EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
GUIDELINES FOR LEARNING (K-12)
Executive Summary & Self-Assessment Tool
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The North American Association
for Environmental Education
The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) is a network
of professionals, students, and volunteers working in the field of environmental
education throughout North America and in over 55 countries around the world.
NAAEE combines the perspectives of the environmental and educational
communities, taking a cooperative, non-confrontational, scientifically balanced
approach to promoting life-long learning about environmental issues.
NAAEE members think about how people become literate concerning environmental
issues and believe education must go beyond consciousness-raising about these issues.
It must prepare people to think together about the difficult decisions they have to make
concerning environmental stewardship, and to work together to improve, and try to
solve, environmental problems.
NAAEE recognizes the need for a coherent body of information about environmental
issues. Its members also recognize that information and analysis are only part of an
effective education program. To be truly effective, this body of knowledge must be
integrated into all aspects of the curriculum and into all types of educating institutions
for the widest array of audiences.
In order to provide support for environmental education and its practitioners, NAAEE
offers a variety of professional products, events, and services. These include the
NAAEE Annual Conference, printed and electronic publications, Internet-based
resources, and representation among leading organizations within the educational and
environmental communities.
NAAEE
2000 P Street, NW - Suite 540
Washington, DC 20036
USA
Telephone: (202) 419-0412
Fax: (202)419-0415
Email: email@naaee.org
www.naaee.org
www.eelink.net
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EXCELLENCE IN
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION:
GUIDELINES FOR LEARNING
(K-12)
Executive Summary & Self-Assessment Tool
North American Association
for Environmental Education
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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.
Project for In
Bora Simmons, Director National Project for Excellence in
Environmental Education
Michele Archie, Writer The Harbinger Institute
Karen Hollweg, Writer & Designer, North American Association
Self Assessment Tool for Environmental Education
Acknowledgements
Excellence in Environmental, Education: Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary
and Self Assessment Tool was funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agen-
cy through the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP) under agree-
ment numbers EPA-NT902897-01 -1 and NT-83272501 -3.
Additional funding and support for this project have been received from Northern Illinois
University, University of Oregon, 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 com-
mercial 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
2000 P. Street, NW - Suite 540
Washington, DC 20036 USA
(202) 419-0412 (phone) • (202) 415-0415 (fax)
Web site: www.naaee.org « www.eelink.net
ISBN# 1-884008-77-1
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2004, 2010 by the North American Association for Environmen-
tal 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 Printed on
recycled paper
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In
for (K-12)
& Tool
of
Title Page Number
Introduction 1
Executive Summary 1
Overview 2
Strand 1 4
Strand! 6
2.1 6
2.2 6
2.3 8
2.4 10
Strand 3 12
3.1 12
3.2 14
Strand 4 16
Self Assessment Tool 19
Grades K-4 20
Grades 5-8 24
Grades 9-12 28
Pulling It All Together 32
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Introduction
Welcome! Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) (NAAEE,
2010) offers a vision of environmental education and promotes progress toward sustaining a
healthy environment and quality of life. The Guidelines provide Learners, 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 Learners 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 gaining a general understanding of the
Guidelines and how they can help you develop a comprehensive, cohesive environmental
education program.
The Executive Summary can be used as an easy reference to Excellence in Environmental
Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) (NAAEE 2010 ). 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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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.
Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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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
begin to develop skills in abstract thinking
and conintue to develop creative thinking
skills —and along with these, the ability to
understand the interplay of environmental
and human social systems in greater depth.
Environmental education can foster this
development by focusing on investigation of
local environmental systems, problems, and
issues. As learners become actively engaged
in deciding for themselves what is right and
wrong, educators can use environmental
problems to help learners explore their own
responsibilities and ethics.
Learners should be able to meet the guidelines
included in this section by the time they
graduate from high school.
By the end of twelfth grade, learners are
well on their way to environmental literacy.
They should possess the basic skills and
dispositions they need to understand and
act on environmental problems and issues
as responsible citizens—and to 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.
Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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1—
Questioning, Analysis
Interpretation
A) Questioning—Learners are able to
develop 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—
Learners understand the need to use reliable
information to answer their questions. They
are familiar with some basic factors to
consider in judging the merits of information.
