Excellence in
Environmental Education-
Guidelines for Learning
fK-12J
Executive Summary &
Self Assessment Tool
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NORTH AMERICAN |
ASSOCIATION FOR :
ENVIRONMENTAL |
EDUCATION
North
American
Association for
Environmental
Education
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NORTH AMERICAN
ASSOCIATION FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL
EDUCATION
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—Over 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
they 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 and provide 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
Environmental Issues 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: csmith409@aol.com • Web site: www.naaee.org
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Excellence in
Environmental Education-
Guidelines for Learning
CK-12J
Executive Summary &
Self Assessment Tool
North
American
Association for
Environmental
Education
-------
The Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary
and Self Assessment Tool represents another in a series of documents published by the North
American Association for Environmental Education as part of the National Project for Excellence
in Environmental Eduation.
National Project for Excellence In Environmental Education
Deborah (Bora) Simmons, Chair Department of Teacher Education
Northern Illinois University
Michele Archie, Writer The Harbinger Institute
Karen Hollweg, Writer & Designer, North American Association
Self Assessment Tool for Environmental Education
Mary Vymetal-Taylor, Project Northern Illinois University
Assistant and Cover Design
Acknowledgements
The Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive
Summary and Self Assessment Tool was funded by the United States Environmental
Protection Agency through the Environmental Education and Training Partnership
(EETAP) under agreement number EPA-NT902897-01-1 with the North American
Association for Environmental Education.
Additional funding and support for this project have been received from Northern
Illinois University and the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation.
The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the
United States Environmental Protection Agency, nor does mention of trade names or
commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
Copies of Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12)
as well as additional copies of this book can be obtained by contacting:
NAAEE Publications and Membership Office
410 Tarvin Road, Rock Spring, GA 30739 USA
(706) 764-2926 (phone) • (706) 764-2094 (fax)
E-mail: csmith409@aol.com • Web site: www.naaee.org
ISBN #1-884008-77-1
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.
f
\
EETAR
^5 Printed on
recycled paper
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Excellence in Environmental Education-
Guidelines for Learning CK-12J
Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
Table of Contents
Title
Page Number
Introduction 1
Executive Summary 1
Overview 2
Strand 1 4
Strand 2 6
2.1 6
2.2 6
2.3 8
2.4 10
Strand 3 12
3.1 12
3.2 ...12
Strand 4 14
Self Assessment Tool 17
Grades K-4 18
Grades 5-8 22
Grades 9-12 26
Pulling It All Together 30
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Introduction
Welcome! Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) (NAAEE,
1999) offers a vision of environmental education and promotes progress toward sustaining a
healthy environment and quality of life. The Guidelines provide students, parents, educators,
home schoolers, administrators, policy makers, and the public a set of common, voluntary
guidelines for environmental education. The Guidelines support state and local environmental
education efforts by:
• Setting expectations for performance and achievement in fourth, eighth,
and twelfth grades;
• Suggesting a framework for effective and comprehensive environmental
education programs;
• Demonstrating how environmental education can be used to meet standards
set by the traditional disciplines and to give students opportunities to
synthesize knowledge and experience across disciplines;
• Defining the aims of environmental education.
The Guidelines are organized into four strands, each of which represents a broad aspect of
environmental education and its goal of environmental literacy. To help you use the Guidelines
most effectively, this document, Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for
Learning (K-12) Executive Summary and Self Assessment Tool, has been developed. It provides
you with:
• An overview for becoming familiar with the four strands and how they become
more sophisticated at higher grade levels;
• A set of self assessment checklists for analyzing the degree to which your various
curricula and educational programs may meet the Guidelines.
Although the Executive Summary and the Self Assessment Tool can be used separately, they
were designed to be used together as a means of gaming a general understanding of the Guide-
lines and how they can help you develop a comprehensive, cohesive environmental education
program.
Executive Summary
The Executive Summary can be used as an easy reference to Excellence in Environmental
Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) (NAAEE 1999). As in the full document, the
Executive Summary is organized into four strands, each of which is further delineated by a set
of guidelines that describe a level of skill or knowledge appropriate for each of three grade levels
- fourth, eighth, and twelfth. In the Executive Summary, guidelines for a particular strand are
arranged on two-page layouts, so that the user can quickly understand the flow of guidelines at a
grade level or compare how guidelines progress across the grade levels. It should be remembered
that the Executive Summary is designed to provide only an overview. For a more in-depth view
of the strands and their guidelines, it will be necessary to refer to Excellence in Environmental
Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12).
