49-50, 144-145
History 67-68
Mathematics 116-119
Science 145
Social Studies 85-87
History 67-68
Mathematics 75-80
Science 143, 148
Grades 5-8 31
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Butterflies After the Hurricane
From: Judi Kohler, Village Pines School
Grade Level: 5th-6th
Correlating Guidelines:
Strand IB, C, E, F
Strand 2.2 A, C
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew left this Florida
school with litde remaining landscaping.
By creating a butterfly garden, one middle
school class turned the difficult experience
into a rewarding interdisciplinary unit on
habitat restoration.
Students used their math skills to
measure the garden plot and figure out
how many plants could fit into the area. In
language arts, they wrote letters seeking
help selecting plants, and spelling lessons
focused on related vocabulary words. The
butterflies inspired haiku and acrostic
poems, while illustrating the poems drew
upon the students' artistic skills.
In social studies, students researched
the places butterflies live, and studied the
different cultures found along their
migratory routes.
A field trip to a local nature center
provided an opportunity to learn from a
local expert about the needs of butterflies,
and scientific observations unveiled the
mysteries of metamorphosis and the life
cycle of a butterfly.
Arts 50
English Language Arts 35-36
Geography 50-51, 144-145
Mathematics 98-101, 105-108
Science 145
• Examine evidence, identify faulty reasoning, and
apply other basic logic and reasoning skills in
evaluating information sources.
• Identify gaps in information that indicate a need
for further discovery or inquiry.
• Evaluate data and evidence for accuracy, relevance,
significance, appropriateness, and clarity.
E) Organizing information—Learners are able to classify
and order data, and to organize and display information
in ways that help analysis and interpretation.
• Present environmental data in a variety of formats
including charts, tables, plots, graphs, maps, and
flow charts. For example, chart stream flows, create
a map of local businesses that require air quality
permits, or organize survey results into a table.
• Explain why they chose specific ways of ordering
and displaying information. Consider factors such
as the question being answered, the type of
information, and the purpose of the display.
• Present environmental data in ways that
demonstrate possible relationships between sets of
information such as population census counts of a
certain bird species and die prevalence of certain
tree species or habitat types.
32 Grades 5-8
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F) Working with models and simulations—Learners
understand many of the uses and limitations of models.
• Describe how models are used to think about
long-term processes such as population growth or
processes that are difficult to see such as bird
migration or the movement of the planets in
relationship to the sun.
• Use models to represent and investigate aspects of
the physical world such as we'ather and specific
phenomena such as hurricanes.
• Manipulate mathematical and physical models
using a computer.
• Evaluate models based on the question being
investigated. Account for variables such as the
complexity of the model, its scale, its ability to
represent important features of the process being
modeled, and its reliability and accuracy.
• Recognize limitations of models and simulations.
For example, describe a situation in which a
model of an environmental phenomenon is not
useful.
G) Developing proposed explanations—Learners are
able to synthesize their observations and findings into
coherent explanations.
• Distinguish between description and explanation
and give examples of each based on their own
environmental investigations.
• Consider the possible relationships among two or
more variables.
• Propose explanations based on what they
observed or learned through research, selecting
which evidence to use and accounting for
discrepancies. Synthesize and interpret
information from a range of sources.
• List strengths and weaknesses of proposed
explanations. Discuss how the proposed
explanation could be rejected or its reliability
improved.
• Use their proposed explanations to form new
questions and suggest new avenues of inquiry.
Geography 144-145
Mathematics 98-101, 109-111,
112-115
Science 145
Science Benchmarks 286-287
English Language Arts 39-40
Geography 51-52
History 68-70
Mathematics 81-83
Science 145, 148
Grades 5-8 33
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References to Standards:
Geography 156-157
Science 158-160
Science Benchmarks 73
Science Benchmarks 77-79
Science 154
Strand 2—
Knowledge of Environmental Processes
and Systems
Strand 2.1—The Earth as a Physical System
Guidelines:
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.
• Analyze physical patterns such as climate, areas of
geothermal activity, soil types, and arid regions,
suggesting reasons for these patterns. Explain
these patterns in terms of abrupt forces (such as
earthquakes or major storms) and long-term
processes (such as erosion and rock formation), as
well as those that are human-caused (such as
suburban development or agricultural practices).
• Predict the consequences of specific physical
phenomena such as a hurricane in a coastal area
or heavy grazing in an arid region.
• Relate physical processes and patterns (such as
climate, weather phenomena, and seasonal
change) to the Earth/sun relationship. For
example, create a model that shows how seasonal
change is affected by the Earth/sun relationship.
B) Changes in matter—Learners understand the
properties of the substances that make up objects or
materials found in the environment.
• Describe a variety of chemical reactions and offer
examples from daily life and the local
environment.
• Explain properties of materials in terms such as
atomic and molecular structure or reactivity. For
example, describe why particular building
materials have properties such as rigidity,
impermeability, or the ability to reflect or gather
heat.
• Explain an object's characteristics based on its
composition and how it was formed. For example,
34 Grades 5-8
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describe the characteristics of different types of
rock and account for these characteristics based
on their constituent parts and the processes by
which they were formed.
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.
• Trace the flow of energy in examples that
encompass several different transfers and
transformations of energy. For example, trace the
path of energy in the creation and consumption
of fossil fuels.
• Explain how solar energy contributes to the
movement of global air masses, the hydrological
cycle and ocean currents.
• Explain how the process of life is based on the
conversion, utilization, storage and transfer of
energy. For example, create a visual display that
shows how plants or animals use energy, where
that energy comes from, and where it goes.
Science 155
Science Benchmarks 84-85
Strand 2.2—The Living Environment
Guidelines:
A) Organisms, populations, and communities—Learners
understand that biotic communities are made up of
plants and animals that are adapted to live in particular
environments.
• Define and give examples to illustrate the
concepts of species, population, community, and
ecosystem. Trace and give examples of
connections among organisms at those levels of
organization.
• Link features of internal and external anatomy
with the ability of organisms to make or find food
and reproduce in particular environments.
• Understand that some animals and plants have
adapted to extreme environmental conditions.
Give examples of adaptations that are behavioral
(for example, the migration of Canada geese and
References to Standards:
Geography 158-159
Science 156-157
Science Benchmarks 104
Grades 5-8 35
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Science 157-158
Science Benchmarks 108,124
Geography 158
Science 157-158
Science Benchmarks 117
other birds) and physical (such as the physical
structures that enable desert animals and plants to
exist on minimal amounts of water).
• Describe how organisms differ in how they use
energy. For example, identify organisms that use
energy quickly for growth and metabolism, and
therefore must replace it quickly (e.g., a
hummingbird) and others that use energy more
slowly and therefore need to replace it less
frequently (e.g., a python). Predict the habitat
needs of these different types of organisms.
B) Heredity and evolution—Learners have a basic
understanding of the importance of genetic heritage.
• Describe some ways in which variation among
individuals of the same species can sometimes give
certain individuals an advantage within a specific
environment.
• Describe in general terms the theory of natural
selection for particular traits and how that process
can result in descendants that are quite different
from their ancestors.
• Define extinction, cite evidence of extinction, and
identify some of its causes.
• Discuss the possible implications of permanent
loss of a species and its social, behavioral, and
genetic heritage.
C) Systems and connections. Learners understand major
kinds of interactions among organisms or populations of
organisms.
• Describe and give examples of producer/
consumer, predator/prey, and parasite/host
relationships.
• Identify organisms that are scavengers or
decomposers. Describe the roles they play within
particular systems focusing on their relationship
to other organisms and physical elements of the
system. Illustrate with photos or give examples
from the local environment.
• Describe relationships among organisms that are
characterized by competition for limited resources
or by mutual benefit to the organisms.
36 Grades 5-8
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• Summarize how abiotic and biotic components in
combination influence the structure of an
ecosystem. For example, create a regional map
that shows average temperature and rainfall
correlated with forest, grassland or desert
ecosystems. Or discuss the process of soil
formation in terms of the interaction of climate,
geology, and living organisms.
D) Flow of matter and energy—Learners understand how
energy and matter flow among die abiotic and biotic
components of the environment.
• Trace the flow of energy through food webs that
identify relationships among organisms in natural
systems.
• Explain how matter is transferred among
organisms and between organisms and their
environment in these food webs.
Science 158
Science Benchmarks 120
PRISM—Providing Resolution with
Integrity for a Sustainable MoSokai
From: Vicki Newberry, Kaunakakai, Hawaii
Grade Level: Upper Elementary
Correlating Guidelines:
Strand 1A, B, C, D, E,
F,G
Strand 2.3 C
Strand 2.4 A, B
Strand 3.1 A, B
This Molokai, Hawaii upper elementary
school class begins studying local issues
early in the school year. To start, they learn
about local ecology and begin developing
their skills in issue analysis—identifying the
problem, issue, parties, positions, beliefs,
values, and solutions (according to
Investigating Environmental Issues and Actions
by Hungerford, Litherland, Peyton,
Ramsey, and Volk).
The students then select specific
problems and issues to work on throughout
the year. They are limited to island issues
to make it easier to obtain background
information and involve the community.
Visit to field sites, and an in-class speakers
forum help students begin to understand
the complexity of their issues and the
players involved. Further investigations
during the second quarter deepen their
understanding and help them develop
findings.
In the spring, students sponsor a
community-wide symposium called PRISM.
The students invite an adult keynote
speaker, but the rest of the day is theirs.
They write speeches and present their
findings in panels, workshops and action-
planning sessions. In 1998, 12 different
issues were explored, and 100 adults and
125 students attended the symposium.
Grades 5-8 37
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Describe how energy, which enters ecosystems as
sunlight, changes form and is transferred in the
exchanges (production, consumption, and
decomposition) that comprise food webs.
Strand 2.3—Humans and Their Societies
References to Standards:
Arts 46
Science Benchmarks 141-142,
155, 159
Social Studies 88-90
Arts 48, 51
English Language Arts 27-29,
38-39
Geography 154-155,162-163
Science Benchmarks 155
Social Studies 79-81
Guidelines:
A) Individuals and groups—Learners understand that
how individuals perceive the environment is influenced
in part by individual traits and group membership or
affiliation.
• Describe individual development and identity in
terms such as learning, perception, innate
abilities, culture, social influences, and
experience. Interpret their own beliefs about the
environment using similar concepts.
• Explain how group membership—and shared
values, beliefs, and assumptions—can influence
individuals, impel different reactions to physical
and_social environments and changes, and cause
social change. For example, describe how family,
religion, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status,
and other factors may influence individuals' values
and perceptions about the environment and their
communities.
• Identify and critique instances of stereotyping
based on group affiliation. For example, discuss
how people who are all identified as
"environmentalists" may have very different
perspectives from one another.
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.
• Explain how the environment is perceived
differently by various cultures, and how these per-
spectives may influence individuals' perceptions of
the environment. For example, based on stories
from other cultures, script and perform scenes
about what is considered beautiful, valuable, or
frightening in the environment.
38 Grades 5-8
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• Explain how new technologies can change
cultural perceptions and social behavior. For
example, discuss how snowmobiles have changed
subsistence lifestyles in Alaska, or the impact of air
conditioning on settlement in southern Florida.
• Identify ways in which transportation and
communications technology helps, or has helped,
spread cultural values and behavior patterns.
C) Political and economic systems—-Learners become
more familiar with political and economic systems and
how these systems take the environment into
consideration.
• Differentiate among public and private goods and
services, using environment-related goods and
services to illustrate. For example, examine the
values and functions of wetlands. Distinguish
among public goods, such as groundwater
recharge, flood control, and wildlife habitat; and
private goods, such as their value for agricultural
production or water storage, or the value of
draining the land for other uses. Discuss
difficulties encountered in drawing these
distinctions.
• Identify economic and political features of the
local community and state, and describe how
environmental decisions can be influenced by
these economic and political systems and actors.
• Identify ways in which governments and economic
systems work to protect the environment and
distribute natural resources. Give examples of
laws, incentives, and penalties that affect people's
behavior toward the environment and each other.
D) Global connections—Learners become familiar with
ways in which the world's environmental, social,
economic, cultural, and political systems are linked.
• Explain international trade in terms of uneven
distribution of resources.
• Describe ways in which the global environment is
affected by individual and group actions, as well as
by government policies and actions having to do
with energy use and other forms of consumption,
waste disposal, resource management, industry,
and population.
Science Benchmarks 169
Civics and Government 47-52,
61-70
Economics 5-7,19-20, 30-31
Geography 164-166
Social Studies 94-98
Civics and Government 71-73
Geography 164-166, 171-172
Science Benchmarks 177
Social Studies 102-104
Grades 5-8 39
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Science Benchmarks 163, 166,
173
Social Studies 82-84, 91-93
• Explain how an environmental change in one part
of the world can have consequences for other
places. For example, develop a map or another
visual presentation that shows the effects of air
pollution or nuclear fallout in places distant from
the source of the pollution.
• Identify a variety of global links, including
transportation and communication systems,
treaties, multi-national corporations, and
international organizations.
E) Change and conflict—Learners understand that
human systems change over time and that conflicts
sometimes arise over differing and changing viewpoints
about the environment.
• Describe patterns of change within and across
cultures, communities, and other groups.
Consider the rapidity of change, mechanisms that
helped spread change, and what motivated
change. For example, discuss how and why
'wastewater treatment became a common practice
in the United States.
• Explain how change affects individuals and groups
differently and give examples of the trade-offs
involved in decisions and actions ranging from the
individual to the societal levels. For example,
discuss how a decision about where to site a
landfill, build a chemical plant, or locate a new
highway might affect different neighborhoods,
businesses, workers, people of varying socio-
economic status, and others. Role play their
reactions.
