Teaching with i-Tree Family Activities

Posted on by Vanessa Bullwinkle

Project Learning Tree has published four new activities in its “Connecting Kids to Nature” series. These easy-to-do family activities help connect children and teens to the outdoors and nature in ways that are both fun and educational.

 

Teaching with i-Tree Family Activities

tree circumference family activity

The four new activities are based on PLT’s latest curriculum, Teaching with i-Tree, and are specifically designed to help families and youth learn together about the many ecosystem services that trees provide. The activities can be done in your own backyard, while exploring a local park, or walking in a forest. They also all include an indoor component as they incorporate the use of i-Tree Design software, a free, state-of-the-art online tool developed by the U.S. Forest Service and its partners.

  1. In the activity Name that Tree, for example, you’ll first use your smart phone to snap a picture of a leaf. Then, using a free mobile app, you can identify the tree species and from there do some further research to learn some of the common uses, products and benefits we get from that tree species.

2. As part of the activity What’s the Value of that Tree?, you’ll use the free online tool i-Tree MyTree to calculate the dollar value of an individual tree, or a set of trees. Find out how much carbon dioxide that tree in your backyard, for example, sequesters and what that’s worth; how much rainfall that tree intercepts to reduce flood risks from stormwater runoff; how much air pollution it absorbs; or the energy savings it provides.

3. Planting trees around your home can improve how it looks, plus trees provide important environmental benefits. In the activity What Tree Should I Plant?, you’ll use another free online tool i-Tree Species to determine what tree species is best suited to your location, and what tree is the best one to plant based on the benefits it provides that are most important to you and your family.

4. Did you know you can reduce heating and cooling costs by strategically planting trees around your home? In the activity Reduce Your Utility Costs with i-Tree, create a quick sketch of the perimeter of your home or building where you live and mark a few spots where you could plant trees. Then upload your sketch to i-Tree Design to determine where is the best place to plant a tree around your home for maximum energy savings.

 

Download PLT’s Family Activities

Individual activities are posted online and can be downloaded for free. Some activities work better for younger children, others are more suited for older children. The way you present them will change depending on your child’s knowledge and ability.

Teachers’ Choice Award-Winning Curriculum on Special Offer

Posted on by Vanessa Bullwinkle

2019-Teachers-Choice-Award-Energy-in-EcosystemsProject Learning Tree’s (PLT) Energy in Ecosystems curriculum for grades 3-5 has been selected a Learning® Magazine 2019 Teachers’ ChoiceSM Award (TCA) for the Classroom winner. Winners, including products from Scholastic and National Geographic, were selected by a nationwide panel of teacher-judges who review books, classroom supplies, educational games, software, websites, and supplemental materials that teachers need for their classroom. PLT is an initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

“The Energy in Ecosystems by Project Learning Tree is a fantastic online resource for students in grades 3-5,” said one teacher who evaluated the curriculum. “There are many things I love about it, but I would rank the following as my favorite parts: it’s all online, it is super engaging, targets the NGSS standards which are how my school’s science standards are aligned, and it also integrates the Common Core standards for English and Math.”

PLT’s Energy in Ecosystems e-unit consists of six activities for elementary students to investigate the ways in which organisms depend on each other to survive and thrive. Students focus on forests—one of the largest and most complex types of ecosystems—and come to understand ways that plants and animals are connected to each other.

For example, in Activity 1: The Forest of S.T. Shrew, students take a “shrew’s-eye-view” of life in the woods to gain an understanding of the variety of organisms that live in forests. In Activity 2: A Home for Many, students inventory the plants and animals that live in, on, and around trees and discover how trees meet their needs for survival. In Activity 3: Web of Life, students conduct research and simulate a food web. In Activity 6: Invasive Species, students learn about invasive species and what characteristics make them so challenging.

Teachers can purchase PLT’s Energy in Ecosystems e-unit and an accompanying online course for $40 from shop.plt.org. For a limited time, a special 25% discount is available over the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Starting Friday, November 23 through Monday, November 26 (ending at 11:59pm ET), educators can use the code EUNIT2018 at checkout to receive $10 off any PLT e-unit.