E) Organizing information—Learners
are able to describe data and organize
information to search for relationships and
patterns concerning the environment and
environmental topics.
F) Working with models and simulations-
Learners understand that relationships,
patterns, and processes can be represented
by models.
G) Drawing conclusions and developing
explanations—Learners can develop simple
explanations that address their questions about
the environment.
Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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A) Questioning—Learners are able to
develop, focus, and explain questions that
help them learn about the environment and do
environmental investigations.
B) Designing investigations—Learners are
able to design environmental investigations to
answer particular questions—often their own
questions.
C) Collecting information—Learners are
able to locate and collect reliable information
about the environment or environmental topics
using a variety of methods and sources.
D) Evaluating accuracy reliability—
Learners 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) Drawing conclusions and developing
explanations—Learners are able to
synthesize their observations and findings
into coherent explanations.
A) Questioning—Learners are able to develop,
modify, clarify, and explain questions that
guide environmental investigations of various
types. They understand factors that influence
the questions they pose.
B) Designing investigations—Learners
know how to design investigations to answer
particular questions about the environment.
They are able to develop approaches for
investigating unfamiliar types of problems and
phenomena.
C) Collecting information—Learners are
able to locate and collect reliable information
for environmental investigations of many
types. They know how to use sophisticated
technology to collect information, including
computer programs that access, gather, store,
and display data.
D) Evaluating accuracy and reliability—
Learners can apply basic logic and reasoning
skills to evaluate completeness and reliability
in a variety of information sources.
E) Organizing Information—Learners are
able to organize and display information
in ways appropriate to different types of
environmental investigations and purposes.
F) Working with models and simulations—
Learners are able to create, use, and evaluate
models to understand environmental
phenomena.
G) Drawing conclusions and developing
explanations—Learners are able to use
evidence and logic in developing proposed
explanations that address their initial questions
and hypotheses.
Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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2^
Knowledge of Environmental
Processes
2.1—
The Earth as a Physical
2.2^
The Living Environment
A) Processes that shape the Earth—
Learners are able to identify changes and
differences in the physical environment.
B) Changes In matter—Learners are able to
identify basic characteristics of and changes in
matter.
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
communities—Learners understand basic
similarities and differences among a wide
variety of living organisms. They understand
the concept of habitat.
B) Heredity and evolution—Learners
understand that plants and animals have
different characteristics and that many of the
characteristics are inherited.
C) Systems 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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A) Processes that shape the Earth—
Learners have a basic understanding of most
of the physical processes that shape the
Earth. They are able to explore the origin of
differences in physical patterns.
B) Changes in matter—Learners understand
the properties of the substances that make up
objects or materials found in the environment.
C) Energy—Learners 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
communities—Learners understand that
biotic communities 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 connections—Learners
understand major kinds of interactions among
organisms or populations of organisms.
D) Flow of matter 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
characteristics of the Earth.
B) Changes in matter—Learners apply
their understanding of chemical reactions to
round out their explanations of environmental
characteristics and everyday phenomena.
C) Energy—Learners apply their knowledge
of energy and matter to understand
phenomena in the world around them.
A) Organisms, populations, and
communities—Learners understand basic
population dynamics and the importance of
diversity in living systems.
B) Heredity and evolution—Learners
understand the basic ideas and genetic
mechanisms behind biological evolution.
C) Systems 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
characteristics 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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2^
Knowledge of Environmental
Processes Systems
2.:
Humans Their
A) Individuals groups—Learners
understand 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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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 coniict—Learners
understand that human social 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
environmental quality.
D) Global connections—Learners are able
to analyze global, social, cultural, political,
economic, and environmental linkages.
E) Change and coniict—Learners
understand the functioning of public processes
for promoting and managing change and
conflict, and can analyze their effects on the
environment.
Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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2—
Knowledge of Environmental
Processes Systems
Environment 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
characteristics.
C) Resources—Learners understand the basic
concepts of resource and resource distribution.
D) Technology—Learners understand that
technology is an integral part of human
existence and culture.
E) Environmental issues—Learners are
familiar with some local environmental issues
and understand that people in other places
experience environmental issues as well.
10
Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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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.
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 experience
environmental issues similar to the ones they
are concerned about locally.