• Describe and analyze examples of tensions
between individual rights and benefits and the
societal good. Illustrate with examples from the
local community, possibly including
disagreements over zoning, controversial
proposals to raise taxes to pay for the purchase of
open space or sewer system upgrades, or tradeoffs
between commuting to work individually in a car
or taking public transportation.
• Identify some of the formal and informal ways that
groups (including governments) attempt to
anticipate, avoid, or resolve conflicts related to the
environment.
40 Grades 5-8
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Live Oaks Communities
From: Teaching Naturally, Office of Environmental
Education, Tallahassee, Florida
Grade Level: Middle School (Grades 5-8)
Correlating Guidelines:
Strand IE
Strand 2.3 A
Strand 2.4 A, B, C
Strand 3.1 A, B, C, D
Near the school, there's a wooded section
of public land, called a green way, with a
live oak hammock ecosystem. Taking
advantage of the green way's proximity,
four instructors developed a coordinated
unit that used die site and met learning
objectives for each discipline.
In science, students learned about
interrelationships by studying an oak tree
and the diverse organisms that it supports.
The class walked to die green way and, in
small groups, conducted inventories of
selected trees. The groups used field guides
to identify and record die plants, animals,
and animal signs diey discovered.
The math instructor helped students
compile and graph their data and interpret
their findings. The students learned to
calculate percentages by figuring die
relationship of each animal or plant group
to die total biodiversity of die tree.
Students read Longfellow's Evangeline
and odier stories involving oaks, which
prompted diem to write folk tales about
trees. The art teacher also got into die act
widi lessons on foreground and
background perspectives that helped
students draw pencil sketches of dieir study
trees to illustrate their stories.
In social studies, students estimated die
age of their group of trees and developed
time lines of historical events that took
place during die trees' life spans.
As questions arose about preserving
and removing trees, students researched
city planning, tree ordinances, and odier
related civic issues.
To culminate die interdisciplinary unit,
student groups used county maps to
identify several large oaks trees, then
develop a rationale for locating a new
county road diat accounted for site and
materials. The recommendations were
presented in a mock county planning
meeting.
Strand 2.4—Environment and Society
Guidelines:
A) Human/environment interactions—Learners
understand that human-caused changes have
consequences for the immediate environment as well as
for other places and future times.
• Describe intended and unintended environmental
and social consequences associated with the
changing use of technologies. Consider
consequences that may be positive as well as
References to Standards:
Geography 173-175
Science 168-169
Grades 5-8 41
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Arts 50
Geography 150-155
Social Studies 85-87, 99-101
Economics 1-3
Geography 176-178
History 67-68
Science 168
negative. For example, discuss development of the
highway system, different ways of generating
electrical power, or the use of synthetic pesticides.
• Explain how human-caused environmental
changes cause changes in other places. For
example, discuss the effects of building a dam on
downstream plant and animal communities as well
as on human communities.
• Describe the environmental effects of a local
environmental restoration effort, such as wetlands
creation. Speculate about long-term consequences
of such efforts, or a particular restoration project.
B) Places—Learners begin to explore the meaning of
places both close to home and around the world.
• Analyze physical and human characteristics of
places and make inferences about how and why
these characteristics have developed and changed
over time. For example, use maps and satellite
photographs to examine how cities change in
response to natural disasters such as floods,
hurricanes, or earthquakes.
• Identify ways in which personal perceptions,
culture, and technology influence people's
perceptions of places. Discuss the importance of
some places (such as Yellowstone National Park or
the Mississippi River) as cultural symbols.
• Identify regions based on different criteria such as
watershed boundaries, sales and service areas for
different businesses, or the area from which sports
teams draw fans or symphony orchestras attract
audiences.
C) Resources—Learners understand that uneven
distribution of resources influences their use and
perceived value.
• Map and discuss distribution and consumption
patterns for specific resources, such as metals,
fresh water, or certain types of forests. Note
resources that are being rapidly depleted.
• Explain why certain resources (such as oil, coal, or
natural gas) are key to the development of human
societies, and identify resources that were critical
to development at different times in history.
42 Grades 5-8
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• Explain conflicts between individuals, states,
regions, or nations noting factors such as differing
attitudes about the use of specific resources and
scarcity of natural resources. Illustrate with local
or regional examples such as conflicts over urban
development and use of habitat for local
endangered species.
D) Technology—Learners understand the human ability
to shape and control the environment as a function of
the capacities for creating knowledge and developing
new technologies.
• Discuss technologies in the context'of larger
systems that have shaped the course of human
history as well as human relationships with the
environment. Use illustrations from the great
revolutions (agricultural, industrial,
transportation, and so on) that have dramatically
changed how people live and use resources.
• Analyze how the ability to develop and use
technology gives humans great influence over the
environment and other- living things. Use
examples from their region, such as the ability to
construct levees to protect areas from flooding or
create wildlife refuges, build machines that
produce or reduce air or water pollution, or
domesticate plants or animals for food
production.
• Identify some of the important environmental and
social issues related to particular technological
developments in fields such as agriculture,
manufacturing, and energy.
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 share many of the
issues they are concerned about locally.
• Identify other places, either contemporary or
historical, experiencing issues similar to those in
the learner's community or region.
• Explain how issues arise because of conflicting
points of view about a specific proposal, event, or
condition in the environment. For example,
discuss conflicting perspectives about past and
present proposals to build large-scale dams such as
Science 169
Science Benchmarks 55-56,
185-186,189-190, 194, 198,
202-203, 206
Social Studies 99-101
Geography 181-182
Grades 5-8 43
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the Three Gorges project in China, the Hetch-
Hetchy dam in the U.S., or a similar project in the
learner's region.
Discuss how the disagreements at the heart of
environmental issues makes them difficult to
resolve. Consider the role of understanding,
creativity, or compromise in finding solutions.
References fo Standards:
Geography 164rl66, 169-170,
179-182
Histoiy 68-70
Social Studies 79-93, 105-107
Strand 3—
Skids for Understanding and Addressing
Environmental Issues
Strand 3.1—Skills for Analyzing and Investigating
Environmental Issues
Guidelines:
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.
• Clearly articulate and define environmental issues.
For example, describe the history and origins of
the issue, actions that have been taken to address
the issue, the apparent effects of these actions,
and the current situation.
• Identify key individuals and groups involved, their
viewpoints, and the types of action they support.
Describe areas of conflict and agreement.
• Investigate the issue using secondary sources and
original research where needed.
• Examine how others have analyzed and
understood the issue, identifying their approaches
and the assumptions behind them.
• Compare the issue with similar issues from other
places and times.
44 Grades 5-8
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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 environmental issues.
• Describe the effects of human actions on specific
elements, systems, and processes of the
environment.
• Analyze issues by looking at trade-offs that have
been made. For example, consider where various
human activities (such as hazardous waste
incinerators, landfills, highways, or chemical
factories) are located and their effects on different
places and different segments of the population.
• Speculate about the effects of a proposed state or
local environmental regulation. For example,
consider effects on different sectors of the
economy, neighborhoods, public health,
particular plant and animal species and
communities, and overall environmental quality.
• Project the consequences of inaction or failure to
resolve particular issues.
C) Identifying and evaluating alternative solutions and
courses of action—Learners are able to identify and
develop action strategies for addressing particular issues.
• Identify different proposals for resolving an envi-
ronmental issue. Recognize and explain the per-
spectives on the issue embedded in those views.
• Explain why various strategies may be effective in
different situations. Consider their likely effects
on society and the environment.
• Independently and in groups, develop original
strategies to address issues.
• Discern similarities and differences in situations
which might affect their ability to apply strategies
that were successful in other places and times.
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 environmental issues.
Geography 171-172
Social Studies 85-87
English Language Arts 41
History 70
Social Studies 105-107
Arts 51
English Language Arts 31-33,
41-42, 44-45
Geography 181
Mathematics 81-82
Science 148
Science Benchmarks 286-287
Social Studies 88-90
Grades 5-8 45
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The Many Sides of Cotton f^ff rGuAdeJlnres:
Strand 1 A, C, D, E, G
From: Windows on the Wild—Biodiversity Basics, World Strand 2.4 A, C, D, E
Wildlife Fund, Washington, B.C. Stnmd % l ^ B\ c' D
Grade Level: Middle School (grades 6-9)
This activity is part of a broader unit on
biodiversity, and incorporates social
studies, science, and language arts.
Students begin by exploring a
hypothetical controversy, such as supposing
that the school has to cut the budget and
must choose between the music program
or after-school sports. Through this
exercise, students are introduced to issue
analysis: identifying the problem, the issue,
the parties involved and their positions, the
beliefs that shape those positions, and the
values that underlie them, and examine
possible solutions.
Once familiar with the approach,
students apply the issue analysis process to"
examine the pros and cons of growing
organic and conventional cotton. Using
readings written by people with diverse
perspectives on the issue, students work
individually or in groups to analyze the
articles for points of agreement and
disagreement, facts, opinions, and bias.
Individually or in groups, they complete a
chart on sorting out the issues.
Finally, students write a personal
position statement on conventional versus
organic cotton, making sure to back up
their statements with specific reasons, and
describing whether and how their positions
will affect their actions as a consumer and a
citizen.
• Explain how the interplay of ideas and
perspectives strengthens the process of inquiry
and the societal ability to address issues.
• Receive questions and alternative explanations
that others offer in discussions as well as in
readings.
• Explain why it is not always possible to select one
correct explanation or a single best approach to
addressing an issue.
Strand 3.2—Decision-Making and Citizenship Skills
References to Standards:
Arts 40
Geography 179-182
History 70
Social Studies 88-90
Guidelines:
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.
46 Grades 5-8
-------
• Discuss personal perspectives with classmates,
remaining open to new ideas and information.
• Justify their views based on information from a
variety of sources, and clear reasoning.
• Discuss their own beliefs and values regarding the
environment and relate their personal view of
environmental issues to these.
• Identify ways in which others' views correspond or
differ with their own views.
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.
• Discuss whether action is warranted. Account for
factors such as the scale of the problem; legal,
social, economic, and ecological consequences;
and alternatives to citizen action.
• Identify different forms of action that citizens can
take in the economic, political, and legal spheres,
as well as actions aimed' at directly improving or
maintaining some part of the environment or
persuading others to take action.
• Speculate about the likely effects of specific
actions on society and the environment, and the
likelihood these actions will resolve a specific
environmental issue.
• Point out advantages and disadvantages of their
personal involvement, considering factors such as
their own skills, resources, knowledge, and
commitment.
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 appropriate to their maturity and
preparation.
• Develop action plans they can carry out
individually, in small groups, or with a class, club,
or larger organization. Include clear reasons and
goals for action. Base these plans on knowledge of
a range of citizen action strategies and the results
of their environmental issue investigations.
Civics and Government 68-70
Social Studies 105-107
Civics and Government 80-83
Social Studies 105-107
Grades 5-8 47
-------
History 70
Social Studies 105-107
• Set realistic goals for action and include measures
of success consistent with learners' abilities and an
understanding of the complexity of the issue.
• Decide whether their plan should be
implemented immediately or at another time,
changed, or abandoned; and carry through with
action when appropriate.
D) Evaluating the results of actions—Learners are able to
analyze the effects of their own actions and actions taken
by other individuals and groups.
• Analyze the effects of decisions, policies, and
actions taken by individuals and groups on a
particular issue.
• Analyze their own actions, explaining apparent
effects and discussing them in light of students'
goals and reasons for acting.
• Describe some of the reasons why analyzing the
results of actions may be difficult, including the
scale of the issue, the time required to see effects,
and the influence of other actions and factors.
Strand
Personal and Civic Responsibility
Reference to Standards:
Civics and Government 58-60
English Language Arts 44
Social Studies 91-95,105-107
Guidelines:
A) Understanding societal values and principles—
Learners understand that societal values can be both a
unifying and a divisive force.
• Identify some of the shared political values and
principles that unite American society, and
explain their importance.
• Discuss conflicting views about the meaning and
application of shared values in specific issues. For
example, explore conflicting views about the idea
that one person's rights end where they infringe
on another's. Use a specific context such as
proposed sports stadium or whether to permit an
industrial facility or housing development.
48 Grades 5-8
-------
• From speeches and writings on specific
environmental issues, identify ways in which
advocates appeal to values such as individual
freedoms, property rights, the public good,
economic well-being, and patriotism.
• Evaluate the principle of stewardship as a shared
societal value. For example, compare conceptions
of stewardship contained in writings of John Muir,
Gifford Pinchot, and Aldo Leopold with their own
understanding.
B) Recognizing citizens' rights and responsibilities—
Learners understand the rights and responsibilities of
citizenship and their importance in promoting the
resolution of environmental issues.
• Identify rights and responsibilities associated with
citizenship, including personal and civic
responsibilities.
• Describe ways in which commonly accepted rights
and responsibilities of citizenship motivate people
to help resolve environmental issues. Consider
rights and responsibilities such as acquiring, using
and selling property; the right to vote; freedom of
speech and assembly; accepting responsibility for
the consequences of one's actions; obeying the
law; and respecting the rights and interests of
others.
C) Recognizing efficacy—Learners possess a realistic self-
confidence in their effectiveness as citizens.
• Explain the ways in which citizen action and
public opinion influence environmental policy
decisions.
• Describe how individuals and groups act within
society to create change, meet individual needs
and promote the common good. Illustrate with
examples from environmental issues.