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool 1
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OVERVIEW
FOURTH GRADE
Learners should be able to meet the guidelines
included in this section by the end of fourth
grade.
The kindergarten through fourth grade years
are a time of tremendous cognitive develop-
ment. 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.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K.-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
Learners should be able to meet the guidelines
included in this section by the end of eighth
grade.
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. Environmen-
tal education can foster this development by
focusing on investigation of local environ-
mental 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 responsibili-
ties and ethics.
Learners should be able to meet the guidelines
included in this section by the time they
graduate from high school.
By the end of twelfth grade, learners are well
on their way to environmental literacy. They
should possess the basic skills and disposi-
tions they need to understand and act on
environmental problems and issues as respon-
sible citizens—and to continue the learning
process throughout their lives. In the ninth
through twelfth grades, environmental educa-
tion can promote active and responsible
citizenship by challenging learners to hone
and apply problem-solving, analysis, persua-
sive communication, and other higher level
skills—often in real-world contexts.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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STRAND I—
Questioning and Analysis Skids
FOURTH GRADE
A) Questioning—Learners are able to de-
velop questions that help them learn about the
environment and do simple investigations.
B) Designing investigations—Learners are
able to design simple investigations.
C) Collecting information—Learners are
able to locate and collect information about
the environment and environmental topics.
D) Evaluating accuracy and reliability—
Students understand the need to use reliable
information to answer their questions. They
are familiar with some basic factors to con-
sider in judging the merits of information.
E) Organizing information—Learners are
able to describe data and organize information
to search for relationships and patterns con-
cerning the environment and environmental
topics.
F) Working with models and simulations—
Learners understand that relationships,
patterns, and processes can be represented
by models.
G) Developing explanations—Learners can
develop simple explanations that address their
questions about the environment.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Questioning—Learners are able to de-
velop, focus, and explain questions that help
them learn about the environment and do
environmental investigations.
B) Designing investigations—Learners are
able to design environmental investigations to
answer particular questions—often their own
questions.
C) Collecting information—Learners are
able to locate and collect reliable information
about the environment or environmental topics
using a variety of methods and sources.
D) Evaluating accuracy and reliability—
Students are able to judge the weaknesses and
strengths of the information they are using.
E) Organizing information—Learners are
able to classify and order data, and to organize
and display information in ways that help
analysis and interpretation.
F) Working with models and simulations-
Learners understand many of the uses and
limitations of models.
G) Developing proposed explanations—
Learners are able to synthesize their observa-
tions and findings into coherent explanations.
A) Questioning—Learners are able to develop,
modify, clarify, and explain questions that
guide environmental investigations of various
types. They understand factors that influence
the questions they pose.
B) Designing investigations—Learners know
how to design investigations to answer particu-
lar questions about the environment. They are
able to develop approaches for investigating
unfamiliar types of problems and phenomena.
C) Collecting information—Learners are able
to locate and collect reliable information for
environmental investigations of many types.
They know how to use sophisticated technol-
ogy to collect information, including computer
programs that access, gather, store, and display
data.
D) Evaluating accuracy and reliability—
Learners can apply basic logic and reasoning
skills to evaluate completeness and reliability
in a variety of information sources.
E) Organizing information—Learners are
able to organize and display information in
ways appropriate to different types of environ-
mental investigations and purposes.
F) Working with models and simulations—
Learners are able to create, use, and evaluate
models to understand environmental phenom-
ena.
G) Developing proposed explanations—
Learners are able to use evidence and logic in
developing proposed explanations that address
their initial questions and hypotheses.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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STRAND 2—
Knowledge of Environmental
Processes and Systems
STRAND 2.1—
The Earth as a Physical System
STRAND 2.2—
The Living Environment
FOURTH GRADE
A) Processes that shape the Earth—
Learners are able to identify changes and
differences in the physical environment.
B) Changes in matter—Learners are able to
identify basic characteristics of and changes in
matter.
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.
A) Organisms, populations, and communi-
ties—Learners understand basic similarities
and differences among a wide variety of living
organisms. They understand the concept of
habitat.
B) Heredity and evolution—Learners under-
stand that plants and animals have different
characteristics and that many of the character-
istics are inherited.
C) Systems and connections—Learners
understand basic ways in which organisms are
related to their environments and to other
organisms.
D) Flow of matter and energy—Learners
know that living things need some source of
energy to live and grow.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K.-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Processes that shape the Earth—
Learners have a basic understanding of most
of the physical processes that shape the Earth.