Educators can also receive the e-unit by participating in an in-person professional development workshop in their state. Approximately 1,200 workshops are held around the country every year that provide in-depth, tailored training to approximately 20,000 educators on how best to incorporate environmental education into their curriculum in their own setting and how to take their students outside to learn.

“Project Learning Tree provides high-quality standards-based education materials and professional development for educators, and it’s a true pleasure to be recognized as a top curriculum in the classroom,” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI. “We believe there is such richness and depth to learning when you use trees and forests as windows onto the world for teaching youth all kinds of subjects, from STEM to English language arts to social studies and much more.”

PLT’s hands-on and engaging activities help teach students how to think, not what to think about the environment and their place within it. The multi-disciplinary lessons are flexible, easy for teachers to incorporate into their existing curriculum and are designed to develop students’ critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

For 25 years, the Learning® magazine Teachers’ Choice Awards have heralded the very best in classroom-tested, teacher-recommended products. Each product is evaluated on its own merit and those that meet Learning Magazine’s teachers’ stringent standards are chosen to receive a Teachers’ Choice Award. For the 2019 TCA Classroom awards, 27 winners were chosen based on their scores from the evaluations done by a panel of teachers across the country.

This is the second time PLT has won a Teachers’ Choice Award. PLT’s Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood guide and CD was awarded a 2011 Teachers’ ChoiceSM Award for the Classroom.

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About Project Learning Tree®
Project Learning Tree helps develop students’ awareness, knowledge, and appreciation of the environment, builds their skills and ability to make informed decisions, and encourages them to take personal responsibility for sustaining the environment and our quality of life that depends on it. Since 1976, Project Learning Tree has trained 750,000 educators to help students learn how to think, not what to think about complex environmental issues. PLT is an initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Learn more at plt.org.

About the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.
SFI® Inc. is a sustainability leader that stands for future forests. We are an independent, non-profit organization that provides supply chain assurances, delivers conservation leadership, and supports environmental education and community engagement. SFI works with the forest sector, brand owners, conservation groups, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous peoples, governments, and universities. SFI standards and on-product labels help consumers make responsible purchasing decisions. Additionally, we oversee the SFI Forest Partners® Program, which aims to increase supply of certified forest products, the SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program, which funds research and community building, and Project Learning Tree®, which educates teachers and youth about forests and the environment. SFI Inc. is governed by an independent three-­chamber board of directors representing environmental, social, and economic sectors equally. SFI believes caring for forests improves everyone’s quality of life. Learn more at sfiprogram.org.

Media Contact
Vanessa Bullwinkle
Director, Communications & Marketing
Project Learning Tree
Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.
202-765-3726
vbullwinkle@plt.org

Top Marks! PLT’s Energy in Ecosystems Wins Teachers’ Choice Award

Posted on by Vanessa Bullwinkle

Project Learning Tree’s Energy in Ecosystems curriculum for grades 3-5 has been selected a Learning ® Magazine 2019 Teachers’ ChoiceSM Award for the Classroom winner! Project Learning Tree is an initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

For 25 years, the Learning® magazine Teachers’ Choice Awards have heralded the very best in classroom-tested, teacher-recommended products. Each year a nationwide panel of teacher-judges names the standouts in books, classroom supplies, educational games, software, websites, and supplemental materials that teachers need for their classroom. For the 2019 awards for the Classroom, 27 winners (including products from Scholastic and National Geographic, for example) were chosen based on their scores from the evaluations done by a panel of teachers across the country.

 

Teachers’ Evaluation Comments

Teachers who evaluated Energy in Ecosystems praised the unit.

“The Energy in Ecosystems by Project Learning Tree is a fantastic online resource for students in grades 3-5. There are many things I love about it, but I would rank the following as my favorite parts: it’s all online, it is super engaging, targets the NGSS standards which are how my school’s science standards are aligned, and it also integrates the Common Core standards for English and Math.”

Another reviewer said, “The information is extensive and is laid out so concisely and has so many activities to choose from. My students were totally engaged each time I used an activity from the unit. The book lists were great for integrating the activities into our literacy units and everything was adaptable!”