• Describe ways in which their actions have made a
difference. Use examples that begin in the
classroom and the home, and extend beyond to
encompass the broader communities in which
students begin to see possibilities for action.
Civics and Government 74-78
Social Studies 105-107
Civics and Government 80-83
Social Studies 91-93, 105-107
Grades 5-8 49
-------
Civics and Government 79-80
D) Accepting personal responsibility—Learners under-
stand that their actions can have broad consequences
and that they are responsible for those consequences.
• Analyze some of the effects that their actions (and
the actions of their families, social groups, and
communities) have on the environment, other
humans, and other living things.
• Describe actions in terms of their effects that
reach into the future.
• Describe their personal responsibilities,
comparing their view of their responsibilities with
commonly accepted societal views.
• Identify ways in which they feel responsible for
helping resolve environmental issues within their
community.
50 Grades 5-8
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GUIDELINES FOR TWELFTH GRADE
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 continue
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.
Strand 1—
Questioning and Analysis Skids
References:
Geography 53
History 68-70
Mathematics 137-139
Science 175
Geography 53
History 67-68
Mathematics 137-139,
167-170
Science 175
Guidelines:
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.
• Articulate environmental phenomena or topics to be
studied at scales ranging from local to global.
• Pose a research question or hypothesis, identifying and
defining key variables, based on primary and secondary
sources of information. For example, develop hypotheses
about land use in a region by drawing on maps,
newspaper articles, databases, and personal observations.
• Identify historical and current ideas and beliefs—for
example, about the environment, human perceptions of
the environment, or the nature of knowledge—that
inform their questions.
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.
• Select appropriate means of inquiry, including scientific
investigations, historical inquiry, and social science
observation and research.
Grades 9-12 51
-------
Understanding the Local Environment
Experiencing and observing the local environment is an essential part of environmental
education. Understanding their surroundings helps learners build a strong foundation of
skills and knowledge for reaching out further into die world and deeper into the
conceptual understandings that environmental literacy demands. Direct experience in
die environment also helps foster the awareness and appreciation that motivate learners
to further questioning, better understanding, and appropriate concern and action.
The following chart suggests ways in which learners at different grade levels might
explore and understand the local environment. It is printed in each grade level section of
these guidelines to help show progression as learners mature. Other ideas are included in
the guidelines. __^_^^^_^^^^_^_^____^«_
Grades K-4
Identify basic types of
habitats (e.g., forests,
wetlands, or lakes). Create
a short list of plants and
animals found in each.
Trace the source of their
drinking water and where it
goes after it is used.
Recognize resident animal
species, migrants, and
those that pass through on
migratory routes.
Collect or produce images
of the area at the
beginning of European
settlement.
Describe aspects of the
environment that change
on a daily, weekly, monthly,
and yearly basis.
Identify sources of
electricity used in the
community (e.g.,
hydroelectric, fossil fuels,
solar, nuclear).
Record weather
observations such as
precipitation, temperature,
or cloud cover.
Identify food crops that are
grown or processed locally.
Grades 5-8
Classify local ecosystems
(e.g., oak-hickory forest or
sedge meadow). Create
food webs to show—or
describe their function in
terms of—the interaction
of specific plant and animal
species.
Describe how drinking
water and wastewater are
treated.
Map migratory routes of
birds, butterflies, and other
animals that pass through
die area. Identify their local
habitat needs.
Monitor changes in water
or air quality, or other
aspects of the local
environment.
Identify species diat are
locally threatened,
endangered, or declining
in population. Describe
their habitat needs.
Describe the area's climate
and identify factors that
contribute to it.
Create a map for the local
area that shows where food
that is consumed locally
comes from.
Identify several plants and
animals common to local
< | ecosystems. Describe
| > concepts such as
succession, competition,
predator/prey
relationships, and
parasitism.
Evaluate sources of non-
point source pollution of
local bodies of water,
including sources that are
•not local.
Investigate short- and long-
term environmental
changes in a local
watershed and aquifer, or
', in air quality. Or document
changes in land use and
i ' their environmental effects. '
Research population trends
for a locally threatened
• species. Describe changes,
activities, and other factors
that seem to affect the
population trends.
< | Calculate the potential for
generating wind or solar
power on a particular site.
Trace human population
trends for their region and
make projections, based on
research findings, for the
future.
52 Grades 9-12
-------
• Select and develop appropriate formulas and
procedures for conducting environmental
investigations.
• Incorporate a wide range of tools and
technologies as appropriate, including complex
maps, measurement instruments and processes,
and computer-based analysis.
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.
• Use basic sampling techniques such as spatial
sampling and random sampling. Evaluate when
these techniques are appropriate.
• Apply observation and measurement skills in field
situations, such as interviewing- community
members about environmental concerns or
sampling water in a local stream.
• Gather information from a variety of sources
including historical sites, censuses, tax records,
statistical compilations, economic indicators,
interviews or surveys, geographical information
systems, and other data banks.
• Adjust information collection strategies to
compensate for potential bias in information
sources.
• Perform basic statistical analyses to describe data
using quantitative measures such as mean, median
and mode.
D) Evaluating accuracy and reliability-—Learners can
apply basic logic and reasoning skills to evaluate
completeness and reliability in a variety of information
sources.
• Identify logical errors and spurious statements in
everyday situations such as political speeches
about the environment or commercial advertising.
• Look for and explain flaws such as faulty or
misleading use of statistics, misrepresentation of
data that is presented graphically, or biased
selection of data to support a claim. For example,
English Language Arts 27-28,
38-40
Geography 53,184-185
History 67-68
Mathematics 167-175
Science Benchmarks 230
Social Studies 118-120
English Language Arts 38-39
Geography 55
History 67-68
Mathematics 143-145, 167-170
Science 175-176
Science Benchmarks 230, 234,
300
Grades 9-12 53
-------
English Language Arts 35-36
Geography 53-54, 184-185
Mathematics 154-156, 167-170
Science Benchmarks 230, 270
English Language Arts 37
Geography 54-55,184-185
Mathematics 154-156,157-160
Science 175
Science Benchmarks 230, 270
analyze the public debate over an environmental
issue. Examine speeches, advertisements, news
releases, and pamphlets put out by groups on
various sides of the issue.
• Explain why some research results are judged to
be more credible than are others. Consider factors
such as possible sources of bias in interpretation,
funding sources, and research procedures.
E) Organizing information—Learners are able to
organize and display information in ways appropriate to
different types of environmental investigations and
purposes.
• Attend to details such as the type and accuracy of
data, scale, accuracy of representation, and ease of
interpretation.
• Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the
particular means of presentation for different
purposes.
• Work with technology designed to relate and
display data, such as database and mapping
software.
• Integrate and summarize information using a
variety of media ranging from written texts to
graphic representations, and from audiovisual
materials to maps and computer-generated
images.
F) Working with models and simulations—Learners are
able to create, use, and evaluate models to understand
environmental phenomena.
• Use algebraic and geometric models to represent
processes or objects such as movement along
earthquake fault lines, traffic flows, or population
growth.
• Use computersvto create models and simulations.
For example, project the effects of habitat
fragmentation on species diversity, the air-quality
effects of a new factory, the economic impacts of
proposed water quality rules, or the visual changes
a new housing development will make on the
landscape.
• Compare the applicability of models for particular
situations, considering the models' assumptions as
54 Grades 9-12
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The Wood Duck Project
From: Karen Cifranick, Joppatowne High School,
Joppatowne, Maryland
Grade Level: High School
Correlating Guidelines:
Strand 1 C, D, G
Strand 2.2 A
Strand 2.3 A
Joppatowne High School's science
curriculum is taught through investigations
and hands-on study. One such study
concerned die decline of wood ducks in a
freshwater marsh near die school.
With start-up funds from die
Chesapeake Bay Trust, students in
Joppatowne's environmental science class
built fifty wood duck nesting boxes They
worked widi staff from Chesapeake Wildlife
Heritage and die Chesapeake Bay
Foundation to identify appropriate
locations and installed the boxes in
Maryland's Gunpowder River Marsh.
Next, die students collected baseline
data for monitoring die use of die boxes by
wood ducks in die next nesting season.
Students compared their data to odier
nesting projects in die county and state.
When spring came, die students
anxiously collected field data to gauge
nesting success. Their findings showed 25
percent of the boxes were occupied.
Each year, new students continue to
monitor nesting and repair boxes as
necessary. The latest data shows 68 percent
of die boxes in use.
one factor. Explain how a single model may apply
to more dian one situation and how many models
may represent a single.
• Evaluate and report the limitations of models used.
G) Developing proposed explanations—Learners are able
to use evidence and logic in developing proposed
explanations that address their initial questions and
hypotheses.
• Use basic statistical analysis and measures of
probability to make predictions and develop
interpretations based on data.
• Differentiate between causes and effects and
identify when causality is uncertain.
• Speak in general terms about their confidence in
proposed explanations as well as possible sources of
uncertainty and error. Distinguish between error
and unanticipated results in formulating
explanations. Consider the assumptions of models
and measuring techniques or devices as possible
sources of error.
English Language Arts 36-37
Geography 55-56
History 68
Mathematics 143-145, 167-175
Science 173-176
Science Benchmarks 230, 300
Grades 9-12 55
-------
Identify what would be needed to reject the
proposed explanation.
Based on experience, develop new questions to
ground further inquiry. For example, draw on the
results of a stream-monitoring project to develop
questions that guide an investigation into water
quality issues in the community or the watershed.
Strand 2—
Knowledge of Environmental Processes
and Systems
Strand 2.1—The Earth as a Physical System
References to Standards:
Geography 197-198
Science 187-189
Science Benchmarks 74
Science 177-179
Science Benchmarks 79-80
Guidelines:
A) Processes that shape the Earth—Learners understand
the major physical processes that shape the Earth. They
can relate these processes, especially those that are large-
scale and long-term, to characteristics of the Earth.
• Relate different types of climate to processes such
as the transfer of heat energy, wind and ocean
currents, and the cycling of water.
• Use examples such as the El Nino effect or the
Santa Ana winds to illustrate how changes in wind
patterns or ocean temperatures can affect weather
in different parts of the world.
• Explain distinctive landforms in terms of the
physical processes (particularly those related to
changes in the Earth's crust or long-term
processes such as erosion) that shaped them.
• Describe possible relationships between surface
water and ground water. For example, create a
model or a cross-sectional drawing that shows
surface- and groundwater flows in a local
drainage. Explain why surface and ground water
are related in these ways.
B) Changes in matter—Learners apply their
understanding of chemical reactions to round out their
explanations of environmental characteristics and
everyday phenomena.
56 Grades 9-12
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• Explain everyday chemical reactions such as
burning fossil fuels, photosynthesis, or the
creation of smog in terms such as the release or
consumption of energy, the products of these
reactions, and how these products may be
involved in further chemical reactions and/or
affect biogeochemical cycles.
• Explain the chemical components of biological
processes such as photosynthesis, respiration,
nitrogen fixation, or decomposition, and how
biological and physical processes fit in the overall
process of biogeochemical cycling.
• Explain why elements cycle through the biosphere
at different rates, describing influences on
reaction rates. (Oxygen and nitrogen cycle
quickly, for example, while phosphorus tends to
be released from its immobile form more slowly,
depending upon factors such as soil acidity.)
C) Energy—Learners apply their knowledge of energy
and matter to understand phenomena in the world
around them.
• Compare different means of generating electricity
(such as coal-burning plants, nuclear fusion
reactors, wind, geothermal, and hydropower) in
terms of the transformation of energy among
forms, the relationship of matter and energy, and
efficiency/production of heat energy.
• Explain differences in conductivity among
materials and relate these ideas to real-world
phenomena, discussing, for example, the
efficiency of various types of motors or heating
systems.
• Use the laws of thermodynamics to explain why
natural systems need a certain amount of energy
input to maintain their organization.
Strand 2.2—The Living Environment
Science 180-181
Science Benchmarks 85-86
Guidelines:
A) Organisms, populations, and communities—Learners
understand basic population dynamics and the
importance of diversity in living systems.
References to Standards:
Science 186
Science Benchmarks 105
Grades 9-12 57
-------
Science 185
Science Benchmarks 108-109,
124-125
Geography 158-159
Science 186
Science Benchmarks 117
• Discuss the relationship of habitat changes to
plant and animal populations. Consider such
factors as variations in habitat size,
fragmentation, and fluctuation in conditions
such as pH, oxygen, available light, or water
level. For example, describe the effects of a
lake's eutrophication on plant, insect, bacteria,
and fish populations.
• Discuss some of the ways in which populations
can change over time, using ideas such as cyclic
fluctuations, equilibrium, and coupled
oscillations. Evaluate influences on population
growth rate, including reproductive strategies
and resource limitations.
• Explain how diversity of characteristics among
organisms of a species increases the likelihood of
the species surviving changing environmental
conditions.
• Explain how variation among species in a system
increases the likelihood that at least some species
will survive changes in environmental conditions.
B) Heredity and evolution—Learners understand the
basic ideas and genetic mechanisms behind biological
evolution.
• Describe the mechanisms of natural selection,
incorporating factors such as genetic variation,
the effect of heritable characteristics on
individual survival and reproduction within a
given environment, and the effects of
environmental change.
• Use the theory of natural selection and concepts
such as mutation, gene flow, and genetic drift to
account for the adaptation of species to specific
environments.
• Explain the idea that the more biological
diversity there" is today, the more there may be in
the future. Offer examples of exceptions to this
general rule, and use it to help explain past mass
extinctions.