A) Human/environment Interactions—
Learners understand that humans are able to
alter the physical environment to meet their
needs and that there are limits to the ability
of the 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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Skills for Understanding Ad-
Environmental
3.1—
Skills for Analyzing Investigating
Environmental
A) Identifying and investigating issues—
Learners are able to identify and investigate
issues in their local environments and
communities.
B) Sorting out the consequences of
issues—As learners come to understand
that environmental and social phenomena
are linked, they are able to explore the
consequences of issues.
C) Identifying and evaluating alternative
solutions and courses of action—Learners
understand there are many approaches to
resolving issues.
D) Working with flexibility, creativity,
and openness—Learners understand the
importance of sharing ideas and hearing other
points of view.
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Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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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
environmental 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 iexibility, creativity,
openness—Learners are able to consider the
assumptions and interpretations that influence
the conclusions they and others draw about
environmental issues.
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 iexibility, 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.
Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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Skills for Understanding Ad-
Environmental
3.2^
Decision-Making
Citizenship Skills
A) Forming 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
participating in issues of their choosing
mostly close to home—Learners 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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A) Forming and evaluating personal
views—Learners are able to identify, justify,
and clarify their views on environmental
issues and alternative ways to address them.
B) Evaluating the need for citizen action—
Learners are able to evaluate whether
they believe action is needed in particular
situations, and decide whether they should be
involved.
C) Planning taking action—As learners
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.
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) Forming and evaluating personal
views—Learners 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, including possible
intended and unintended consequences of
actions.
Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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STRAND
Personal Civic Responsibility
A) Understanding societal values
principles—Learners can identify
fundamental principles of U.S. society and
explain their importance in the context of
environmental issues.
B) Recognizing citizens' rights and
responsibilities—Learners understand the
basic rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
C) Recognizing efficacy—Learners possess a
realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness
as citizens.
D) Accepting personal responsibility—
Learners understand that they have
responsibility for the effects of their actions.
16
Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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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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18 Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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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 Learners, but would like to know how we are doing and how-
far we have come. In other words, we want to assess the program elements we currently deliver,
see the degree to which they provide a comprehensive set of learning experiences, and determine
where the gaps are.
The following checklists were developed to enable educators to self-assess their environmental
education programs. School administrators, classroom teachers, and environmental educators in
other settings may use them to find out whether they are providing Learners 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 institutions.
We hope that you will use these checklists to identify the areas you feel you are fully addressing
and then will ask yourself:
Are there other places or teachers that provide these Learners
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 Learners 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 19
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In — for
Tool
PLEASE NOTE: For more detailed information about the guidelines briefly listed below,
see pages 11-28 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 Learners with learning
experiences so that by the time they finish 4th grade
they are able to. . .
Strand 1 — Questioning, Analysis and Interpretation Skills
A. Generate and develop questions that are appropriate for
initiating inquiry.
B. Design simple investigations.
C. Locate and collect information about the environment and
environmental topics from a variety of sources.
D. Understand the need to use reliable information; explain
some of the factors to consider in judging the merits of the
information they are using.
E. Describe data and organize information to show relationships
and patterns.
F. Work with models and simulations, using them to describe
relationships, patterns, and processes.
G. Describe their observations and develop simple explanations.
Strand 2 — Knowledge of Environmental Processes and
Systems
2.1 — The Earth as a Physical System
A. Identify and explain changes and differences in the physical
environment.
B. Identify and describe basic characteristics of and changes in
matter.
C. Describe the basic sources and uses of some different forms
of energy (light, heat, etc.).
^^
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Partly
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No - not
addressed
20
Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides K-4 Learners 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
interpreted differently by people with different cultural
backgrounds, at different times, or with other frames of reference.
C. Describe government and economic systems that 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. Understand how people are connected at many levels —
including the global level — by actions and common
responsibilities that concern the environment.
E. Recognize that change is a normal part of individual and
societal life and that conflict is rooted in different points of view.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
T3
•+-»
O
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides K-4 Learners with learning ex-
periences 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 perspectives;
hear and respect viewpoints that differ from their own.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
22
Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
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Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides K-4 Learners with learning ex-
periences 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-honie 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 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
23
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in Environmental Education-
Tool
-Guidelines for
PLEASE NOTE: For more detailed information about the guidelines briefly listed below,
see pages 29-48 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 Learners with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 8th
grade they are able to. . .