Another teacher who tested the unit with students said, “The students’ interests were really kept alive with this program, probably because it was mostly online! I also loved that there were hands-on activities as well, as I feel that science should always be hands-on!”

When asked how the product could be improved to better support their curriculum, the comments from the teacher-judges were unanimous. “I cannot think of a way to improve this product. I loved it as-is,” said one teacher.

After receiving top marks, PLT’s Energy in Ecosystems e-unit was awarded a 2019 Teachers’ Choice Award for the Classroom, earning the seal of approval for outstanding educational value.

 

Cover_PLT_eUnit_Energy_EcosystemsAbout Energy in Ecosystems for Grades 3-5

PLT’s Energy in Ecosystems e-unit investigates the ways in which organisms depend on each other to survive and thrive. Students focus on forests—one of the largest and most complex types of ecosystems—and come to understand some of the interactions present in all ecosystems. In doing so, they learn to appreciate the natural systems on which we depend and begin to widen their circle of compassion to include all of nature. Learn more.

 

About the Teachers’ Choice Awards

Here’s more information about the Teachers’ Choice awards from Learning magazine.

What is the history of the Teachers’ Choice Awards?

In 1994, Learning® magazine introduced the first Teachers’ Choice Awards program. Over the years, the program has grown to become one of the most recognized and prestigious awards in the educational market. For 25 years, the Learning® magazine Teachers’ ChoiceSM Award has spotlighted the very best in classroom-tested, teacher-recommended products.

How are the products evaluated?

A team of teachers evaluates each product in the classroom. The products are evaluated on quality, instructional value, ease of use, and innovation.

How are the winners selected?

Each product is evaluated on its own merit. Only those products that meet Learning Magazine’s teachers’ stringent standards are chosen to receive a Teachers’ Choice Award. 

 

This is the second time PLT has won a Teachers’ Choice Award. In 2010, PLT’s Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood guide and CD was awarded a 2011 Teachers’ ChoiceSM Award for the Classroom.

PLT is thrilled we made the grade as thousands of teachers trust the TCA seal of approval. CONGRATULATIONS to all!

 

Get PLT’s Energy in Ecosystems e-unit now!

Advice from Your True Nature

Posted on by Jackie Stallard

Your True Nature and Project Learning Tree are delighted to announce that we are teaming up to help further our organizations’ collective impact on environmental education! Our missions share fundamental values and principles, including growing a love of nature and fostering meaningful outdoor learning experiences.

You have probably seen Your True Nature’s popular Advice from Nature bookmarks, magnets, books, and posters at your local gift store or one of many national parks across the country, or you may be one of their 500+ teacher members who use their materials in your classroom. Your True Nature (YTN) has created over 200 Advice messages, providing inspiration to people across the globe! The Advice from Nature concept celebrates the wisdom of nature and invites everyone to connect with and learn from the living world around them.

 

PLT and Your True Nature Resources

Go to yourtruenature.com/plt to explore YTN’s Advice from Nature products as well as a variety of free resources, including lessons for specific topics and grade levels, correlations to PLT activities, and printable handouts for PLT workshop facilitators.

(Note: this site is hosted on Dropbox but you don’t need an account to access it. Simply click the “Open in Paper” button.)

Special Offer

To celebrate our partnership, YTN is offering a 30% discount on all Advice items through the end of August for members of the PLT community.

Plus, an additional 10% of all purchases will be donated to PLT.

After exploring the products and resources, if you’d like to purchase an Advice item:

 

To repay the earth for its generosity, all YTN products use recycled paper and are 100% replanted with nearly 120,000 trees that have already taken root! Your PLT orders can make a difference in many ways. YTN will plant additional trees for each PLT order over $30 and report back each year how many trees will be planted from PLT orders!

Through our partnership, YTN and PLT will promote environmental education, increasing awareness and conservation of the beautiful world that is in our care. We hope you’ll find something special to share the love of nature with your community and take some Advice from a Sunflower: Spread Seeds of Happiness!