C) Systems and connections—Learners understand the
living environment to be comprised of interrelated,
dynamic systems.
58 Grades 9-12
-------
• Apply the concepts of ecosystem and ecoregion to
organize the multitude of relationships among
organisms and environments encountered in
earlier studies.
• Discuss the interactions among organisms and
their environments. Explain ecosystem change
with respect to variables such as climate change,
the introduction of new species, and human
impacts; and explain processes such as
desertification and soil formation as mechanisms
for such change.
• Describe succession in ecosystems and their
constituent plant and animal communities.
Illustrate this idea with examples such as the slow
transformation of a volcanic island from barren
rock to rain forest as initial plant colonizers create
conditions favorable to other species, or the more
rapid changes that occur after beavers dam a
stream.
• Describe how adding a species to, or removing
one from, an ecosystem may affect other
organisms and the entire system.
D) The 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.
• Illustrate how energy for life is provided primarily
by continual inputs from the sun, captured by
plants through photosynthesis and converted into
carbon-based molecules. Describe exceptions such
as geothermal and natural nuclear energy.
• Trace the flow of matter and energy through
living systems, and between living systems and the
physical environment. For example, show how
oxygen is released to the atmosphere by the
interaction of plants, animals, and non-living
matter in the carbon cycle. Or use the carbon
cycle to explain the existence of fossil energy
sources.
• Explain how the abundance and distribution of
living organisms are limited by the available
energy and certain forms of matter such as water,
oxygen, and minerals.
Science 186
Science Benchmarks 121
Grades 9-12 59
-------
References to Standards:
Economics 1-3,19-20
Science Benchmarks 142, 156,
160
Social Studies 121-126
Strand 2.3—Humans and Their Societies
Guidelines:
A) Individuals and groups—Learners understand the
influence of individual and group actions on the
environment, and how groups can work to promote and
balance interests.
• Predict how the environmental effects of their
personal actions might change over time.
Consider variables such as technological advances,
lifestyle changes, or taking on such roles as
business owners, employees in various careers, or
parents.
Getting Involved in a Local Landfill
From: Environmental Education Association of New
Mexico
Grade Level: High School
Correlating Guidelines:
Strand 1 A, B, C, E, G
Strand 2.1 A
Strand 2.2 A, C
Strand 2.3 A, B, C, E
Strand 2.4 A, B, C, D, E
Strand 3.1 A, B, D
Strand 3.2 A
When a controversial landfill opened near
their southern New Mexico community,
local high school students expressed
concerns to teacher, Mr. Licona. Knowing
his students needed to be informed about
landfills, Licona provided several avenues
of investigation. Students teamed up for a
year-long research project that ultimately
earned university scholarships for two
students, and employment at the landfill
for a third.
Grants, fundraising activities, and
personal funds ensured that the students'
vantage point was not restricted. With these
funds, the students were able to visit
research areas including the proposed
location for burial of low-level nuclear
waste near Carlsbad and a Texas site where
sewage sludge is applied to the arid desert
land.
Guest speakers from New Mexico State
University's Waste Management Education
Research Consortium and Westex Labs
spoke with the class, and students discussed
liner safety issues and future reclamation
plans with the landfill director. Class
members attended city council meetings,
and met with a community group
concerned with the landfill's placement.
Each student was also responsible for
providing at least two related internet
sources, two magazine articles, and two
library sources to the class.
The students synthesized their learning
through reflective papers. Using computer
technology, concept maps, and other visual
aids, they shared their findings and
recommendations in presentations to their
classmates, community agencies, and the
landfill director.
60 Grades 9-12
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• Analyze how the actions of societal organizations
such as businesses or community groups may have
environmental consequences and other impacts
that go beyond the intended aims of the group.
• Describe how particular groups meet or balance
individual needs, group goals, and the common
societal good. Use examples such as conservation
organizations, organizations of professionals in
environmental or resource management fields,
community associations, or business groups.
B) Culture—Learners understand cultural perspectives
and dynamics and apply their understanding in context.
• Analyze how cultural change and altered views of
the environment are related. For example, discuss
how the shift away from a largely rural society to a
predominantly urban one may influence changing
perceptions of the environment.
• Recognize diverse cultural views about humans
and the environment. Anticipate ways in which
people from different cultural perspectives and
frames of reference might interpret data, events,
or policy proposals.
• Describe and compare historical and
contemporary societal strategies for adapting to
environmental or social change while preserving
and transmitting culture. For example, describe
ways resource-dependent communities (those
whose economies traditionally relied on activities
such as mining or timber harvest) work to
maintain their identities in the face of mine
closures or declining timber harvests.
C) Political and economic systems—Learners understand
how different political and economic systems account
for, manage, and affect natural resources and
environmental quality.
• Explain the development of economic systems
using the economic idea of scarcity and the
geographic idea of uneven distribution of
resources.
• Compare the U.S. political and economic systems
with other types of systems, focusing on how the
systems govern the use of natural resources,
control production and consumption, and protect
environmental quality.
Civics and Government 103-105
Geography 195-196
Social Studies 111-112
Civics and Government 96-98,
110-120
Economics 5-7, 19-20, 30-33
Geography 206-207, 210- 211
Science Benchmarks 170
Social Studies 127-131
Grades 9-12 61
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Civics and Government 121-126
Economics 11-12
Geography 206-207, 210- 211
Science Benchmarks 178
Social Studies 136-138
• Evaluate the environmental and societal costs and
benefits of allocating goods and services in
different ways (e.g. through public or private
sectors). For example, explain problems such as
over-fishing, over-grazing, and deforestation
considering what can happen to resources that are
commonly owned and openly accessible. Or
examine successful common property
management systems that promote sustainable use
of resources.
• Explain current and historical environmental
issues in terms of political and economic ideas.
For example, analyze the role of private property
rights and the concept of general welfare in
shaping decisions about the use and protection of
wetlands in the United States.
• Evaluate the structure and functions of the United
Nations and it agencies in addressing global
environmental issues.
D) Global connections—Learners are able to analyze
global social, cultural, political, economic, and
environmental linkages.
• Explain regional and national economic
specialization and international trade in terms of
uneven distribution of resources and differing
costs of producing similar goods (due to factors
such as climate, labor costs, and energy costs).
• Describe global connections in systems such as the
economy, transportation, and communication.
Evaluate the effects of changes in these systems on
communities and the environment on a global
scale. Consider instances in which global linkages
are strong, and in which they are relatively weak.
• Evaluate the connections among interests,
decisions, and actions taken at the individual,
community, regional, national, and global levels.
Consider their effect on global issues such as
human rights, economic development, health,
resource allocation, and environmental quality.
For example, examine the influence of factors
such as consumer preferences, U.S. foreign policy,
international treaties and governing bodies,
international nongovernmental organizations,
and corporate operations on agricultural practices
in developing nations.
62 Grades 9-12
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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.
• Explain how public decision-making about the
environment takes into account (or fails to
account for) uneven distribution of, or different
types of, costs and benefits; future or distant
consequences; and difficulties assessing the value
of certain costs or benefits such as ecosystem
services or clean air.
• Evaluate the role of social, political, and economic
institutions in the United States in managing
change and conflict regarding environmental
issues. Account for the influence of institutions
such as the legal system and property rights as well
as organizations such as banks, nonprofit groups,
corporations, and special interest groups.
• Evaluate the conditions and motivations that lead
to conflict, cooperation, and change among
individuals, groups, and nations. Look particularly
at the effects of these forces on the control of
natural resources. For example, examine the
origins and effects of international treaties and
accords on whaling or commercial fishing.
• Evaluate various governmental and non-
governmental strategies for promoting social
change. For example, trace the strategies used by
different groups to reduce energy use in die U.S.
Economics 19-20
Geography 210-211
Science Benchmarks 163, 166,
173
Social Studies 124-129
Strand 2.4—Environment and Society
Guidelines:
A) Human/environment interactions—Learners
understand that humans are able to alter the physical
environment to meet dieir needs and that diere are
limits to die ability of the environment to absorb impacts
or meet human needs.
• Evaluate ways in which technology has changed
humans' ability to alter the environment and its
capacity to support humans and odier living
organisms. Consider technologies that have had
impacts learners see as positive, as well as negative.
References to Standards:
Geography 212-215
Science 198-199
Science Benchmarks 56-57
Grades 9-12 63
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Geography 190-196
Social Studies 118-120
Geography 216-218
Science 198
• Analyze specific examples of environmental
change in terms of qualitative and quantitative
costs and benefits for different groups of people
and specific species or ecosystems.
• Describe factors that limit the physical
environment's capacity to support particular types
of human activity such as suburban development,
flood control, or particular agricultural practices.
• Evaluate the cumulative effects of human actions
on a specific species or environmental system,
such as a stream or a watershed.
• Use the concepts of carrying capacity and
ecological footprint to analyze the sustainability of
current trends in world population growth and
natural resource consumption.
B) Places—Learners understand "place" as humans
endowing a particular part of the Earth with meaning
through their interactions with that environment.
• Analyze how places change over time as the
physical environment changes and as human use
and perceptions change. For example, examine
the effects of automobiles and the interstate
highway system on different places.
• Explain the importance of places to human
identity. For example, discuss changes in land use
and personal and community identity that occur
in a rapidly growing town or city, or one in which
the economy has stagnated.
• Describe how regions change over time,
examining factors such as human migration and
population change, technological change,
environmental degradation, and seismic activity.
For example, trace the causes of the desiccation of
the Aral Sea and the changes it has prompted in
that region of Russia.
C) Resources—Learners understand that the importance
and use of resources change over time and vary under
different economic and technological systems.
• Explain differences in the consumption of
resources among nations using factors such as
population size, cultural practices, and varied
geographic or economic distribution of resources.
64 Grades 9-12
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• Describe how changes in technology alter the use
of resources. Illustrate with examples such as the
ability to harvest timber on steep slopes using
helicopters or building technologies that
incorporate nontraditional or recycled materials.
• Evaluate public policies related to resource use.
Consider variables such as their impacts on the
resource and short- and long-term economic
effects. For example, anticipate the relationship
between water use and the growth of a city like Las
Vegas, Nevada, which is in a desert area that
receives only four inches of rainfall per year.
• Identify ways in which various resources can be
recycled and reused. Evaluate the viability of
recycling based on economic and technological
factors, spatial variables such as distance from
recycling facility to markets, and possible future
developments. For example, discuss factors that
influenced the development of the steel or plastics
recycling industry in the United States.
D) Technology—Learners are-able to examine the social
and environmental impacts of various technologies and
technological systems.
• Explain how social and economic forces influence
the direction of technological development, and
how technologies shape societal values and beliefs.
For example, consider the ability to build large
dams for water storage or hydropower, or the
social impact of the first photos of the Earth from
space.
• Using examples of particular technologies (such
as genetic manipulation or cyanide heap leach
gold mining) or technological systems (such as
modern agriculture or energy production and
use), discuss the social and environmental costs,
benefits, risks, and possibilities associated with
technologies through which humans shape and
control their environment.
• Discuss ways in which technological advances have
lessened the adverse environmental impacts of
human activities.
Social Studies 132-135
Science 199
Science Benchmarks 56-57,
186, 190-191, 195, 198-199,
203, 207
Grades 9-12 65
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Economics 30-34
Geography 221-222
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.
• Evaluate a range of costs and benefits of particular
policies that affect the environment. For example,
consider the effects of free trade agreements on
the ability of signatory nations to protect the
environment, or examine the effects of programs
for trading "pollution credits" among companies.
• Place local issues in the context of broader or
larger-scale issues, drawing parallels, and noting
important similarities and differences. Use the
broader issue to point to important local dynamics
or perspectives of which to be aware. For example,
consider local air pollution problems in the
context of larger issues such as global climate
change or acid precipitation in other parts of the
country.
• Identify links among issues, for example the
relationships between traffic congestion, poor air
quality, and suburban sprawl. Explain key
relationships between technological, social,
ecological, economic, and other aspects of issues.
Strand 3—
Skills for Understanding and Addressing
Environmental Issues
Strand 3.1—Skids for Analyzing and Investigating
Environmental Issues
References to Standards:
Geography 203-205, 210-211,
219-220
History 68-70
Social Studies 118-120, 139-141
66 Grades 9-12
Guidelines:
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.
• Define and clearly articulate issues to be
investigated. Characterize the issue considering
factors such as connections with other issues, the
pervasiveness of its effects, whether it is a long-
-------
term issue or one that is motivated by a sudden
change or crisis, and whether it is unique to a
particular area.
• Identify key individuals and groups involved.
Identify different perspectives on the issue and
approaches to resolving it. Discuss assumptions
and goals that underlie each position.
• Examine contextual elements that shape the issue
and alternative courses of action. Use these to
identify relevant historical antecedents or
contemporary parallels to the selected issue. For
example, in studying questions surrounding the
preservation of natural areas in Central America,
students may look for similar issues in other
developing nations, regions where people
maintain traditional or subsistence uses of the
land, or areas with similar governmental regimes.
• Investigate the issue as well as similar issues and
proposals using secondary sources of information.
• Where needed, conduct original research,
applying research methods from the natural and
social sciences. For example, survey a community
about an environmental issue using a random
sample or test soils for the presence of
contaminants.
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.
• Evaluate the consequences of an environmental
issue. For example, bring to bear historical
perspectives, an understanding of the impacts of
different technological developments, and
knowledge of similar issues.
• Discuss the social, political, economic, and ethical
implications of environmental issues. For
example, trace the root causes of a community's
solid waste problem and the effects of the
problem and likely consequences of siting a
landfill in different areas for different groups of
people.