Strand 1 — Questioning, Analysis and Interpretation Skills
A. Develop, focus, and explain questions that help them learn
about the environment and do environmental investigations.
B. Design environmental investigations to answer particular
questions — often their own questions.
C. Locate and collect reliable information about the environment
or environmental topics using a variety of methods and sources.
D. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the information they
are using.
E. Classify and order data, and organize and display information
in ways that help analysis and interpretation.
F. Understand many of the uses and limitations of models.
G. Synthesize their observations and findings into coherent
explanations.
Strand 2 — Knowledge of Environmental Processes and
Systems
2.1 — The Earth as a Physical System
A. Understand the basics of most of the physical processes that
shape the Earth, and relate differences in physical patterns to their
causes.
B. Understand the properties of the substances that make up
objects or materials found in the environment.
C. Begin to grasp formal concepts related to energy by focusing
on energy transfer and transformations; and make connections
among phenomena such as light, heat, magnetism, electricity, and
the motion of objects.
Yes - 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 Learners with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 8th
grade they are able to...
co
CO
•+->
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 5th-8th Learners with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 8th
they are able to. . .
2.4 — Environment 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 characteristics
of various places, and explore differences in perceptions and
importance of places close to home and around the world.
C. Understand that uneven distribution of resources around the
world influences their use and perceived value.
D. Link the human ability to shape and control the environment
with our ability to create knowledge and develop new technologies.
E. Describe a range of environmental issues at scales that range
from local to national to global, and understand that people in
other places around the world experience environmental issues
similar to the ones they are concerned about locally.
Strand 3 — 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
environmental 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.
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Partly
addressed
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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 5th-8th grade Learners 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.
^? T3
r-H T3
#1
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
27
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Excellence In Environmental Education-
9th-12th Tool
-Guidelines for Learning
PL-EASE NOTE: For more detailed information about the guidelines briefly listed below,
see pages 50-70 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 Learners with
learning experiences so that by the time they inish 12th
they are able to. . .
Strand 1 — Questioning, Analysis and Interpretation Skills
A. Develop, modify, clarify, and explain questions that guide
environmental investigations of various types, and identify
factors that influence the questions they pose.
B. Design investigations to answer particular questions about
the environment — even developing approaches for investigating
unfamiliar types of problems and phenomena.
C. Locate and collect reliable information for environmental
investigations of many types. Know how to use sophisticated
technology to collect information, including computer programs
designed to address, gather, store, and display data.
D. Apply basic logic and reasoning skills to evaluate
completeness and reliability in a variety of information sources.
E. Organize and display information in ways appropriate to
different types of environmental investigations and purposes.
F. Create, use, and evaluate models to understand environmental
phenomena.
G. Use evidence and logic in developing proposed explanations
that address their initial questions and hypotheses.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
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 Learners with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 12th
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
environmental quality.
D. Analyze global social, cultural, political, economic, and
environmental linkages.
^•T3
-=4 S -a
»>* 03
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
29
-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 9th-12th grade Learners with
learning experiences so that by the time they inish 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
environment 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 — Skills for Analyzing and Investigating
Environmental Issues
A. Apply their research and analytical skills to investigate
environmental issues ranging from local issues to those that are
regional or global in scope.
B. Evaluate the consequences of specific environmental changes,
conditions, and issues for human and ecological systems.
C. Identify and propose action strategies that are likely to be
effective in particular situations and for particular purposes.
D. Engage each other in peer review conducted in the spirit of
open inquiry, knowing that environmental issues investigations can
bring to the surface deeply held views.
>^
3 8
^-M t/3
' £
R 'G
£-3
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-------
Check the appropriate column to indicate the degree to
which your program(s) address each item.
Our program provides 9th-12th grade Learners with
learning experiences so that by the time they finish 12th
grade they are able to. . .
3.2 — Decision-Making and Citizenship Skills
A. Communicate, evaluate, and justify their own views on
environmental issues and alternative ways to address them.
B. Decide whether action is needed in particular situations,
and whether they should be involved.
C. Plan for action based on their research and analysis of an
environmental issue. If appropriate, take actions that are within
the scope of their rights and consistent with their abilities and
responsibilities as citizens.