Video: PLT Takes Teaching Outdoors

Posted on by Vanessa Bullwinkle

student-field-trip-tree-farmThanks to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, PLT has produced two new promotional videos to illustrate how PLT teaches youth about forests and the environment through hands-on, inter-disciplinary learning experiences that are correlated to classroom standards and get children outside.

Teachers, kindergartners and 5th graders share their experiences learning about trees and forestry using PLT activities like Every Tree for Itself, Tree Cookies, Renewable or Not, and Web of Life while on a field trip to Gully Branch tree farm in Georgia.

Watch these two videos:

Highlights from PLT’s 32nd International Coordinators’ Conference

Posted on by Vanessa Bullwinkle

The 2018 Project Learning Tree International Coordinators’ Conference was held June 4-7 in Cody, Wyoming. Now in its 32nd year, our annual conference provides professional development, networking, and information about new initiatives to PLT’s partners who deliver high quality environmental education programming to educators across the country and internationally, too.

A New Home with SFI Brings Opportunities for Growth

In July 2017, PLT joined forces with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative as its new home. This conference provided PLT Coordinators and leaders from across the United States, Japan, and Mexico with the chance to get to know the people and programs of SFI.

“PLT’s future is bright,” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, who participated throughout the event. “SFI is sincere in our efforts to help make PLT the best it can be. The PLT network is an impressive, diverse and dynamic group of individuals who do amazing work. Their passion for environmental education and inspiring the next generation is evident. It was thrilling to witness the great excitement we share for building on PLT’s strong foundation and exploring numerous opportunities for growth.”

Conference participants reflected on the many ways that PLT helps them to meet their personal, professional, and organizational goals. Ultimately, the network is committed to educating the next generation to be well-informed stewards for our forests and other natural resources.

Some of the opportunities identified for growing the reach of PLT were:

  • getting more kids outdoors
  • reaching more college students studying to become educators
  • creating more pathways to green jobs
  • ensuring our programs meet the needs of diverse audiences
  • enhancing society’s health and wellbeing through access to nature.

 

“This conference marked a significant milestone,” said Esther Cowles, Senior Director of Education Programs for PLT and SFI. “PLT’s new home with SFI is already opening a lot of doors and we are excited to see new state and national partnerships and sponsors. I think people across our network feel confident in our new beginning and see SFI as a land of opportunities for PLT”

 

“Thank You” to Our Conference Sponsors

The quality of PLT’s conference is enriched by the generous support of several sponsors.

The Arbor Day Foundation (ADF) is a new national PLT partner who sponsored our opening reception. ADF Program Director Michelle Scribner presented a session about ADF’s new recognition program for K-12 school students to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.

Your True Nature (YTN) provided us all a Yellowstone Nature Journal and gift packet full of co-branded “Advice” products that are also widely available to all PLT educators with a 30% discount. Go to www.yourtruenature.com/plt and enter the code EDUCATOR-PLTDIS. Thank you to founder Ilan Shamir and Melody Dawn for joining us at the conference.

Neiman Enterprises, a South Dakota/Wyoming integrated business and SFI Program Participant, provided the wood for PLT-engraved trivets and they sponsored carbon emission offsets through the Conservation Fund’s North Coast Forest Initiative.

Hancock Natural Resource Group, another SFI Program Participant, sponsored the session “Connecting with SFI’s Network” and we welcomed Heather Druffel, Hancock’s Education and Outreach Forester from Washington State.

ee360 is an ambitious five-year strategy to bring innovative leaders in the environmental education field together through leadership clinics, webinars, online modules, professional development workshops, and conferences like PLT’s. Funded by the US EPA and managed by our long-time friends at the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), we were pleased to have Operations and Program manager, Drew Price, representing NAAEE.

The Albert I. Pierce Foundation is also a long-time friend and supporter of PLT. Under the leadership of Deb Thrall, we are grateful for their years of support for this conference, and for funding an outdoor classroom this year at Sundance Elementary School in Wyoming. As part of this project, conference attendees were invited to create their own state’s “brand” that we burned onto an Aldo Leopold bench for the school’s outdoor classroom.