Geography 212-222
History 68-70
Social Studies 118-120
Grades 9-12 67
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Reducing Risk in Your School
or Community
From: Exploring Environmental Issues: Focus on Risk,
Project Learning Tree, Washington, D.C.
Grade Level: High School
Correlating Guidelines:
Strand 1 A, B, C, D, E,
F,G
Strand 2.3 A, B, C, D, E
Strand 2.4 A, B, C, D, E
Strand 3.1 A, B, C, D
Strand 3.2 A, B, C, D
Strand 4 A, B, C, D
This activity is the last in a module
designed to help students learn the
rationale for and the mechanics of risk
assessment, risk management, and risk
communication. Through additional
activities carried out during the semester,
students study statistical models, principles
of uncertainty, toxicity testing, and
variability to form a basis for their
understanding of risk. They use these tools
to measure risk in their own lives, such as
exposure to radon or the chance of losing
a term paper to a lightning strike. They
also study examples of environmental risk
assessment and cost benefit analysis.
In this culminating activity, students
apply the knowledge and skills acquired
from earlier activities as they identify a risk
in their school or community, develop a
plan to assess the risk, decide the best way
to reduce the risk, educate others, and, if
feasible, implement their plan.
Students list known risks present in
their school or community—these may vary
from a loose step to poor air circulation to
habitat destruction. They choose one risk
to explore in depth and develop a plan to
reduce exposure to the risk. This includes:
characterizing the risks (identifying the
source, the exposed population, the extent
of exposure, and expected adverse
consequences of exposure); identifying
specific goals and the amount of reduction
to be achieved; measuring the uncertainty
involved; and balancing different
viewpoints and opinions. Additionally, class
members estimate the cost of their plan;
identify individuals who would be involved;
estimate a realistic time frame; and develop
methods for informing the public of the
risk and of the benefits of their solution.
If feasible, students implement their
plan and determine how and when to
evaluate its effectiveness.
English Language Arts 41
History 70
Science Benchmarks 230
Social Studies 139-141
• Project the likely consequences for specific human
and environmental systems of failure to resolve
the issue.
• Use the idea o£ cumulative effects to explain why
one set of environmental changes or human
actions cannot be considered in isolation from
others.
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.
68 Grades 9-12
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• Synthesize different perspectives, types of data,
and means of analysis to propose solutions to
environmental issues.
• Apply knowledge of functional relationships,
modeling, and statistical analysis to evaluating
issues and different approaches to resolving them.
For example, do basic traffic flow analyses to
project the likely affects of commercial
developments at the outskirts of town and evaluate
alternative solutions such as widening roads,
providing bus service, or changing the location of
the development. Predict other likely
consequences of different approaches to resolving
projected traffic problems associated with the new
stores.
• Evaluate proposed solutions using gauges such as
likely impacts on society or the environment and
likely effectiveness in resolving the issue. Use
methods such as cost/benefit analysis, cumulative
effects analysis, environmental impact analysis,
ethical analysis, and risk analysis. Describe the
strengths and weaknesses of each method,
considering the main ideas behind each approach
including which effects are important to look at
and which values or societal goals it tries to
protect.
• Define and provide examples of citizen action
appropriate to proposed solutions.
D) Working with flexibility, creativity, and openness—
While environmental issues investigations 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.
• Question, offer alternative explanations, and
defend interpretations in group discussions.
• Understand and explain the importance of such
characteristics as honesty, openness, skepticism,
and suspending judgment in the process of
building knowledge.
• Discuss when and how characteristics such as
openness and decisiveness are valuable in
addressing environmental issues.
English Language Arts 31-33,
40-42, 44-45
Mathematics 143-145
Science 173-176
Science Benchmarks 287
Grades 9-12 69
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References to Standards:
Geography 219-222
History 70
Social Studies 121-123
Geography 55
Strand 3.2—Decision-Making and Citizenship Skills
Guidelines:
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.
• Articulate a position on an environmental issue.
Justify the position based on an analysis of
information from a variety of sources, personal
beliefs and values, and clear reasoning.
• Evaluate personal beliefs and values using
criteria such as personal wellbeing; social and
environmental welfare; economic vitality; and
concern for other living beings.
• Articulate elements of their own environmental
ethic and discuss whether personal positions on
issues are consistent with this ethic.
• Consider viewpoints that differ from their own,
and information that challenges their position.
Evaluate whether and how such information
might affect their views.
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.
• Evaluate whether action is warranted in specific
situations, accounting for factors such as
available evidence about the issue and proposed
solutions; the scale of the issue; legal, social,
economic, and ecological consequences; and
alternatives to citizen action.
• Evaluate whether personal involvement in
particular actions is warranted, considering
factors such as their own values, skills, resources,
and commitment.
• Communicate decisions clearly, articulating well-
reasoned arguments supporting their views and
decisions.
70 Grades 9-12
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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.
• Develop plans for individual and collective action
involving groups such as a small group of
classmates, a school club, a community
organization, or a church. Include clear reasons
and goals for action. In planning, refer to their
knowledge of a range of citizen action strategies
and the results of their environmental issue
investigations.
• Develop action plans based on an understanding
of the complexity of the issue. Set realistic goals
and include measures of success consistent with
their abilities and the capacities of the groups
involved.
• Decide whether their plan should be
implemented immediately or at another time,
modified, or abandoned; and carry through with
action when appropriate.
D) Evaluating the results of actions—Learners are able to
evaluate the effects of their own actions and actions
taken by other individuals and groups.
• Discuss the intended and unintended effects of
citizen actions on specific environmental issues.
Consider the apparent effects of citizen action on
the environment, the political situation, and the
individuals involved. Illustrate with examples such
as a demonstration at a nuclear test facility, a local
watershed festival, or a citizen lobbying effort
against proposed environmental regulations.
• Analyze their own actions, evaluating apparent
effects in terms of learners' goals, ethics, and
broader societal goals. Develop a "lessons learned"
document or presentation.
• Account for some of the difficulties they
encounter in evaluating the results of their
actions.
Civics and Government 128-132
Social Studies 139-141
History 70
Social Studies 139-141
Grades 9-12 71
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Strand
Personal and Civic Responsibility
References to Standards:
Civics and Government 105-109
Economics 19-20
English Language Arts 44
Social Studies 124-129, 139-141
Civics and Government 128-137
Social Studies 139-141
Guidelines:
A) Understanding societal values and principles—
Learners know how to analyze the influence of shared
and conflicting societal values.
• Identify shared political values and principles that
unite U.S. citizens and analyze conflicting views
about their meaning and application. For
example, examine conflicting views about how to
protect general welfare and private property rights
in a specific land-use decision where a lawsuit has
been filed alleging a "taking" of private property
rights by the government.
• Analyze how societal institutions, such as banks,
corporations, nonprofit organizations, lobbying
groups, government agencies, and the courts,
embody and perpetuate certain societal values and
principles.
• Describe and suggest ways that individuals can
work to change how societal institutions function
and, consequently, to change their environmental
impacts.
B) Recognizing citizens' rights and responsibilities—
Learners understand the importance of exercising the
rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
• Evaluate conflicts between individual rights and
other societal interests such as a healthy
environment. Discuss when individuals' civic
obligations require them to subordinate their
personal interests or desires to the public good.
• Explain the importance and evaluate the
usefulness of civic dispositions such as trust,
patience, self-discipline, respect, and open-
mindedness to individuals and to society.
• Explain the influence of citizen action and public
opinion on particular policy decisions that affect
the environment.
72 Grades 9-12
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• Reflect on the impact of citizen participation—
particularly learners' own—on public concerns
related to the environment and on the
community.
C) Recognizing efficacy—Learners possess a realistic self-
confidence in their effectiveness as citizens.
• Evaluate the extent to which individual and group
action creates change, meets individual needs,
and promotes the common good.
• Identify ways in which learners, individually and
collectively, are able to help maintain
environmental quality and resolve problems and
issues. Provide examples from the range of
Social Studies 124-126
The Environmental News
From: Teaching Naturally, Office of Environmental
Education, Tallahassee, Florida
Grade Level: High School
Correlating Guidelines:
Strand 1 A, B, C, D, E, G
Strand 2.2 A, C
Strand 2.3 A, B, C, E
Strand 2.4 A, B, C, E
Strand 3.1 A, B, D
Strand 4 A, B, C
A High school journalism class at published
a series of articles about the environment
for their own and other student
newspapers throughout Florida. The
students researched and wrote articles
about local, state, and national
environmental issues. In composing their
articles, students practiced elements of the
writing process, such as prewriting,
drafting, and editing documents. Students
gathered information from a variety of
print and electronic media. In addition to
developing skills in language arts and small
group work, the science and social studies
teachers worked on related learning
objectives in their respective disciplines.
In one instance, students researched
and wrote articles describing laws affecting
water quality and their effects on local
industry. Using investigative reporting
techniques such as interviewing and library
research, students learned about the cycles
of seasonal rainfall and nutrients that affect
Florida Bay's water composition, the laws
guiding government agency decisions
concerning freshwater flow to the Bay, and
how the Bay's water quality in turn affects
the businesses associated with the tourist
industry. In addition to writing and
researching, students used the school's
computers to design headlines and
sidebars, and insert photos and captions.
A student-produced news broadcast for
the school's closed circuit television
channel allowed the journalism students to
record and air public service
announcements about their articles.
The project was partially funded by a
grant from the Florida Advisory Council on
Environmental Education.
Grades 9-12 73
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Civics and Government 131-132
communities (e.g., family, club or group, school,
town, state, nation, world) in which learners see
themselves as members.
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.
• Evaluate the effects of their actions (and the
actions of the larger social groups of which they
are part) on the environment, other humans, and
other living things.
• Explain ways in which the decisions of one
generation create opportunities and impose
constraints for future generations. Illustrate this
idea with examples from the past, and incorporate
it into their analyses of issues.
• Evaluate the importance of fulfilling personal
responsibilities for themselves, society, and the
environment.
• Demonstrate a willingness to work individually
and collectively toward the resolution of
environmental issues and to participate
thoughtfully and effectively in environmental
decision-making.
74 Grades 9-12
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Appendix:
Background for the Development of the
Learner Guidelines Framework
The Learner Guidelines in Context
The National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education,
sponsored by the North American Association for Environmental
Education (NAAEE), was initiated in 1993. In facilitating the
development of a model set of guidelines for environmental education,
it joins standards projects for such disciplines as Mathematics, English
Language Arts, Geography, Science, Civics, and History developed in
response to the national "Goals 2000" process. The first purpose of
Guidelines for Learning is to serve the field of environmental education
by articulating knowledge and skills essential for environmental
literacy. These guidelines also demonstrate the essential link between
environmental education and the traditional disciplines and to
broader efforts for education reform.
Education Reform and
the Standards Development Movement
The current push toward education reform in the U.S. was heralded by
the 1983 publication of A Nation at Risk. This report pointed to
declining test scores, poorly prepared high school graduates, declining
enrollment in science and mathematics, low academic achievement in
comparison to many European and Japanese students, and low levels
of literacy—and raised significant questions concerning the quality of
the American education system. Following the publication of A Nation
at Risk, it became common to call into question the very structure of
American education.
A decade-long move toward national education reform received its
highest level of governmental recognition at the 1989 national
education summit in Charlottesville. At the summit, a bipartisan group
of the nation's governors and the Bush White House agreed to
national goals for education. These broadly formulated goals set out an
agenda for education for the year 2000. With the 1994 passage of the
"Goals 2000: Educate America Act," the eight goals became official
national policy, guiding numerous activities within and outside the
federal government.
Of particular importance for developing environmental education
guidelines are:
75
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Goal 3—Student Achievement and Citizenship,
which states that "by the year 2000 American
students will leave grades four, eight, and twelve
having demonstrated competency in challenging
subject matter, including English, mathematics,
science, history, and geography; and every school
in America will ensure that all students learn to
use their minds well, so they may be prepared for
responsible citizenship, further learning, and
productive employment in our modern economy."
Goal 4—Science and Mathematics, which states
that "by the year 2000, U.S. students will be first in
the world in science and mathematics
achievement."
Both Goal 3 and Goal 4 set the stage for developing a range
of voluntary national standards for the core disciplines. (See
page 8 for a sampling of these standards documents.) These
voluntary standards have been designed to provide state and
local education leaders guidance in generating locally
appropriate academic benchmarks.
Building from a Rich History
Guidelines for Learninghas been developed over the last four
years with the input of literally thousands of teachers, school
administrators, environmental educators, scientists, and parents,
as well as from a variety of professional organizations and
government agencies. From the inception of the project, the
guidelines have used existing environmental education
frameworks, definitions, and models as a foundation. The field
as a whole owes a great deal to those who have worked to create
these documents. Each document is based on a different set of
assumptions and priorities, yet the commonalities are
considerable. These commonalities, in essence, define the
practice of environmental education and provide the basis for
the structure of Guidelines for Learning.
I. Developing a Framework for the Guidelines
Much of the work in environmental education has been guided
by the Belgrade Charter (UNESCO-UNEP, 1976) and the Tbilisi
Declaration (UNESCO, 1978). These two documents furnish an
internationally accepted blueprint for environmental education.
The Tbilisi Declaration outlined five categories of objectives for
environmental education:
-------
• Awareness—to help social groups and individuals acquire
an awareness and sensitivity to the total environment and
its allied problems.
• Knowledge—to help social groups and individuals gain a
variety of experience in, and acquire a basic
understanding of, the environment and its associated
problems.
