EE Resources -- Spring 2007

USGS’ Scientists in Action!
(resource for PLT’s PreK-8 Guide activity #34 “Who Works in this Forest?”)
This booklet engages students in thinking about and planning for careers in science. Photographs and text capture what it means to be a cartographer, a geologist, a biologist, an oceanographer, and many other types of scientists. View the booklet online at http://mac.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/scientists/index.html.

Smithsonian’s Satellite Imagery
(resource for the PreK-8 Guide’s activities #84 “The Global Climate” and #86 “Our Changing World” and PLT’s secondary module Places We Live activities: “Mapping Your Community Through Time”, “Green Space”, and “Far-Reaching Decisions”.)
This Smithsonian Institution website provides students (and teachers!) access to views of conditions and events on earth that are nearly impossible to document from the Earth’s surface. The site proves interactive; explaining how satellite imagery is gathered and used to better understand the world around us. Check it out at www.earthfromspace.si.edu.

Free “Easy Breathers” Video on Air Pollution
(support resource for the PreK-8 Guide’s activities #36 “Pollution Search”, #39 “Energy Sleuths”, and #85 “In the Driver’s Seat”.)
This video is a high school student produced video that investigates air pollution problems and teaches new teen drivers the importance of making wise, eco-friendly driving choices. It's a great springboard for science, driver's education, or environmental lessons. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is in the process of distributing as many as possible to the EE community at no charge. For single, multiple, or bulk orders, please contact Elisabeth Olson at Elisabeth.Olson@wisconsin.gov or (608) 264-9258.

Apprentice Ecologist Initiative ™
(an opportunity that could support a PLT GreenWorks! project, or the PreK-8 Guide’s activities #87 “Earth Manners”, #96 “Improve Your Place,” and #37 “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”)
The goal of the Apprentice Ecologist Initiative is to elevate young people (including disadvantaged and at-risk youth) into leadership roles by engaging them in environmental stewardship projects. A $500 scholarship will be awarded annually to the author of the top Apprentice Ecologist essay.
http://www.wildernessproject.org/volunteer_apprentice_ecologist

Students’ Guide to Composting
(resource for teachers doing outdoor gardening with their students)
Downloadable in pdf format, Composting in the Classroom: Scientific Inquiry for High School Students, by Nancy Trautmann and Marianne Krasny, is a comprehensive guide for teachers interested in guiding composting research projects by high school students. http://compost.css.cornell.edu/CIC.html

National Public Lands Day – September 29, 2007
National Public Lands Day (NPLD) provides an opportunity for volunteers across the nation to work together in improving our public lands. For more information on how you and your students can get involved, go to http://www.publiclandsday.org/.

EETAP Online Course – Scholarships Available
Applied EE Program Evaluation ~ Online
September 10 - December 7, 2007
11-week online course designed to assist environmental educators and natural resource professionals in evaluating their education programs.
Fundamentals of EE ~ Online
September 10 - November 23, 2007
11-week online course about the fundamentals of environmental education that provides educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to incorporate quality environmental education into their instruction.
Scholarships are now available to state and community EE leaders interested in enrolling in these EETAP online Environmental Education courses, offered through the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point in fall 2007. For scholarship applications, contact: Rainey Kreis rkreis@uwsp.edu. To register for a course, contact: Angela Lemar Angela.Lemar@uwsp.edu
http://www.uwsp.edu/natres/rwilke/eetap/

Focus on Adolescent English Language Learners
A recent article in ASCD’s Educational Leadership March 2007 edition, entitled “Focus on Adolescent English Language Learners”, discusses a new report: Double the Work: Challenges and Solutions to Acquiring Language and Academic Literacy for Adolescent English Language Learners. The report recommends several policy changes to improve instruction for 6^th-12^th grade ELLs. Addressing the needs of ELL students and teachers is important to PLT as seen in our PreK-8 Guide’s highlighted differentiated instruction strategies. This report provides additional support for educators interested in this topic.   The report was published in January 2007 by the Alliance for Excellent Education and is available online at www.all4ed.org/publications/DoubleWork/DoubleWork.pdf.