 

In addition to these sponsors, WY PLT received additional support for hosting the conference:

  • Laramie County Conservation District
  • Northern Rockies Tree School
  • Wyoming State Forestry Division
  • Wyoming/Colorado chapter of the Society of American Foresters

 

More Highlights from the PLT Conference

Seventeen Concurrent and ten Show and Tell sessions provided opportunities for members of the PLT network to learn from each other to enhance their state programs.

Here are just a few highlights:

  • Several states and Mexico shared how they have created supplemental guides to PLT activities that focus on their unique, local environment.
  • Texas PLT explained Phenomena Based Learning, a new science education method that has rich opportunities for teachers to incorporate inquiry and STEM into their lesson planning.
  • A session on state forest literacy plans provided ideas for incorporating teaching about forests into classroom programs.
  • Opportunities were identified for building connections among the PLT network, SFI Program Participants, and SFI Implementation Committees, including grants to support community partnerships and engagement.
  • A preconference session introduced the ADDIE instructional design model as an effective tool in planning and implementing professional development programs.

 

Getting to Know Wyoming

Our keynote speakers provided a warm Wyoming welcome. State Forester Bill Crapser and Kristie Salzmann, Shoshone National Forest Public Affairs Officer, shared the challenges and rewards of managing forest land for multiple uses.

Guest speaker Dan Thompson, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, shared some amazing slides and video that showed the expansion of grizzly bears and mountain lions in and around Yellowstone. He stressed the importance of public education to manage wildlife in harmony with human populations.

An amazing full-day visit into Yellowstone National Park included sightings of grizzly bears, bison, elk, and deer; time to witness Old Faithful, other geysers, and hot springs; and a chance to enjoy Yellowstone Lake that’s been shaped by lava flows within the caldera. A knowledgeable interpretative guide deepened our understanding of the natural history of this first national park.

Dinner and the Triple C Cowboys Band at the Cody Cattle Company—with a special PLT-only encore!

 

Awards and Recognition

Always a highlight at our conference, we were honored to recognize the following individuals and organizations this year:

Leaders in Education — PLT’s new Leadership in Education Award is designed to recognize individuals and partners who have made significant contributions to support PLT programs and initiatives at the state-level. This year’s winners are Robin Will (Supervisory Ranger, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, St. Marks, FL), Holly McKenzie (Consulting Forester, Montana Women in Timber, Columbia Falls, MT), Jason Vlcan (Visitor Information Specialist, National Historic Trails Interpretative Center, Casper, WY), Nancy Loewenstein (Extension Specialist, Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn, AL), and The Ross Foundation (Arkadelphia, AR). Read more.

Gold Stars — Since 1995, National PLT has presented Gold Stars to outstanding PLT Coordinators for their years of exemplary service. We are an immeasurably better organization because of their extraordinary personal and professional qualities, commitment and dedication to PLT, energy and expertise. This year, Gold Stars were awarded to (pictured from left to right) Betsy Ukeritis (Inter-Regional Environmental Educator with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation) and Misty Bowie (Environmental Education Director at the Texas Forestry Association).

 

Last But Not Least, A Big ‘Thank You!’ To Wyoming PLT

We especially want to extend our gratitude to the Wyoming PLT team for their wonderful job and hard work in helping to organize a truly outstanding PLT conference. From their warmth and hospitality, to pride in their state, to the beautiful table decorations, painted rocks, and fun outdoor activities at the Hospitality Suite, they sure did show us a great time!

For more photos, see our photo album on PLT’s Facebook page.

PLT’s Leadership in Education Award

Posted on by Vanessa Bullwinkle
Three award winners standing with their certificate
Leadership in Education Awards recipients Holly McKenzie (Montana), Robin Will (Florida), Jason Vlcan (Wyoming) at the PLT 2018 Conference

We’ve recognized outstanding educators at PLT’s annual conference for more than 20 years. We are still doing that now, but with a twist.

We now call these awards “Leadership in Education,” a small but significant variation on the previous title of “outstanding educator.” The award criteria used to limit eligibility to formal and nonformal educators.