• Attitudes—to help social groups and individuals acquire
a set of values and feelings of concern for the
environment and the motivation for actively participating
in environmental improvement and protection.
• Skills—to help social groups and individuals acquire the
skills for identifying and solving environmental
problems.
• Participation—to provide social groups and individuals
with an opportunity to be activity involved at all levels in
working toward resolution of environmental problems.
With the evolution of the field, these guiding principles (as
well as the more general ones presented in the introduction to
this document) have been researched, critiqued, revisited, and
expanded. Guidelines for Learning draws upon these respected
founding writings about environmental education and the
field's best thinking to date. This Appendix describes
environmental education frameworks developed since Tbilisi as
a means of revealing the base on which these Guidelines are
built. In the following examination, a number of environmental
education frameworks are divided into those:
• based on research or a synthesis of the research
literature;
• created as conceptual frameworks for curricula; and
• developed as part of previous standards or criteria
development projects.
To re-create some of the historical logic of the field, the
models will be presented in chronological order within each
category. Each outline is a direct excerpt from the original
document. The terminology used reflects common usage of the
time and the authors' preferences.
II. Frameworks/Models Based on E£ Literature
The following environmental education frameworks are
excerpted directly from key documents in the environmental
education literature. They provide insight into the evolution of
11
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the field and its core ideas. It becomes clear that, while the field
has continued to mature since the Tbilisi Declaration was
formulated in 1977, the declaration's original intent is still
central to environmental education.
Although the environmental education model proposed by
Stapp and Cox (1974) predates Tbilisi, it is important to include
here because of the central role it played in the development of
the Tbilisi Declaration. The work by Hungerford, et. al. (1980)
proposes goal levels for EE curriculum development. The four
goal levels were submitted to a content validity expert panel to
judge their congruence with the five Tbilisi objectives.
In recent years, much scholarly work in EE has focused on
describing the precursors of responsible environmental
citizenship and environmental literacy—the types of knowledge,
skills and dispositions that describe the environmentally literate
citizen. The proposed frameworks offered by lozzi, et. al.
(1990), Marcinkowski (1991), Wisconsin Center for
Environmental Education (1992), Roth (1992), and the EE
Literacy Consortium (1994) are all based in a synthesis of this
research and the EE foundations literature.
Finally, the important influence of issues surrounding
sustainable development on EE thinking is considered with the
inclusion of a framework for sustainable development education
published in Canada (1994).
StaPP, W.B. and Cox, DA f 1974J
Environmental Education Model
Philosophy and Concepts:
An environmental education program should assist the learner
in understanding the basic spaceship earth philosophy which
would serve as an 'umbrella' of thought and ethic for the entire
program. The spaceship earth philosophy has been divided into
five basic concepts: ecosystems, population, economics and
technology, environmental decisions, and environmental ethic.
These concepts encompass the awareness, knowledge, and
understanding of the living and non-living world and their
complex interactions; the social, economic, political and
aesthetic influences of the populations of people; the need for,
and processes of decision making; and development of an
environmental ethic that would motivate the learner to adopt a
life style compatible with environmental quality.
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The Processes:
A. The Skills of Problem Solving
Since the environmental education model is based on
student involvement, problem solving skills are essential
to developing and carrying out action plans. ... The eight
problem solving skills are:
1. Recognizing environmental problems
2. Defining environmental problems
3. Listening with comprehension
4. Collecting information
5. Organizing information
6. Analyzing information
7. Generating alternative solutions
8. Developing a plan of action
B. Clarifying Values
The values clarification approach helps students become
aware of personal beliefs, attitudes, values and behavior
which they prize and are committed to both in and out
of the classroom. This process assists students in
considering alternative solutions and the implications of
each alternative. ... Values clarification is of major
importance in making rational environmental decisions
every day of a person's life, and must be a basic part of
every environmental education program.
C. Community Problem Solving
Students need to be able to apply learned skills in both
valuing and problem solving in an issue that is
meaningful to them—a problem that directly affects
them either at home, or at school, or in the local
community.
The Teaching-Learning Models:
There is no single teaching model that all students will respond
favorably toward under all circumstances. ... It is important for a
teacher to asses his/her personal skills and the situation and
then blend teaching models in an effort to achieve the best
learning environment. ... The role of the teacher would be to
create a learning environment, assist students in acquiring
information, provide guidance to the student, and to participate
with the student in the learning process.
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Emphasis of Program at Different Age Levels:
Environmental education activities at each grade level should
focus on the feeling (affective), knowing (cognitive) and skill-
behavior domains. Emphasis in the early years, however, should
be on awareness and feelings and in later years on knowledge
and skill-behavior. The learner should also be provided with
opportunities to explore his immediate environment with all of
his senses—sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. The learner
should be exposed to a variety of physical and social
environments in order to have experiences to judge the quality
of his immediate environment.
Hungerford, H.R., Peyton, R.B.,
andWiike.R. CI98QJ
Goals for Curriculum Development in
Environmental Education
GOAL LEUEL I—The Ecological Foundations Level:
Upon completion of instruction in environmental education,
the learner should be expected to be able to...
1. ... communicate and apply the major ecological
concepts including those focusing on individuals,
species, populations, communities, ecosystems,
biogeochemical cycles, energy production and
transfer, interdependence, niche, adaption,
succession, homeostasis, and man as a ecological
variable.
2. ... apply a knowledge of ecological concepts to the
analysis of environmental issues and identify
important ecological principles involved.
3. ... apply a knowledge of ecological concepts in
predicting the ecological consequences of alternative
solutions to environmental problems.
4. ...understand the principles of ecology in order to
identify, select and utilize appropriate sources of
scientific information in a continuing effort to
investigate, evaluate and find solutions for
environmental issues.
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GOAL LEVEL [[—The Conceptual Awareness Level:
5. ...understand and communicate how man's cultural
activities (e.g., religious, economic, political, social
and others) influence the environment from an
ecological perspective.
6. ...understand and communicate how an individual's
behaviors impact on the environment from an
ecological perspective.
7. ...identify a wide variety of local, regional, national
and international environmental issues and the
ecological and cultural implications of these issues.
8. ... identify and communicate the viable alternative
solutions available for remediating crucial
environmental issues as well as the ecological and
cultural implications of these various solutions.
9. ... understand the need for environmental issue
investigation and evaluation as prerequisite to sound
decision making.
10— understand the roles played by differing human
beliefs and values in environmental issues and the
need for personal values clarification as an important
part of environmental decision making.
11.... understand the need for responsible citizenship
action in the solution of environmental issues.
GOAL LEVEL III—
The Investigation and Evaluation Level:
12.... apply the knowledge and skills needed to identify
and investigate issues (using both primary and
secondary sources of information) and synthesize the
data gathered).
13.... demonstrate the ability to analyze environmental
issues and the associated value perspectives with
respect to their ecological and cultural implications.
14— demonstrate the ability to identify alternative
solutions for important issues and the value
perspectives associated with these solutions.
15.... demonstrate the ability to evaluate alternative
solutions and associated value perspectives for
important issues with respect to their ecological and
cultural implications.
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16. ...demonstrate the ability to identify and clarify
personal value positions related to important
environmental issues and their associated solutions.
17.... demonstrate the ability to evaluate, clarify, and
change value positions in light of new information.
GOAL LEUEL (0—The Issue Resolution Skill Level:
18.... demonstrate a competence with a variety of
citizenship action skills from the following categories
of skills: persuasion, consumerism, political action,
legal action, and ecomanagment.
19.... evaluate selected actions in light of their ecological
and cultural implications.
20.... demonstrate the ability to apply one or more
citizenship action skills for the purpose of resolving
or helping to resolve one or more environmental
issues.
lozzi, L, Laveault D., Marcinkowski, T.
H990J
Assessment of Learning Outcomes in
Environmental Education
Organization of Learning Outcomes
According to Taxonomies of Educational Objectives
Cognitive Domain:
Knowledge: of ecology, environmental problems and
issues, and environmental action strategies
Skills for dealing with action strategies: including
identification, investigation, and analysis of issues
Skills for dealing with action strategies: including
selecting appropriate action strategies, creating an action
plan, evaluating an action plan, and implementing an
action plan
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Affective Domain:
Environmental sensitivity or appreciation: including 'the
characteristics that result in an individual viewing the
environment from an empathetic perspective' (Peterson,
1982)
Attitudes: towards pollution, technology, economics,
conservation, and environmental action
Values: a preference for selected means and ends; values
such as a healthy environment and a peaceful world
Moral reasoning: making decisions and judgments about
environmental issues according to one's own sense of
morality
Ethics: involving the evaluation of a personal world view
which reflects a balance between the quality of life and
the quality of the environment
Responsible Environmental Behavior:
Active participation aimed at solving problems and
resolving issues: environmentally sound consumer
purchasing, methods for conserving resources, assisting
with the enforcement of environmental regulations,
using personal and interpersonal means to encourage
environmentally sound practices, and encouraging
environmentally sound policies and legislative initiatives.
Locus of Control:
Individual's sense that he or she can manifest some
influence upon or control over the outcomes of a specific
activity
Assumption of Personal Responsibility:
Recognition that one's negative behavior has a negative
effect on the environment and, likewise, one's positive
behavior can have potentially positive effects on the
environment
Acceptance of personal responsibility for negative
environmental effects or impacts, and for one's own role
in helping to resolve environmental impacts and issues
Willingness to help correct negative environmental
impacts, and a concomitant willingness to help resolve
environmental impacts and issues.
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MarcinkowskuT. H991J
The Relationship Between Environmental
Literacy and Responsible Environmental
Behavior in Environmental Education.
Environmental Literacy Involves:
a. An awareness and sensitivity toward the
environment.
b. An attitude of respect for the natural environment,
and of concern for the nature and magnitude of
human impacts on it.
c. A knowledge and understanding of how natural
systems work, as well as of how social systems
interface with natural systems.
d. An understanding of the various environmentally-
related problems and issues (local, regional,
national, international, and global).
e. The skills required to analyze, synthesize, and
evaluate information about environmental
problems/issues using primary and secondary
sources, and to evaluate a select problem/issue on
the basis of evidence and personal values.
f. A sense of personal investment in, responsibility for,
motivation to work individually and collectively
toward the resolution of environmental problems/
issues.
g
A knowledge of strategies available for use in
remediating environmental problems/issues.
h. The skills required to develop, implement and
evaluate single strategies and composite plans for
remediating environmental problems/issues.
Active involvement at all levels in working toward
the resolution of environmental problems/issues.
i.
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Wisconsin Center for Environmental
Education C1992J
University of Wisconsin, Steven's Point
Cognitive Outcomes:
Knowledge of Ecological Principles
Individuals, Populations, and Communities—habitats,
niches, and adaptations; food chains, food webs;
population dynamics; population and community
interactions
Change and Limiting Factors—-change as a natural
process; biotic and abiotic limits to growth, size, and
distribution of populations
Energy Flow—sun as primary source, other sources and
forms of energy; transfer and energy through living
systems; first and second laws of energy—conservation of
energy, entropy; need for a consistent source of energy
by systems and individuals; photosynthesis and
respiration
Biogeochemical Cycling—conservation of matter,
nutrient and materials cycling; hydrologic cycle
Ecosystems and Biodiversity—importance of biodiversity;
interdependence of organisms; ecosystems
Knowledge of Environmental Problems and Issues
Air Quality—ozone depletion; global warming; acid
deposition; sir pollution
Water Quality and Quantity—water pollution; use and
management
Soil Quality and Quantity—soil depletion and pollution;
use and management
Wildlife and Habitat—habitat and biodiversity loss; use
and management
Energy—sustainable and non-renewable; consumption
Human Population and Health-—overpopulation;
environmental health hazards
Waste—solid waste; hazardous wastes
Knowledge of Environmental Issue Investigation and Action
Strategies
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Knowledge of Strategies Used to Investigate Environmental
Problems and Issues
Knowledge of Appropriate Action Strategies for the
Prevention or Resolution of Environmental Problems and
Issues
Affective Outcomes:
Environmental Sensitivity/Awareness
Positive Attitudes and Values for the Prevention and
Remediation of Environmental Problems and Issues
Regarding: air quality; water quality and quantity; soil
quality and quantity; wildlife and habitat; energy; human
population and health; waste
Determinants of Environmentally Responsible Behavior
Locus of Control
Assumption of Personal Responsibility
Environmentally Responsible Behaviors
Ecomanagement; Economic Action; Persuasion; Political
Action; Legal Action
Roth, Cfl 992 J
Environmental Literacy: Its Roots, Evolution
and Directions in the 1990's
Nominal Environmental Literacy:
Knowledge Strand—Nominally environmentally literate
individuals are familiar with:
The nature of the basic components of elemental systems
(e.g., living and non-living things, requirements for life).
Types and examples of interactions between humans and
nature.
Basic components of societal systems.
Affective Strand—have affective sensitivities about:
Appreciation of both nature and society.
Elementary sensitivity and empathy for both nature and
society.
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Elemental perceptions of points of conflict between
nature and society.
Skill Strand—have skills of:
Identifying and defining problems.
Recognizing issues surrounding identified problems or
proposed solutions (e.g. latent and visible conflicts).
Behavior Strand—demonstrate:
Familial, school and organization activities and habits
aimed at maintenance of environmental quality.
Responding and coping behaviors.