They are able to explore the origin of differ-
ences in physical patterns.
B) Changes in matter—Learners understand
the properties of the substances that make up
objects or materials found in the environment.
C) Energy—Students begin to grasp formal
concepts related to energy by focusing on
energy transfer and transformations. They are
able to make connections among phenomena
such as light, heat, magnetism, electricity, and
the motion of objects.
A) Organisms, populations, and communi-
ties—Learners understand that biotic commu-
nities are made up of plants and animals that
are adapted to live in particular environments.
B) Heredity and evolution—Learners have
a basic understanding of the importance of
genetic heritage.
C) Systems and connections—Learners
understand major kinds of interactions among
organisms or populations of organisms.
D) Flow of matter and energy—Learners
understand how energy and matter flow
among the abiotic and biotic components of
the environment.
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 characteris-
tics of the Earth.
B) Changes in matter—Learners apply their
understanding of chemical reactions to round
out their explanations of environmental
characteristics and everyday phenomena.
C) Energy—Learners apply their knowledge
of energy and matter to understand phenomena
in the world around them.
A) Organisms, populations, and communi-
ties—Learners understand basic population
dynamics and the importance of diversity in
living systems.
B) Heredity and evolution—Learners under-
stand the basic ideas and genetic mechanisms
behind biological evolution.
C) Systems and connections—Learners
understand the living environment to be
comprised of interrelated, dynamic systems.
D) Flow of matter and energy—Learners are
able to account for environmental characteris-
tics based on their knowledge of how matter
and energy interact in living systems.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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STRAND 2—
Knowledge of Environmental
Processes and Systems
FOURTH GRADE
STRAND 2.3—
Humans and Their Societies
A) Individuals and groups—Learners under-
stand that people act as individuals and as
group members and that groups can influence
individual actions.
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.
C) Political and economic systems—
Learners understand that government and
economic systems exist because people
living together in groups need ways to do
things such as provide for needs and wants,
maintain order, and manage conflict.
D) Global connections—Learners understand
how people are connected at many levels—
including the global level—by actions and
common responsibilities that concern the
environment.
E) Change and conflict—Learners recognize
that change is a normal part of individual and
societal life. They understand that conflict is
rooted in different points of view.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K.-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Individuals and groups—Learners
understand that how individuals perceive
the environment is influenced in part by
individual traits and group membership or
affiliation.
B) Culture—As they become familiar with
a wider range of cultures and subcultures,.
learners gain an understanding of cultural
perspectives on the environment and how the
environment may, in turn, influence culture.
C) Political and economic systems—
Learners become more familiar with political
and economic systems and how these systems
take the environment into consideration.
D) Global connections—Learners become
familiar with ways in which the world's
environmental, social, economic, cultural,
and political systems are linked.
E) Change and conflict—Learners under-
stand that human systems change over time
and that conflicts sometimes arise over
differing and changing viewpoints about the
environment.
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.
B) Culture—Learners understand cultural
perspectives and dynamics and apply their
understanding in context.
C) Political and economic systems—
Learners understand how different political
and economic systems account for, manage,
and affect natural resources and environmen-
tal quality.
D) Global connections—Learners are able
to analyze global social, cultural, political,
economic, and environmental linkages.
E) Change and conflict—Learners under-
stand the functioning of public processes for
promoting and managing change and conflict,
and can analyze their effects on the environ-
ment.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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STRAND 2—
Knowledge of Environmental
Processes and Systems
FOURTH GRADE
STRAND 2.4—
Environment and Society
A) Human/environment interactions—
Learners understand that people depend on,
change, and are affected by the environment.
B) Places—Learners understand that places
differ in their physical and human characteris-
tics.
C) Resources—Learners understand the basic
concepts of resource and resource distribution.
D) Technology—Learners understand that
technology is an integral part of human
existence and culture.
E) Environmental issues—Learners are
familiar with some local environmental issues
and understand that people in other places
experience environmental issues as well.
10
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K.-I2) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Human/environment interactions—
Learners understand that human-caused
changes have consequences for the imme-
diate environment as well as for other
places and future times.
B) Places—Learners begin to explore the
meaning of places both close to home and
around the world.
C) Resources—Learners understand that
uneven distribution of resources influences
their use and perceived value.
D) Technology—Learners understand
the human ability to shape and control the
environment as a function of the capacities
for creating knowledge and developing new
technologies.