D. Evaluate the effects of their own actions and actions taken
by other individuals and groups.
Strand 4 — Personal and Civic Responsibility
A. Analyze the influence of shared and conflicting societal
values.
B. Understand the importance of exercising the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship.
C. Possess a realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness as
citizens.
D. Understand that their actions can have broad consequences
and accept responsibility for recognizing those effects and
changing their actions when necessary.
Yes - fully
addressed
Partly
addressed
No - not
addressed
Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines for Learning (K 12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
31
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Pulling It All Together
Now that you have completed the checklist(s) appropriate for your program(s), what do
you know? Take a few minutes to tally the results of your self assessment in the table
provided below. This should provide you with an overview of the results of your self
assessment.
Self Assessment Summary
Directions: Starting with Strand 1 on your first
checklist, add up the total number of check
marks for each of the three columns: Yes-fully
addressed, Partly addressed, No-not addressed.
Enter the total number in the appropriate
column. If you have assessed programs for
additional grade levels, also complete a
summary for them using the same procedure.
Strand 1 — Questioning and Analysis Skills (7 guidelines)
Strand 2 — Knowledge of Environmental
Processes and Systems
2.1 — The Earth as a Physical System (3 guidelines)
2.2 — The Living Environment (4 guidelines)
2.3 — Humans and Their Societies (5 guidelines)
2.4 — Environment and Society (5 guidelines)
Strand 3 — Analyzing, Investigating, and
Addressing Environmental Issues
3.1 — Skills for Analyzing and Investigating
Environmental Issues (4 guidelines)
3.2 — Decision-Making and Citizenship
Skills (4 guidelines)
Strand 4 — Personal and Civic Responsibility (4 guidelines)
Grade 4
Total
Yes - fully addressed
Partly addressed
No - not addressed
Grade 8
Total
Yes - fully addressed
Partly addressed
No - not addressed
Grade 12
Total
Yes - fully addressed
Partly addressed
No - not addressed
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
providing your Learners 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.
32
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self Assessment Lool
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THE FOR
IN
What it mean to be environmentally literate? The National Project for Excellence in
Environmental Education, initiated by the North American Association for Environmental Education
(NAAEE) in 1993, is attempting to answer that question. Environmental education is a process that
aims to develop an environmentally literate citizenry that can compete in our global economy; has
the skills, knowledge, and inclinations to make well-informed choices; and exercises the rights and
responsibilities of members of a community.
Publications
Publications created by the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education include:
« Environmental Education Guidelines for Excellence (4th edition, 2009). A set of
recommendations for developing and selecting environmental education materials.
• in Environmental Education: Guidelines for Learning (K-12) (4th edition, 2010). A
comprehensive framework for environmental education, demonstrating environmental education's
alignment with national academic standards.
• in Environmental for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary
& Tool (4th edition, 2010). An easy-to-use outline listing the guidelines and a
set of checklists for analyzing educational activities.
• for the Preparation Professional of Environmental
(3rd edition, 2010). A set of competencies for educators preparing to teach environmental
education in a variety of job settings.
• Nonformal Education Programs: for (2nd edition,
2009). A set of recommendations to be used in the development of comprehensive environmental
education programs or to trigger improvements in existing ones.
• Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for (2010).
A set of recommendations to be used in the development of comprehensive early childhood
environmental education programs or to trigger improvements in existing ones.
« Environmental Education Guidelines for Excellence Workbook - Bridging Theory
Practice (2000). Activities and examples to deepen your understanding of Environmental
Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence.
Hard copies of the Environmental Education Guidelines publications can be ordered from NAAEE at www.
naaee.org/publications guidelines-for-excellence.
Free copies may be downloaded from NAAEE's Web site at www.naaee.org/programs-and-initiatives/
guidelines-for-excellence.
« The Environmental Education Collection: A of for Educators, Volume 1
(1997, updated 2004).
• Tne Environmental Collection: A of for Volume 2
(1998, updated 2004).
« The Environmental Education Collection: A Review of for Educators, Volume 3
(1998, updated 2004).
The Environmental Education Collection is now available only online at www.naaee.org/publications/
guidelines-for-excellence.
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North American Association for Environmental Education
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