Functional Environmental Literacy
Knowledge Strand—The functional environmentally literate
citizen, in addition to the knowledge of the nominally
literate, has knowledge of and understanding of a number of
ecological, economic, geographic, religious, educational and
political processes and understanding of the effects/impacts
of humans on natural systems, including (abbreviated
listing):
Population dynamics
Interactions
Interdependence
Thinking in terms of time frames or scales
Skill Strand—The functionally environmentally literate
demonstrate basic skills in analyzing problems and issues
and conducting investigations of problems and issues using
primary and secondary resource/strategies such as
(abbreviated listing):
Identifying environmental issues.
Seeking historical background of issues.
Investigating environmental issues.
Evaluating sources of information.
Analyzing environmental issues from various
perspectives.
Applying ecological concepts to predicting probable
ecological consequences.
Identifying alternative solutions and value perspectives
Evaluating alternative solutions.
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Conducting basic risk analysis.
Identifying and clarifying his/her value positions.
Examining issues from local, national, regional, and
international points of view.
Thinking in terms of systems.
Demonstrating ability to forecast, to think ahead, plan.
Affect Strand—the functionally environmentally literate
demonstrate such basic affects, attitudes and values as:
Identification with, and feelings of concern for, both
society and the environment.
Willingness to recognize and choose among differing
value perspectives associated with problems and issues.
Internal locus of control.
Treating public and private property with equal respect.
Sense of stewardship.
Behavior Strand—the functionally environmentally literate
moves to action through selected lifestyle activities/
behaviors and community/organizational behaviors
demonstrated-by:
Taking action positions and actions based on best
available knowledge.
Taking individual and/or group action through:
persuasion, consumerism, political action, legal action,
ecomanagement
Operational Environmental Literacy
Skill Strand—Skills involved with evaluating problems and
issues on the basis of available evidence (facts) and personal
values and skills used in planning, implementing, and
evaluating solutions, including using the process skills of
scientific inquiry:
using ability to forecast, to think ahead, plan
using ability to separate number, quantity, quality, and
value
imagining
connecting
valuing and value analysis
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using primary and secondary sources of information
using ability to separate fact from opinion
determining the roles played by differing human beliefs
and values in environmental issues
Affect Strand—Affects, attitudes and values, that indicate a
valuation of both nature and society, a sense of investment
in and responsibility for the resolution of problems and
issues along with a respect for both nature and society and a
willingness to participate in, and show a sense of efficacy
toward the resolution of problems and issues including
(abbreviated listing):
Awareness of and sensitivity to the total environment and
its allied programs
Motivation to actively participate in environmental
improvement and protection
Taking into account historical perspectives while
focusing on current and potential environmental
situations
Strong internal locus of control
Personal responsibility: recognition of impacts of
personal behavior; acceptance of personal responsibility
for the impacts; willingness to help correct or avoid
negative impacts
Behavior Strand—Actions that demonstrate leadership in
working toward the resolution of problems and issues
including:
Evaluating actions with respect to their impact on quality
of life and environment
Providing verbal commitments
Working to maintain biological and social diversity
Continually examining and reexamining the values of
the culture
Making decisions based on beneficence, justice,
stewardship, prudence, cooperation, and compassion
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Environmental Education Literacy
Consortium f Hunserford H.: Volk, T.: Wilke,
R.; Champeau, R.: Marcinkowski, T.: May, T.;
Bluhm, B.^ and McKeown-lce, RJ fI994J
Environmental Literacy Framework
Cognitive Dimensions f Knowledge and Skills)
A. Knowledge of ecological and socio-political foundations
B. Knowledge of and ability to identify, analyze, investigate
and evaluate environmental problems and issues.
C. Knowledge of and ability to apply environmental action
strategies seeking to influence outcomes of
environmental problems and issues
D. Ability to develop and evaluate an appropriate action
plan for the resolution of environmental problems or
issues
Affective Dimensions
A. Recognition of the importance of environmental quality
and the existence of environmental problems and issues
B. Empathic, appreciative and caring attitudes toward the
environment
C. Willingness to work toward the prevention and/or
remediation of environmental problems and issues
Additional Determinants
of Environmentally Responsible Behavior
A. Belief in their ability, both individually and collectively,
to influence outcomes of environmental problems and
issues
B. Assumption of responsibility for personal actions that
influence the environment
Personal and/or Group Involvement
in Environmentally Responsible Behaviors
A. Ecomanagement—e.g. actions such as using a more
energy efficient form of transportation, reducing
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consumption of energy or water, improving wildlife
habitat, recycling, etc.
B. Economic/consumer action—e.g., purchasing products
in returnable/reusable containers, avoiding purchase of
excess packaging, avoiding items with toxic by-products,
providing financial support to an environmental
organization, boycotting products considered to be
damaging to the environment, etc.
C. Persuasion—e.g., using informal discussion to encourage
another to support a positive environmental position or
action, distributing "pro-environment" literature, signing
a petition, encouraging another individual or group to
stop some kind of destructive behavior, writing a letter to
a person/group/company to stop and action that has
negative environmental consequences, giving a speech,
etc.
D. Political action—e.g., writing letters or speaking directly
to elected officials on behalf of an environmental issue,
supporting by time or finances a candidate or lobbying
group based upon an environmental issue, running for
or serving in an official .capacity with the intent of
supporting pro-environmental positions or actions, etc.
E. Legal action—e.g. reporting violations in pollution/
littering, fishing, trapping or hunting laws or plant or
animal collecting to the authorities, working with
authorities to patrol areas for enforcing environmental
laws, providing information or testimony at a legal
hearing or participating in a lawsuit against a person/
group who has violated a law aimed at protecting the
environment, etc.
Learning for a Sustainable Future* Developing
a Cooperative Framework for Sustainable
Development Education (T994J
Education for a Sustainable Future:
The Knowledge, Skids and Values Needed
Knowledge Needed:
1. The planet earth as a finite system and the elements
that constitute the planetary environment.
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2. The resources of the earth, particularly soil, water,
minerals, etc., their distribution and their role in
supporting living organisms.
3. The nature of ecosystems and biomes, their health
and their interdependence within the biosphere.
4. The dependence of humans on the environmental
resources for life and sustenance.
5. The sustainable relationship of native societies to the
environment.
6. The implications of resource distribution in
determining the nature of societies and the rate and
character of economic development.
7. Characteristics of the development of human
societies including nomadic, hunter-gatherer,
agricultural, industrial and post-industrial, and the
impact of each on the natural environment.
8. The role of science and technology in the
development of societies and the impact of these
technologies on the environment.
9. Philosophies and patterns of economic activity and
their different impacts on the environment, societies
and cultures.
10. The process of urbanization and the implications of
de-ruralization.
11. The interconnectedness of present world political,
economic, environmental and social issues.
12. Aspects of differing perspectives and philosophies
concerning the ecological and human environments.
13. Cooperative international and national efforts to find
solutions to common global issues, and to implement
strategies for a more sustainable future.
14. The implications for the global community of the
political, economic and socio-cultural changes
needed for a more sustainable future.
15. Processes of planning, policy-making and action for
sustainability by governments, businesses, non-
governmental organizations and the general public.
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Skills Needed:
1. Frame appropriate questions to guide relevant study
and research.
2. Define such fundamental concepts as environment,
community, development and technology, and apply
definitions to local, national and global experience.
3. Use of range of resources and technologies in
addressing questions.
4. Assess the nature of bias and evaluate different points
of view.
5. Develop hypotheses based on balanced information,
crucial analysis and careful synthesis, and test them
against new information and personal experience and
beliefs.
6. Communicate information and viewpoints effectively.
7. Work towards negotiated consensus and cooperative
resolution of conflicts.
8. Develop cooperative strategies for appropriate action
to change present relationships between ecological
preservation and economic development.
Values Needed:
1. An appreciation of the resilience, fragility and beauty
of nature and the interdependence and equal
importance of all life forms.
2. An appreciation of the dependence of human life on
the resources of a finite planet.
3. An appreciation of the role of human ingenuity and
individual creativity in ensuring survival and the
search for appropriate and sustainable progress.
4. An appreciation of the power of human beings to
modify the environment.
5. A sense of self-worth and rootedness in one's own
culture and community.
6. A respect for other cultures and a recognition of the
interdependence of the human community.
7. A global perspective and loyalty to the world
community.
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8. A concern for disparities and injustices, a
commitment to human rights, and to the peaceful
resolution of conflict.
9.
resolution <_u CUIJUUILL.
An appreciation of the challenges faced by the
human community in defining the processes needed
for sustainability and in implementing the changes
needed.
10. A sense of balance in deciding among conflicting
priorities.
11. Personal acceptance of a sustainable lifestyle and a
commitment to participation in change.
12. A realistic appreciation of the urgency of challenges
facing the global community and the complexities
that demand long-term planning for building a
sustainable future.
13. A sense of hope and a positive personal and social
perspective on the future.
14. An appreciation of the importance and worth of
individual responsibility and action.
III. Conceptual Frameworks for Curriculum Materials
The form environmental education takes in practice is based
heavily upon the curriculum materials available to those "in the
field"—for example, teachers, naturalists, volunteer instructors
or museum curators. The conceptual or curriculum frameworks
direct the writing of individual lessons as well as the overall
organization of the materials. Consequently, looking at how EE
has been put into practice is essential to developing a model or
framework for EE guidelines. Of the abundance of curricula
available, a small number of nationally recognized examples
were selected as examples.
Project WILD fl 986 J
Conceptual Framework:
I. Awareness and Appreciation of Wildlife
A. Humans and wildlife have similar basic needs
B. Humans and wildlife share environments.
C. Humans and wildlife are subject to many of the same
environmental conditions.
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D. Humans have far greater ability to alter or adjust to
environments than does wildlife; thus, humans have a
responsibility to consider effects of their activities on
other life forms.
II. Human Values and Wildlife
A. Wildlife has aesthetic and spiritual values.
B. Wildlife has ecological and scientific values.
C. Wildlife has social and political values.
D. Wildlife has commercial and economic values.
E. Wildlife has consumptive and non-consumptive
recreational values.
III. Wildlife and Ecological Systems
A. Each environment has characteristic life forms.
B. All living elements of an ecological system are
interdependent.
C. Variation and change occur in all ecological systems.
D. Adaptation is continuous within all ecological
systems.
E. Living things tend to reproduce in numbers greater
than their habitat can support.
F. Each area of land or water, and ultimately the planet,
has a carrying capacity of plants and animals.
IV. WUdlife Conservation
A. Management of resources and environments is the
application of scientific knowledge and technical
skills to protect, preserve, conserve, limit, enhance, or
extend the value of a natural resource, as well as to
improve environmental quality.
B. Wildlife is one of our basic natural resources, along
with water, air, minerals, soil, and plant life.
C. Good habitat is the key to wildlife survival.
D. Wildlife resources can be managed and conserved.
E. Wildlife conservation practices depend on a
knowledge of natural laws and the application of
knowledge from many disciplines.
F. In the U.S., wildlife is considered to be a public
resource. Ownership of land or water alone does not
secure ownership of wildlife on that land or in that
water as it does in some other countries.
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V. Cultural and Social Interaction with Wildlife
A. Human cultures and societies, past and present, affect
and are affected by wildlife and its habitat.
B. Societies develop programs and policies relating to
wildlife and its habitat through a variety of social
mechanisms.
VI. Wildlife Issues and Trends: Alternatives and
Consequences
A. Human impacts on wildlife and its habitat are
increasing worldwide.
B. Issues involving wildlife and its habitat are a product
of social and cultural trends.
C. Current wildlife issues and trends are complex and
involve alternatives and consequences.
D. Many problems, issues, and trends involving wildlife
in other parts of the world are similar to those in this
country.
VII. Wildlife, Ecological Systems, and Responsible Human
Actions
A. Each person as an individual and as a member of
society affects the environment.
B. Responsible environmental actions are the obligation
of all levels of society, starting with the individual.
Essential Learnings in Environmental
Education C1990J
Natural Systems:
General: Environment, Earth, Biosphere
Abiotic Components: Energy, Atmosphere, Land & Soil,
Water
Biotic Components: Plant, Animal
Processes: Weather & Climate, Biogeochemical Cycles,
Evolution and Extinction
Biological Systems: Ecosystems, Food Chains & Webs,
Community, Population, Habitat & Niche
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Resources:
Natural Resources: Distribution & Consumption,
Management & Conservation, Sustainable Development
Abiotic Resources: Energy & Minerals, Water, Land &
Soil
Biotic Resources: Forests, Wildlife & Fisheries,
Biodiversity
Degradation of Resource Base: Limits to Systems,
Pollution
Human Systems:
Humans and Environment: Humans as part of
environment, human adaptation to environment,
Human influence upon environment, population factors
Technological Systems: Agriculture, Settlements,
Manufacturing and Technology
Social Systems: Economic systems, Sociopolitical Systems,
Culture and Religion
Environmental Awareness and Protection: Values and
Ethics, Education and Communication, Participation/
Voluntary Action, Legislation & Enforcement
Project Learning Tree Environmental
Education Activity Guide fl 993)
Diversity
Diversity in Environments
Diversity of Resources and Technologies
Diversity among and within Societies and Cultures
Interrelationships
Environmental Interrelationships
Resources and Technological Interrelationships
Societal and Cultural Interrelationships
Systems
Environmental Systems
Resource Management and Technological Systems
Systems in Society and Culture
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Structure and Scale
Structures and Scale in Environments
Structure and Scale in Resources and Technology
Structure and Scale in Societies and Culture
Patterns of Change
Patterns of Change in the Environment
Patterns of Change in Resources and Technologies
Patterns of Change in Society and Culture
Project WET Curriculum & Activity Guide
H995J
Conceptual Framework:
Water has unique physical and chemical characteristics.
Water is essential for all life to exist.
Water connects all Earth systems.