The broader focus recognizes all that goes into sustaining and growing the truly amazing PLT network.

PLT’s new Leadership in Education Award honors individuals and partners who have made significant contributions to support PLT programs and initiatives at the state-level.

Nominated by their PLT State Coordinator, recipients could be:

  • Formal or nonformal educators who use PLT to teach all kinds of subjects through environmental education and take students outdoors to learn
  • Workshop facilitators who help educators learn about PLT and deliver PLT’s professional development to diverse audiences
  • Steering committee members who have dedicated their time to shaping their state’s PLT program or raising funds
  • Community supporters who have championed PLT programs and initiatives

“A lot of committed people and organizations are involved in great PLT state programs, working as a team with a common purpose,” said Esther Cowles, Senior Director of Education Programs. “The Leadership in Education winners represent an amazing array of contributions to our vibrant PLT network.”

The awards were presented on June 5 during PLT’s 32nd International Coordinators’ Conference, in Cody, WY. Please join us in congratulating our 2018 winners!

 

NNancy-Loewensteinancy Loewenstein, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist
Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Auburn, Alabama

Nancy promotes environmental education as a teacher, facilitator, and leader through the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Alabama PLT Steering Committee, and Alabama Invasive Plant Council, among others. She plans and conducts PLT workshops for students, landowners, 4-H volunteers, and others throughout the state. By helping to host Alabama PLT’s summer teacher institute at Auburn, she raised the institute’s credibility and exposed K-12 teachers to new career options for their students.

 

The Ross Foundation LogoThe Ross Foundation
Arkadelphia, Arkansas

The Ross Foundation manages 60,000 acres of timberland in Arkansas. The Foundation supports forest conservation and environmental education and for the past 18 years, it has provided funding to the Arkansas Forestry Association Education Foundation. This has allowed Arkansas PLT to provide forestry and environmental education programs to 30,000 students, training in PLT’s curriculum to 14,000 educators, and information about sustainable forestry management practices to 12,000 forest landowners and managers.

 

Robin WillRobin Will
Supervisory Ranger
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
St. Marks, Florida

Robin has been a Florida PLT leader since 1989, helping form its initial steering committee and serving in many other roles since then. She coordinates the PLT Schools program in Wakulla County, in which all public preschools and elementary schools involve their students in hands-on environmental education. She has facilitated more than 130 workshops for educators, who then teach environmental education to students of all ages. She has also mentored countless facilitators who go on to conduct their own PLT workshops.

 

Holly McKenzieHolly McKenzie
Consulting Forester
Montana Women in Timber
Columbia Falls, Montana

As a consulting forester who usually works with landowners, Holly recognizes the importance of environmental education for people of all ages and backgrounds. She has spent more than a decade revitalizing and leading PLT in Montana and now chairs the Montana PLT Steering Committee. She conducts hands-on PLT workshops for educators, especially in the Flathead area, with a special talent in reaching out to participants and mentoring others to conduct workshops of their own.

 

Jason VlcanJason Vlcan
Visitor Information Specialist
National Historic Trails Interpretative Center Casper, Wyoming

Jason has a keen interest in natural history and helped create Exploring Wyoming’s Natural Environments, a state-specific supplemental guide to many of PLT’s hands-on activities. In his 13 years at the Trails Center, Jason has established connections with a wide range of individuals and organizations, especially educators throughout the state. Each year, more than 30,000 visitors learn about Native Americans’ rich heritage and the history of the pioneers in the West through his hands-on history and nature experiences. He is adept at introducing students to the outdoors, including an annual, overnight program with at-risk high school students.

 

Meet Our Teachers

Since 1994, Project Learning Tree has recognized more than 300 outstanding educators from around the country. Most are certified PLT workshop facilitators who volunteer countless hours to lead workshops and teach others how to incorporate environmental education into their curriculum and other programming. Meet PLT’s outstanding educators in your state.

PLT GreenSchools Honored as 2018 Green Ribbon Schools

Posted on by Vanessa Bullwinkle

Six PLT GreenSchools, one school district, and one institution of higher education are among the 46 schools, 6 school districts, and 6 institutions of higher learning recognized this year as U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS).