E) Environmental issues—Learners are
familiar with a range of environmental issues
at scales that range from local to national to
global. They understand that people in other
places around the world share many of the
issues they are concerned about locally.
A) Human/environment interactions—
Learners understand that humans are able to
alter the physical environment to meet their
needs and that there are limits to the ability
of the environment to absorb impacts or meet
human needs.
B) Places—Learners understand "place" as
humans endowing a particular part of the
Earth with meaning through their interactions
with that environment.
C) Resources—Learners understand that the
importance and use of resources change over
time and vary under different economic and
technological systems.
D) Technology—Learners are able to
examine the social and environmental impacts
of various technologies and technological
systems.
E) Environmental issues—Learners are
familiar with a range of environmental issues
at scales that range from local to national to
global. They understand that these scales and
issues are often linked.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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STRAND 3—
Skills for Understanding and
Addressing Environmental Issues
FOURTH GRADE
STRAND 3.1—
Skids for Analyzing and
Investigating Environmental Issues
STRAND 3.2—
Decision-Making and Citizenship
Skills
A) Identifying and investigating issues—
Learners are able to identify and investigate
issues in their local environments and commu-
nities.
B) Sorting out the consequences of issues—
As students come to understand that environ-
mental and social phenomena are linked, they
are able to explore the consequences of issues.
C) Identifying and evaluating alternative
solutions and courses of action—Students
understand there are many approaches to
resolving issues.
D) Working with flexibility, creativity, and
openness—Learners understand the impor-
tance of sharing ideas and hearing other
points of view.
A) Forming and evaluating personal
views—Learners are able to examine and
express their own views on environmental
issues.
B) Evaluating the need for citizen action—
Learners are able to think critically about
whether they believe action is needed in
particular situations and whether they believe
they should be involved.
C) Planning and taking action—By partici-
pating in issues of their choosing—mostly
close to home—students learn the basics of
individual and collective action.
D) Evaluating the results of actions—
Learners understand that civic actions have
consequences.
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Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Identifying and investigating issues—
Learners are able to use primary and secondary
sources of information, and apply growing
research and analytical skills, to investigate
environmental issues, beginning in their own
community.
B) Sorting out the consequences of issues—
Learners are able to apply their knowledge of
ecological and human processes and systems to
identify the consequences of specific environ-
mental issues.
C) Identifying and evaluating alternative
solutions and courses of action—Learners are
able to identify and develop action strategies for
addressing particular issues.
D) Working with flexibility, creativity, and
openness—Students are able to consider the
assumptions and interpretations that influence
the conclusions they and others draw about
environmental issues.
A) Forming and evaluating personal views—
Students are able to identify, justify, and clarify
their views on environmental issues and alterna-
tive ways to address them.
B) Evaluating the need for citizen action—
Learners are able to evaluate whether they
believe action is needed in particular situations,
and decide whether they should be involved.
C) Planning and taking action—As students
begin to see themselves as citizens taking active
roles in their communities, they are able to plan
for and engage in citizen action at levels appro-
priate to their maturity and preparation.
D) Evaluating the results of actions—Learners
are able to analyze the effects of their own
actions and actions taken by other individuals
and groups.
A) Identifying and investigating issues—
Learners apply their research and analytical
skills to investigate environmental issues
ranging from local issues to those that are
regional or global in scope.
B) Sorting out the consequences of issues—
Learners are able to evaluate the consequences
of specific environmental changes, conditions,
and issues for human and ecological systems.
C) Identifying and evaluating alternative
solutions and courses of action—Learners are
able to identify and propose action strategies
that are likely to be effective in particular
situations and for particular purposes.
D) Working with flexibility, creativity, and
openness—While environmental issues
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.
A) Forming and evaluating personal views-
Students are able to communicate, evaluate,
and justify their own views on environmental
issues and alternative ways to address them.
B) Evaluating the need for citizen action—
Learners are able to decide whether action is
needed in particular situations and whether
they should be involved.
C) Planning and taking action—Learners
know how to plan for action based on their
research and analysis of an environmental issue.
If appropriate, they take actions that are within
the scope of their rights and consistent with their
abilities and responsibilities as citizens.
D) Evaluating the results of actions—Learners
are able to evaluate the effects of their own
actions and actions taken by other individuals
and groups.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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STRAND 4—
Personal and Civic Responsibility
FOURTH GRADE
A) Understanding societal values and
principles—Learners can identify fundamen-
tal principles of U.S. society and explain their
importance in the context of'environmental
issues.
