Washington, D.C. – Project Learning Tree® (PLT), the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation, has developed new supplementary education materials for grade 9-12 students to develop their sense of place and provide opportunities for community investigations that focus on environmental, social, and economic issues.  Educators can obtain a copy of PLT’s Exploring Environmental Issues: Places We Live module by attending a professional development workshop in their area.
 
All communities—urban, suburban, small town, rural—are experiencing growth and change.  In 1970, the U.S. population was approximately 205 million; today it is approaching 300 million; and by 2040, it is expected to reach 391 million.  Change is inevitable, and how a community chooses to develop can profoundly impact community character, environmental quality, public health, sense of place, and quality of life.

PLT’s new secondary module Exploring Environmental Issues: Places We Live connects students to the places they live so they will care about and influence the decisions being made about those places.  Eight inquiry-based activities get students exploring their own neighborhoods, learning about their community’s development and appearance through time, and involved in local community action projects.  For example, in the activity “Mapping Your Community Through Time” students use GIS data and aerial photographs of their community from past and present to analyze the changes in their community.

“Problem-solving exercises give students an awareness of the environmental, social, and economic impacts of decisions connected to community growth and change,” said Al Stenstrup, Director of Curriculum for Project Learning Tree.  “The process of investigation used in each activity cultivates students’ critical thinking skills and prepares these future decision-makers to be active participants in shaping their community.”

Places We Live is an interdisciplinary, supplemental curriculum designed for formal and non-formal educators working with students in grades 9-12, but can be easily adapted for adult or middle school audiences.  The activities address concepts in social studies, geography, civics, language arts, health, and science.  Activities are correlated to national and state education standards in social studies and science.

The activities and resources in the module were developed over several years by teams of educators, technical experts, and resource management professionals lead by an advisory group.  The materials were pilot-tested by high school teachers in classrooms across the country.  Support for the module was provided by the American Planning Association, The Dunn Foundation, Ford Foundation, National Park Service, Urban Land Institute, and USDA Forest Service.

“Places We Live challenges students to look at their communities critically and creatively and develop an understanding of how development decisions shape a community’s visual character and sense of place,” said Sandra Ryack-Bell, Director of Education, The Dunn Foundation.

Comprehensive background information for educators provides an overview of the topics covered and helps teachers lead the activities.  Each activity includes more in-depth information on specific topics, case studies, resources, instruction for conducting community investigations, and technology enhancements to enrich the lessons.  Additional resources and case studies are available from searchable online databases available at PLT’s website www.plt.org. 

Educators can obtain a copy of PLT’s Places We Live module by attending a professional development workshop.  More than 2,000 low-cost or free PLT workshops are held every year in communities across the country.  These workshops are tailored to train educators to use PLT effectively with their students, to facilitate local investigations, and to promote community service-learning projects.

Recognized for 30 years as a leader in environmental education, PLT teaches students how to think, not what to think about our environment.  PLT enhances critical thinking, problem solving, and effective decision-making skills, and teaches individuals to weigh various sides of an environmental issue to make informed and responsible decisions. 

For more information about Exploring Environmental Issues: Places We Live visit http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/21_21_15.html. To receive PLT educational materials by participating in a professional development workshop, visit http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/21_20_8.html.

Project Learning Tree (PLT) is the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation. PLT uses the forest as a “window on the world” to increase students’ understanding of our complex environment and to help students learn the skills they need to make sound choices about the environment.  Developed in 1976, PLT has an international network of more than 500,000 trained educators using seven curricula covering the total environment.  The American Forest Foundation, a nonprofit organization, works for healthy forests, quality environmental education, and informed decision-making about our communities and our world.