The awards acknowledge the innovative efforts of students, teachers, and school administrators across the country who are working to improve the sustainability, health, and safety of school facilities; ensure nutrition and fitness practices for a lifetime of wellness and productivity; and engage students in real-world learning. With the 2018 cohort, ED has now honored some 385 schools, 62 districts, and 40 postsecondary institutions.

PLT GreenSchools Honored as 2018 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools

Alabama

  • Woodland Forest Elementary School, Tuscaloosa, AL

California

  • Jack London Community Day School, Valley Glen, CA

Georgia

  • Saddle Ridge Elementary Middle School, Rock Springs, GA
  • Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA

Kentucky

  • Meadowthorpe Elementary School, Lexington, KY

Massachusetts

  • Arlington Public School District, Arlington, MA

Minnesota

  • River’s Edge Academy School, St. Paul, MN

Missouri

  • St. Louis University High School, St. Louis, MO

 

Three Highlights

students-plant-spring-color-bowlsJack London Community Day School, Valley Glen, CA

JLCDS is a small high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the largest school district in California. At JLCDS, sustainability is not only about the environment, it’s also about empowering students to redirect their lives and learn to become positive agents of change through an ethic of environmental citizenship. Jack London practices sustainable, urban horticulture. Much of the effort involves container gardening on asphalt, including 30 raised beds designed and built by students, two asphalt cuts, 47 fruit trees, and numerous pots. Vegetables, herbs, berries and fruits are grown organically and the garden literally bursts through the fences.

boat-recycled-bottlesGeorgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA

Georgia Southern is the state’s largest and most comprehensive center of higher education south of Atlanta. The university has made the principles of sustainability fundamental to every aspect, for example, preparing students to develop the solutions for a healthy and sustainable society and making sustainability a core value in operations and planning. The university was named one of the top green universities for the sixth consecutive year by the Princeton Review and also was given awards of excellence for work in creating a pedestrian-friendly campus to reduce carbon footprint and encourage healthy habits.

students-snowshoeing-MinnesotaRiver’s Edge Academy School, St. Paul, MN

River’s Edge Academy (REA) is a small environmental charter high school in the Westside neighborhood of St. Paul, Minn. Fifty percent of REA’s 80 students receive free or reduced-price lunch and the school’s outdoor classroom includes a vegetable garden and chicken coop. REA demonstrates conscientious use of the facility and ongoing reductions in resource use, as well as unique courses that incorporate environmental learning, the outdoors, and integrated health curriculum. The school is conveniently located across the street from the Mississippi River and Harriet Island Park where students make use of the outdoors as an educational and recreational resource.

 

Congratulations to all U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees!

A report with highlights on all 58 awardees for 2018 can be found here.

Summer Institutes for Teachers

Posted on by Vanessa Bullwinkle

Are you interested in touring your state’s forests and wood product mills?  Do you want to learn more about sustainable forestry and how to connect what you learn in the field to the classroom? This summer, immerse yourself in a multi-day teachers’ tour that includes training in curriculum materials with links to all the current academic standards.

Forestry Institutes and Teacher Tours

Across the country during the summer months of June, July, and August, teachers have an opportunity to tour their state’s forests, meet foresters, and learn about forest management practices, as well as how to connect what they learn in the field to the classroom. These multi-day teachers’ tours and week-long forestry institutes immerse educators in the social, economic, and ecological aspects of sustainable forestry.

Teachers who attend these institutes receive environmental education training on how to use forests to teach across many subject areas, along with Project Learning Tree’s lesson plans and resources to use in their classroom. The lessons are correlated with your state’s academic subject area standards.

What to Expect

The goal of these tours is to provide K-12 teachers with knowledge, skills, and tools to effectively teach your students about forest ecology and forest management. They provide balanced, science-based education and an understanding of how decisions are made about forests and their natural resources upon which we depend.

Here’s what you can expect.