B) Recognizing citizens' rights and
responsibilities—Learners understand the
basic rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
C) Recognizing efficacy—Learners possess a
realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness
as citizens.
D) Accepting personal responsibility—
Learners understand that they have responsi-
bility for the effects of their actions.
14
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Understanding societal values and
principles—Learners understand that societal
values can be both a unifying and a divisive
force.
B) Recognizing citizens' rights and
responsibilities—Learners understand the
rights and responsibilities of citizenship and
their importance in promoting the resolution
of environmental issues.
C) Recognizing efficacy—Learners possess a
realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness
as citizens.
D) Accepting personal responsibility—
Learners understand that their actions can
have broad consequences and that they are
responsible for those consequences.
A) Understanding societal values and
principles—Learners know how to analyze
the influence of shared and conflicting
societal values.
B) Recognizing citizens' rights and
responsibilities—Learners understand the
importance of exercising the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship.
C) Recognizing efficacy—Learners possess a
realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness
as citizens.
D) Accepting personal responsibility—
Learners understand that their actions can
have broad consequences and accept
responsibility for recognizing those effects
and changing their actions when necessary.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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Self Assessment Tool
The Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) describes
what learners should know and be able to do when they have successfully completed a
comprehensive, multidisciplinary environmental education program. Many of us know we
do not yet have such a program for our students, but would like to know how we are doing
and how far we have come. In other words, we want to assess the program elements we
currently deliver, see the degree to which they provide a comprehensive set of learning
experiences, and determine where the gaps are.
The following checklists were developed to enable educators to assess their environmental
education programs. School administrators, classroom teachers, and environmental educa-
tors in other settings may use them to find out whether they are providing students with the
entire array of K-12 learning experiences that will enable them to become environmentally
literate.
We do not expect any one program to fully address all of the guidelines. For example, a
nature center that provides school programs may find that their programs concentrate on
developing student knowledge and skills in only one or two strands. A school district may
use this tool to determine the guidelines that are entirely addressed through their classroom
curricula and those that are best delivered in collaboration with community-based institu-
tions.
We hope that you will use these checklists to identify the areas you feel you are fully
addressing and then will ask yourself:
Are there other places or teachers that provide these students with
appropriate learning opportunities in the strands that we do not,
and if not, should we or other partners in our community take on
those challenges to enable all learners to get a more complete
environmental education?
As noted at the beginning of each of the checklists, reading the entire entry for a guideline
in the volume entitled Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning
(K-12) will give you a deeper understanding of the concepts and skills students are expected
to develop and some specific examples of ways in which learner achievement might be
demonstrated. We believe you will want to use that document and these checklists together,
referring back and forth from one to the other.
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning
K-4th Grade Self Assessment Tool
PLEASE NOTE: For more detailed information about the guidelines briefly listed below,
see pages 10-28 of Excellence in Environmental Education — Guidelines for Learning (K-12)
produced by the North American Association for Environmental Education.
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides K-4 students with learning
experiences so that by the time they finish 4th grade
they are able to. . .
Strand 1— Questioning and Analysis Skills
A. Generate and develop questions that are appropriate for
initiating inquiry.
B. Design simple investigations.
C. Locate and collect information about the environment and
environmental topics from a variety of sources.
D. Understand the need to use reliable information and explain
some of the factors to consider in judging the merits of the
information they are using.
E. Describe data and organize information to show relationships
and patterns.
F. Work with models and simulations, using them to describe
relationships, patterns, and processes.
G. Describe their observations and develop simple explanations.
Strand 2— Knowledge of Environmental Processes and
Systems
2.1 — The Earth as a Physical System
A. Identify and explain changes and differences in the physical
environment.
B. Identify and describe basic characteristics of and changes in
matter.
C. Describe the basic sources and uses of some different forms
of energy (light, heat, etc.).
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
18
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides K-4 students with learning
experiences so that by the time they finish 4th grade
they are able to. . .
2.2— The Living Environment
A. Identify similarities and differences among a wide variety of
living organisms; describe organisms' basic needs, habitats, and
ways organisms meet their needs in different habitats.
B. Explain that both plants and animals have different
characteristics and that many of the characteristics are inherited
from their parents.
C. Explain basic ways in which organisms are related to their
environments and to other organisms.
D. Explain that living things need some source of "energy" to
live and grow and that matter is recycled — e.g., through life,
growth, death, and decay.
2.3 — Humans and Their Societies
A. Identify ways that people act as individuals and as group
members, and give examples of ways groups influence
individual actions.