Water is a natural resource.
Water resources are managed.
Water resources exist within social constructs.
Water resources exist within cultural contexts.
Affective Framework:
People's awareness of and sensitivity toward water and
water-related concepts and issues.
People's attitudes (opinions, likes, dislikes) toward water
and water-related concepts and issues.
People's values (consideration of worth, need to cherish,
importance) toward water and water-related concepts
and issues.
People's behavior toward and expression of water and
water-related concepts and issues, influenced by
awareness and sensitivity, attitudes, and values.
Skills Framework:
Gathering information.
Organizing information.
Analyzing information.
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Interpreting information.
Applying learned information.
Evaluating application of learned information.
Presenting evidence of learning from application and
evaluation.
Biodiversity Basics, World Wildlife Fund
H999J
Part (: The Conceptual Framework
What Is Biodiversity?
The concepts in this theme provide students with a
fundamental knowledge and appreciation of biodiversity.
These concepts also help students understand the
characteristics of living systems and the fact that the
environment is made up of systems nested within larger
systems.
• Definition of Biodiversity
• Basic Ecological Principles
• Key Ecological Definitions that Help to Understand
Biodiversity
Why Is Biodiversity Important?
Concepts in this section can help students investigate
how biodiversity affects their lives and supports life on
Earth. Recognizing the importance of biodiversity
increases students' awareness of why and how people's
actions affect biodiversity and why it's important to
maintain and restore biodiversity.
• Quality of the Environment
• Quality of Life (Economics, Health and Safety, Socio/
Political, Culture)
What Is the Status of Biodiversity?
Concepts in this theme help students understand the
status of biodiversity and why biodiversity is declining
around the world. By learning about the causes and
consequences of biodiversity loss, students will be able to
participate in maintaining biodiversity in the future.
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• Factors Affecting Biodiversity (Population Growth,
Loss, Degradation, and Fragmentation of Habitat,
Introduced Species, Over-Consumption of Natural
Resources, Pollution)
How Can We Protect Biodiversity?
Concepts in this section help students identify ways to
ensure that adequate biodiversity will be maintained for
future generations. For students to willingly and
effectively take action to protect biodiversity, they must
have a thorough understanding and appreciation of what
biodiversity is, why it's important, why we're losing it, and
what people can do to help maintain and conserve it.
Students should also begin to understand that ecological
integrity, social equity, and economic prosperity are
connected and are important components of a
sustainable society.
• Studying Biodiversity
• Conserving Biodiversity (Role of Values, Role of Civil
Society, Government, and Industry, Future Outlooks
for Maintaining and Restoring Biodiversity)
Part II: The Skills Framework
• Gathering Information
• Organizing Information
• Analyzing Information
• Interpreting Information
• Applying Information
• Evaluating Information
• Presenting Information
• Developing Citizenship Skills
IV. Previous Standards or Criteria Development Projects
The quest to define what constitutes quality environmental
education is not new. The following outlines represent efforts by
the National Science Teachers Association and the American
Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) to develop guiding
principles for environmental education. Also included is
material prepared by the American Forum for Global Education
suggesting conceptual guidelines for national standards for
international studies education.
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National Science Teachers Association.
Criteria for Excellence in Environmental
Education, Revised Edition
Effective environmental education depends on multidisciplinary
instruction but has a strong science component. It involves
minds-on direct contact with environments as well as vicarious
experiences. The learner grows from awareness and
understanding to concern and action.
Goat:
To develop and practice creativity and critical thinking along
with values analyses. Teachers and learners will search for
alternative solutions to environmental issues and evaluate the
ethical, social, ecological, and economic costs and benefits of
alternatives.
Curriculum
1. Provides activities and information in which people
interact with the environment.
2. Develops in the students the intellectual tools to
effectively explore the world around them.
3. Directly involves students in investigating the world
around them and their relationship to it.
Instruction
1. Fosters open minds and the generation and
examination of alternatives;
2. Stimulates and fosters creativity and critical thinking;
3. Respects the social, intellectual, and developmental
maturity of learners;
4. Links science with other areas of intellectual and
emotional activity;
5. Provides opportunities for students to be involved in
environmental activity at an appropriate level of
challenge; hence, fosters a growing sense of
confidence that groups and individuals can positively
affect the environment;
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6. Relates the components of the ecosystem to our
health, well-being, and potential for development.
Evaluation
Effective programs and materials provide:
1. Evaluation design based on stated goals, objectives,
and outcomes;
2. Field testing of programs and materials in terms of
stated goals and objectives;
3. Continuous modification and feedback.
Teachers
1. Distribute EE guidelines to colleagues;
2. Encourage colleagues to increase their environmental
literacy;
3. Hold clearly stated goals and objectives for learner
behavior;
4. Treat controversial issues fairly and honestly;
5. Teach people how to think, not what to think.
ASTM, EE Curriculum Draft Standards,
Curriculum Task Group f 1991J
These guidelines recommend that formal educational
institutions and agencies develop, promote, and facilitate
environmental education curricula that enhance environmental
awareness and knowledge; as such the guidelines will:
Impart overall environmental awareness and knowledge.
Recognize and emphasize ecology as a critical
cornerstone of all environmental education programs.
Communicate and apply major ecological concepts to an
improved awareness and understanding of the
environment (e.g., humans as ecological variables, and
extensive discussions and illustrations of different scales
of time and space as they relate to function and
development of any ecosystem).
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Communicate and apply major social science concepts to
an improved awareness and understanding of the
environment.
Demonstrate the usefulness of ecological and social
science concepts in understanding human dependence
upon stable and productive ecological and social systems
for survival.
These guidelines recommend that formal educational
institutions and agencies develop, promote, and facilitate
environmental curricula that demonstrate issue investigation,
analysis, and action skills; as such, the guidelines will:
Identify a wide variety of environmental issues and
problems and demonstrate the application of ecological
and social science concepts in recognizing and
interpreting these issues and problems.
Describe how human behavior, beliefs, values and
cultural activities (e.g. religious, economic, political,
social, and others) impact on the environment and relate
to environmental issues and problems.
Recommend various issues investigation strategies using .
both primary and secondary sources of information (e.g.
generating research questions; developing a survey;
planning data-collection; organizing data into charts/
tables/graphs; generating data-based conclusions;
developing inferences and recommendations; and
communicating research findings).
Identify various alternative solutions to environmental
problems and predict the possible or probable
ecological, social, political, legal, and economic
consequences of alternative solutions to these problems.
Demonstrate a strategy for the identification, evaluation,
and modification of personal and group value positions
and action strategies, relative to the environment.
Demonstrate strategies for the correction of
environmental problems (e.g. persuasion, consumer
action, political action, legal action, and
ecomanagement).
Identify sources of scientific and social science
information appropriate to the investigation and
evaluation of environmental issues, problems, and
solutions.
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These guidelines recommend that formal educational
institutions and agencies develop, promote, and facilitate
environmental education curricula that demonstrate the
following instructional methodologies:
Goal Orientation
A knowledge of education philosophy will be used to
select, develop, and implement curricular programs and
strategies to achieve both general educational and
environmental education goals.
Coordination with Established Levels of Environmental
Literacy
Graded environmental education curricula will be
developed to coordinate with the various levels of
environmental literacy as detailed in Literacy Standards for
Environmental Education (refer to documents produced by
the Environmental Literacy Subcommittee: e.g., curricula
for the nominally, functionally, and operationally
literate.)
Coordination with Conventional Levels of Instruction
Environmental education curricula will be developed
which are targeted toward several primary levels of
instruction: teacher education, lower/upper elementary
education, and secondary education. The curricula will
be designed so that its facilitation and mode of
presentation will be appropriate to the learning level
toward which it is targeted.
Curriculum Infusion
Environmental education curricula will be designed with
open-ended components to allow for (a) ease of infusion
into existing curricula, (b) opportunities for educators to
create their own unique topic approaches and
presentation formats, and (c) on-going modifications to
reflect the dynamic, ever changing nature of
environmental instruction.
Compatibility with Accepted Theories of Teaching and
Learning
Environmental education curricula will be developed
that utilize and reflect a wide diversity of instructional
applications, as detailed in Teacher Education Standards
for Environmental Education (e.g. contemporary
theories and practices relating to education philosophy,
learning behavior, teaching methodologies, evaluation,
and development of curriculum materials).
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Selection of Appropriate Methodologies/Sites
Environmental education curriculum will select and
implement instructional methodologies and sites which
are appropriate for desired cognitive, affective, and
behavioral outcomes and for a variety of learner
characteristics (e.g. outdoor education methods, affective
education methods, simulation games and role playing,
case study methods, community resource use, etc.)
Evaluation
Environmental education curricula should be designed
for ease of evaluation. The evaluation criteria should
reflect elements typical of any conventional curriculum
as well as evaluation components that may be unique to
the scope of environmental education.
Smith, A. fl994J
Concept Paper on Developing National
Standards for International Studies Education
Global Issues and Topics
A. Global environment, including biodiversity and
species protection
B. Global resources, the need for conservation,
development of alternative energy sources, and
sustainability
C. Global trends in population and related issues such as
urbanization, migration, growth and control, and
population distribution
D. Major economic realities and significant issues of
international trade, development, aid and investment
E. World peace and security
F. International human rights and human values
G. Hunger, food supply and distribution around the
world
H. Ethnic conflict, diversity and human commonality
I. Significant differences in systems of government
J. The United Nations and other international and
regional organizations
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K World cultures
L. Global developments in science and technology
Culture Studies and Area Studies—America and the World
A. America's contemporary and historical connections
with global issues and areas
B. Understanding individuals' relationships and
connections with global issues and other cultures
C. Citizenship responsibilities
References
Ballard, M. and Pandya, M. Essential Learnings in Environmental
Education. Troy, OH: NAAEE, 1990.
Braus, J., ed. Biodiversity Basics—Exploring the Web of Life.
Washington, B.C.: World Wildlife Fund, 1999.
Curriculum Task Group. Environmental Education Curriculum
Standards, draft working paper. Philadelphia, PA: ASTM, 1991.
Developing a Cooperative Framework for Sustainable Development
Education. Ontario, Canada: Learning for a Sustainable Future,
1993.
Environmental Literacy Framework. Unpublished paper by the
Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education, University of
Wisconsin-Steven's Point, 1992.
Hungerford, H.R., R.B. Peyton, and R.J. Wilke. "Goals for
Curriculum Development in Environmental Education."
Journal of Environmental Education, 11, no. 3 (1980): 42-47.
Hungerford, H.R., T. Volk, R. Wilke, R. Champeau, T.
Marcinkowski, T. May, W. Bluhm, and R. McKeown-Ice.
Environmental Literacy Framework. Unpubished paper by the
Environmental Education Literacy Consortium, Southern
Illinois University,Carbondale, IL, 1994.
lozzi, L., D. Laveault, and T. Marcinkowski. Assessment of
Learning Outcomes in Environmental Education. Paris: UNESCO,
1990.
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Marcinkowski, T. "The Relationship between Environmental
Literacy and Responsible Environmental Behavior in
Environmental Education." In Methods and Techniques for
Evaluating Environmental Education, edited by M. Maldague.
Paris: UNESCO, 1991.
Project Learning Tree. Washington, B.C.: American Forest
Foundation, 1993.
Project WET. Houston, TX: Council for Environmental
Education, 1995.
Project WILD. Bethesda, MD: Council for Environmental
Education, 1992.
Roth, C. Environmental Literacy: Its Roots, Evolution and Directions
in the 1990s. Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse for Science,
Mathematics, and Environmental Education, 1992.
Smith, A. "Developing National Standards for International
Studies Education," a concept paper. New York: American
Forum for Global Education, 1994.
Stapp, W.'B. and D. A. Cox. "Environmental Education Model,"
in Environmental Education Activities Manual. Ann Arbor, MI,
1974.
UNESCO/UNEP. "The Belgrade Charter." Connect I, no. 1,
(1976): 1-2.
UNESCO/UNEP. "The Tbilisi Declaration." Connect?,, no. 1,
(1978): 1-8.
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What does it mean to be environmentally literate? The
-KatipnalPrpj_ect'for.E:sceiiencevin;Eaviroiiinental-
- .-Education, initiated by, the North American Association ••'
for EnvironmentarEducation(HAAEE) 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.
Through the National Project for Excellence in
Environmental' Education, NAAEE is taking the lead in ;
establishing guidelines for the development of balanced,
scientifically accurate, and comprehensive environmental
education programs. Quality environmental education
programs facilitate the teaching of science, civics, social
studies, mathematics, geography, language arts, etc.
These guidelines will help educators develop meaningful
environmental education programs that integrate across and
build upon the high standards set by the core disciplines. ,
The National Project for Excellence in Environmental
Education is a multi-year program designed to identify and
provide examples of high quality environmental education
practice. The project is focusing on four interrelated efforts:
(1) publication of Enyirbnmental Education Materials:
Guidelines for Excellence', (2) creation of aseries of
educators'resource guides to quality environmental
education materials (The Environmental Education
Collection—A Review of Resources for Educators, Volumes
1-3); (3) development of environmental education learner
guidelines; and (4) development of a set of recommendations
for the preparation arid continuing education of teachers and
other environmental educators, :
The National Project for Excellence m Environmental , "',
Education is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency through the Environmental Education and Training
Partnership (EETAP)—plus the National Environmental
"Education and Training Foundation, the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation, Northern Illinois University, .and World
Wildlife Fund. For more information, please contact Bora
Simmons, Northern Illinois University, Department of
The National
Project for
Excellence in
Environmental
Education
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