  • You’ll spend a lot of time in the woods, meeting and learning from natural resource professionals in the field and seeing first-hand the work they conduct on a daily basis.
  • You’ll examine forest practices and learn about working forests and the forest industry.
  • You’ll discover the impact forests have on your state’s environment, economy, and quality of life.
  • You’ll engage in discussions about forest issues with natural resource professionals, community members, and other educators.
  • You’ll have time for lesson planning to help you prepare for back to school along with ways to engage your students in critical thinking by exploring the complex issues involved in managing the natural resources on both public and private forestlands.

Some of these tours are free (including all meals, transportation and lodging) thanks to sponsors in each state who cover the costs. Some states charge a nominal fee, around $200. Participation is limited, usually between 25 to 35 participants and staff.

Both formal and non-formal educators may apply for a tour, although preference is sometimes given to full-time classroom teachers. In most cases, teachers can earn continuing education credits, college credits, or professional development credits from your school district.

Learn more about these forestry institutes and teacher tours and find a summer professional development program in your state.

PLT Publishes New Curriculum, Teaching with i-Tree

Posted on by Vanessa Bullwinkle

PLT Teaching with i-Tree coverProject Learning Tree has published a new set of activities designed to engage middle and high school students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) as they calculate the economic and environmental benefits of trees. Students input data they collect into a free online tool that calculates the dollar value of the benefits provided by a tree, or a set of trees.

Produced in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), three easy-to-do, hands-on lessons accompany i-Tree Design, a suite of free online tools developed by USFS and its partners, to help students discover and analyze the many ecosystem services that trees provide.

The activities can be used in formal classroom settings or with nonformal groups, such as scouts and students enrolled in afterschool programs.

Download PLT’s Teaching with i-Tree unit.

 

 

What Will Students Do?

Students apply STEM skills as they:

  • Identify trees using free apps and online tree guides;
  • Measure and assess the health of trees;
  • Calculate the dollar value of tree benefits using i-Tree Design software;
  • Analyze and interpret their findings;
  • Virtually plant trees and calculate energy savings; and
  • Evaluate competing design solutions to a complex real-world problem.

Students apply English Language Arts skills as they:

  • Create engaging “Ecosystem Services Guides,” and
  • Develop and give informative scientific presentations on their findings.

 

How Does i-Tree Design Work?

Select a tree.

Visit https://design.itreetools.org/

Input your location and the tree species, circumference, and condition.

You’ll get reports and a dollar value for the benefits the tree provides, such as:

  • Reducing greenhouse gas
  • Improving air quality
  • Intercepting stormwater

 

Teaching with i-Tree Lessons

High school students at George C. Marshall high school in Falls Church, Virginia pilot test PLT’s Teaching with i-Tree activities.
High school students at George C. Marshall high school in Falls Church, Virginia pilot test PLT’s Teaching with i-Tree activities.

PLT’s Teaching with i-Tree unit contains three hands-on and fun activities that teachers can use in conjunction with i-Tree Design to stimulate students’ critical thinking and problem solving. As with all PLT activities, they are designed to move the student from awareness and knowledge to challenge and action.

The activities provide a structured alignment to Next Generation Science Standards and the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

In Activity 1, Tree Benefits and Identification, students identify trees using free apps and online tree guides. They discover the products we obtain from trees, how we depend on trees in our daily lives, and the value that trees provide to their community and the environment.

In Activity 2, Tree Value, students identify, measure, and assess the health of trees. They calculate the dollar value and ecosystem services of the trees using the i-Tree Design software and create an Ecosystem Services Guide for their study site. They generate a tree improvement action plan and, if feasible, implement part or all of it.

In Activity 3, Land Manager Role Play, students are challenged to apply what they’ve learned as they role-play being land managers. They gain skills in communicating and presenting scientific information. They also learn about a variety of forest-related careers.

The lessons include:

  • Video tutorials
  • Student worksheets

 

Teachers who have used these activities have provided positive feedback. “Very cool program,” said Jane Houseal with the Arkansas Master Naturalists.

“This is something we can actually use with real-world application,” said Patti Farris, a science teacher at Ramsey Jr. High in Ft. Smith, Arkansas.

Help us spread the word with this flyer!

Download PLT’s Teaching with i-Tree unit.