B. Give examples of how experiences and places may be inter-
preted differently by people with different cultural .backgrounds,
at different times, or with other frames of reference.
C. Describe government and economic systems that exist be-
cause people living together in groups need ways to do things
(such as provide for needs and wants, maintain order, and
manage conflict).
D. Understand how people are connected at many levels: —
including the global level — by actions and common responsibili-
ties that concern the environment.
E. Recognize that change is a normal part of individual and
societal life and that conflict is rooted in different points of view.
^ -rt
-3
rP «>
ft m
i|
£l
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
19
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides K-4 students with learning
experiences so that by the time they finish 4th grade
they are able to. . .
2.4 — Environment and Society
A. Identify ways people depend on, change, and are affected
by the environment.
B. Describe ways places differ in their physical and human
characteristics.
C. Demonstrate an understanding of "resources" and describe
various sources and origins of resources they use in their lives.
D. Understand that technology is an integral part of human
existence and culture.
E. Identify and describe a range of local environmental issues
and understand that people in other places also experience
environmental issues.
Strand 3 — Analyzing, Investigating, & Addressing
Environmental Issues
3.1— Skills for Analyzing and Investigating
Environmental Issues
A. Identify and investigate local environmental issues.
B. Speculate about and explore the social, economic, and
environmental consequences of issues and proposed solutions
to them.
C. Identify and evaluate alternative approaches to resolving
issues.
D. Discuss and critique ideas representing different perspec-
tives; hear and respect viewpoints that differ from their own.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
20
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides K-4 students with learning
experiences so that by the time they finish 4th grade
they are able to. . .
3.2— Decision-Making and Citizenship Skills
A. Examine and express their own views on environmental issues.
B. Consider whether they believe action is needed in particular
situations and whether they think they should be involved.
C. Learn the basics of individual and collective action, by
participating in close-to-home issues of their choosing.
D. Evaluate the results of actions, understanding that civic
actions have consequences.
Strand 4 — Personal and Civic Responsibility
A. Identify the fundamental principles of U.S. society and
explain their importance in the context of environmental issues.
B. Understand the basic rights and responsibilities of
citizenship.
C. Possess a realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness as
citizens.
D. Understand that they have responsibility for the effects of
their actions.
Yes -fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-I2) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
21
-------
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning
5th-8th Grade Self Assessment Tool
PLEASE NOTE: For more detailed information about the guidelines briefly listed below,
see pages 29-50 of Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12)
produced by the North American Association for Environmental Education.
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 5th-8th grade students with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 8th
grade they are able to. . .
Strand 1— Questioning and Analysis Skills
A. Develop, focus, and explain questions that help them learn
about the environment and do environmental investigations.
B. Design environmental investigations to answer particular
questions — often their own questions.
C. Locate and collect reliable information about the environment
or environmental topics using a variety of methods and sources.
D. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the information
they are using.
E. Classify and order data, and organize and display information
in ways that help analysis and interpretation.
F. Understand many of the uses and limitations of models.
G. Synthesize their observations and findings into coherent
explanations.
Strand 2— Knowledge of Environmental Processes and
Systems
2.1 — The Earth as a Physical System
A. Understand the basics of most of the physical processes that
shape the Earth, and relate differences in physical patterns to
their causes.
B. Understand the properties of the substances that make up
objects or materials found in the environment.
C. Begin to grasp formal concepts related to energy by focusing
on energy transfer and transformations, and make connections
among phenomena such as light, heat, magnetism, electricity,
and the motion of objects.
Yes -folly
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
22
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 5th-8th grade students with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 8th
grade they are able to. . .
2.2— The Living Environment
A. Understand that biotic communities are made up of plants
and animals that are uniquely adapted to live in particular
environments.
B. Understand and describe the importance of genetic variation
in species and possible implications of species extinction.
C. Understand major kinds of interactions among organisms or
populations of organisms.
D. Understand how energy and matter flow among the abiotic
and biotic components of the environment.
2.3 — Humans and Their Societies
A. Understand that how individuals perceive the environment
is influenced in part by individual traits and group membership
or affiliation.
B. Gain an understanding of cultural perspectives on the
environment and how the environment may, in turn, influence
culture, as they become familiar with a wider range of cultures
and subcultures.
C. Become more familiar with political and economic systems
and how these systems take the environment into consideration.
D. Identify and explain ways in which the world's environmen-
tal, societal, economic, cultural, and political systems are linked.
E. Understand that human systems change over time and that
conflicts sometimes arise over differing viewpoints about the
environment.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
23
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 5th-8th grade students with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 8th
grade they are able to. . .
2.4 — Environment and Society
A. Understand that human-caused changes have consequences
for the immediate environment as well as for other places and
future times.
B. Describe, analyze, and make inferences about the characteris-
tics of various places, and explore differences in perceptions and
importance of places close to home and around the world.
C. Understand that uneven distribution of resources around the
world influences their use and perceived value.
D. Link the human ability to shape and control the environment
with our ability to create knowledge and develop new technologies.
E. Describe a range of environmental issues at scales that range
from local to national to global, and understand that people in
other places around the world share many of the same issues
they are concerned about locally.
Strand 3— Analyzing, Investigating, and Addressing
Environmental Issues
3.1— Skills for Analyzing and Investigating
Environmental Issues
A. Use primary and secondary sources of information, and apply
their growing research and analytical skills to investigate environ-
mental issues, beginning with those in their own community.
B. Apply their knowledge of ecological and human processes and
systems to identify the consequences of specific environmental
issues.
C. Identify and develop action strategies for addressing particular
issues.
D. Consider the assumptions and interpretations that influence the
conclusions they and others draw about environmental issues.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
24
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K.-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 5th-8th grade students with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 8th
grade they are able to. . .
3.2— Decision-Making and Citizenship Skills
A. Identify, justify, and clarify their views on environmental
issues and alternative ways to address them.
B. Evaluate whether they believe action is needed in particular
situations, and decide whether they should be involved.
C. Begin to see themselves as citizens taking active roles in
their communities; plan for and engage in citizen action at levels
appropriate to their maturity and preparation.
D. Evaluate the effects of their own actions and actions taken
by other individuals and groups.
Strand 4 — Personal and Civic Responsibility
A. Understand that societal values can be both a unifying and
a divisive force.
B. Understand the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and
their importance in promoting the resolution of environmental
issues.
C. Possess a realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness as
citizens.
D. Understand that their actions can have, broad consequences
and that they are responsible for those consequences.
Yes -fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
25
-------
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning
9th- 12th Grade Self Assessment Tool
PLEASE NOTE: For more detailed information about the guidelines briefly listed below,
see pages 51-74 of Excellence in Environmental Education — Guidelines for Learning (K-12)
produced by the North American Association for Environmental Education.
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 9th-12th grade students with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 12th
grade they are able to. . .
Strand 1 — Questioning and Analysis Skids
A. Develop, modify, clarify, and explain questions that guide
environmental investigations of various types, and identify
factors that influence the questions they pose.
B. Design investigations to answer particular questions about
the environment — even developing approaches for investigating
unfamiliar types of problems and phenomena.
C. Locate and collect reliable information for environmental
investigations of many types. Know how to use sophisticated
technology to collect information, including computer programs
designed to address, gather, store, and display data.
D. Apply basic logic and reasoning skills to evaluate
completeness and reliability in a variety of information sources.
E. Organize and display information in ways appropriate to
different types of environmental investigations and purposes.
F. Create, use, and evaluate models to understand environmental
phenomena.
G. Use evidence and logic in developing proposed explanations
that address their initial questions and hypotheses.
Yes -folly
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
26
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 9th-12th grade students with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 12th
grade they are able to. . .
Strand 2— Knowledge of Environmental Processes and
Systems
2.1— The Earth as a Physical System
A. Understand the major physical processes that shape the Earth;
relate these processes, especially large-scale and long-term ones,
to characteristics of the Earth's surface.
B. Apply their understanding of chemical reactions to round out
their explanations of environmental characteristics and everyday
phenomena.
C. Apply their knowledge of energy and matter to understand
phenomena in the world around them.
2.2— The Living Environment
A. Understand basic population dynamics and the importance of
diversity in living systems.
B. Understand the basic ideas and genetic mechanisms behind
biological evolution.
C. Understand the living environment to be comprised of
interrelated, dynamic systems.
D. Account for environmental characteristics based on their
knowledge of how matter and energy interact in living systems.
2.3 — Humans and Their Societies
A. Understand the influence of individual and group actions
on the environment and comprehend how groups can work to
promote and balance interests.
B. Understand cultural perspectives and dynamics and apply
their understandings to particular contexts.
C. Understand how different political and economic systems
account for, manage, and affect natural resources and environ-
mental quality.
D. Analyze global social, cultural, political, economic, and
environmental linkages.
Yes - fully
addressed
-a
w
K. Cfl
>>->
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 9th-12th grade students with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 12th
grade they are able to. . .
E. Understand the functioning of public processes for promoting
and managing change and conflict, and analyze their effects on
the environment.
2.4 — Environment and Society
A. Understand that humans are able to alter the physical environ-
ment to meet their needs and that there are limits to the ability of
the environment to absorb impacts or meet human needs.
B. Understand "place" as humans endowing a particular part
of the Earth with meaning through their interactions with that
environment.
C. Understand that the importance and use of resources change
over time and vary under different economic and technological
systems.
D. Examine the social and environmental impacts of various
technologies and technological systems.
E. Converse, write about, and evaluate environmental issues at
scales that range from local to national to global; understand that
these scales and issues are often linked.
Strand 3 — Analyzing, Investigating, and Addressing
Environmental Issues
3.1 — Skids for Analyzing and Investigating
Environmental Issues
A. Apply their research and analytical skills to investigate
environmental issues ranging from local issues to those that
are regional or global in scope.
B. Evaluate the consequences of specific environmental changes,
conditions, and issues for human and ecological systems.
C. Identify and propose action strategies that are likely to be
effective in particular situations and for particular purposes.
D. Engage each other in peer review conducted in the spirit of
open inquiry, knowing that environmental issues investigations
can bring to the surface deeply held views.
£*~>
rr3 °°
fn c«
»4S
£ -§
>H S3
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
28
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K.-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 9th-12th grade students with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 12th
grade they are able to. . .
3.2— Decision-Making and Citizenship Skids
A. Communicate, evaluate, and justify their own views on
environmental issues and alternative ways to address them.
B. Decide whether action is needed in particular situations,
and whether they should be involved.
C. Plan for action based on their research and analysis of an
environmental issue and if appropriate, take actions that are
within the scope of their rights and consistent with their abilities
and responsibilities as citizens.
D. Evaluate the effects of their own actions and actions taken
by other individuals and groups.
Strand 4 — Personal and Civic Responsibility
A. Analyze the influence of shared and conflicting societal
values.
B. Understand the importance of exercising the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship.
C. Possess a realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness as
citizens.
D. Understand that their actions can have broad consequences
and accept responsibility for recognizing those effects and
changing their actions when necessary.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
29
-------
Pulling It AH Together
Now that you have completed the checklist(s) appropriate for your program(s), what do
you know? Take a few minutes to tally the results of your self assessment in the table
provided below. This should provide you with an overview of the results of your self
assessment.
Self Assessment Summary
Directions: Starting with Strand 1 on your first
checklist, add up the total number of check
marks for each of the three columns: Yes-fully
addressed, Partly addressed, No-not addressed.
Enter the total number in the appropriate
column. If you have assessed programs for
additional grade levels, also complete a
summary for them using the same procedure.
Strand 1 — Questioning and Analysis Skills a guidelines)
Strand 2— Knowledge of Environmental
Processes and Systems
2.1— The Earth as a Physical System
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Grade 8
Total
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Grade 12
Total
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By examining the results of your self assessment you should be in a better position to
identify those guidelines that are fully addressed by your program(s) and those that are
not. Further, if you completed more than one of the checklists, you should have a clearer
idea of the strengths of your program across different grade levels. This assessment is
meant to be used as a diagnostic tool to help you gauge how far you have come in provid-
ing your students with a comprehensive environmental education program. Hopefully,
you are now in a better position to develop programs and/or partnerships that will help
you reach all of your environmental education goals.
30
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
-------
-------
-------
What does it mean to be environmentally literate? The
National Project for Excellence in Environmental Educa-
tion, initiated by the North American Association for ! .
Environmental Education (NAAEE) in 1993, is attempting
to answer that question. Environmental education is a
process that aims to develop an environmentally literate ,
-citizenry mat 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. _
The Rational
Project for
Excellence in
Environmental
Education
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 setof recommendations for developing
arid 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"(1-998).-,
6. Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for
Learning (K-12), guidancefor fostering, and gauging
, environmental literacy in kindergarten through twelfth
grade (1999)". " '"" -
7. Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for
Learning (K-12) Executive-Summary and Self Assessment
Tool (1999). -•••••
To order any of these materials contact: NAAEE Publications and Membership Office
410 Tarvin Road, Rock Spring,-GA 30739 USA;- (706) 764-2926 (phone) : ;,' ; ; •
(706) 764-2094 (fax) E-mail: csmith409 @aol.com • Web site: www.naaee.org
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