by editor | Sep 7, 2025 | Critical Thinking, Environmental Literacy, Experiential Learning, Integrating EE in the Curriculum, K-12 Activities, Language Arts, Learning Theory
by Jim McDonald
The demands on classroom teachers to address a variety of different subjects during the day means that some things just get left out of the curriculum. Many schools have adopted an instructional approach with supports for students that teach reading and math, with the addition of interventions to teach literacy and numeracy skills which take up more time in the instructional schedule. In some of the schools that I work with there is an additional 30 minutes a day for reading intervention plus 30 more minutes for math intervention. So, we are left with the question, how do I fit time for science or environmental education into my busy teaching schedule?
In a recent STEM Teaching tools brief on integration of science at the elementary level, it was put this way:
We do not live in disciplinary silos so why do we ask children to learn in that manner? All science learning is a cultural accomplishment and can provide the relevance or phenomena that connects to student interests and identities. This often intersects with multiple content areas. Young children are naturally curious and come to school ready to learn science. Leading with science leverages students’ natural curiosity and builds strong knowledge-bases in other content areas. Science has taken a backseat to ELA and mathematics for more than twenty years. Integration among the content areas assures that science is given priority in the elementary educational experience (STEM Teaching Tool No. 62).
Why does this matter? Educators at all levels should be aware of educational standards across subjects and be able to make meaningful connections across the content disciplines in their teaching. Building administrators look for elementary teachers to address content standards in math, science, social studies, literacy/English Language arts at a minimum plus possibly physical education, art, and music. What follows are some things that elementary teachers should consider when attempting integration of science and environmental education with other subjects.
Things to Consider for Integration
The integration of science and environmental education concepts with other subjects must be meaningful to students and connect in obvious ways to other content areas. The world is interdisciplinary while the experience for students and teachers is often disciplinary. Learning takes place both inside and outside of school. Investigations that take place outside of school are driven by people’s curiosity and play and often cut across disciplinary subjects. However, learning in school is often fragmented into different subject matter silos.
Math and reading instruction dominate the daily teaching schedule for a teacher because that is what is evaluated on standardized tests. However, subjects other than ELA and math should be kept in mind when considering integration. Social studies and the arts provide some excellent opportunities for the integration of science with other content areas. In the NGSS, the use of crosscutting concepts support students in making sense of phenomena across science disciplines and can be used to prompt student thinking. They can serve as a vehicle for teachers to see connections to the rest of their curriculum, particularly English/Language Arts and math. Crosscutting concepts are essential tools for teaching and learning science because students can understand the natural world by using crosscutting concepts to make sense of phenomena across the science disciplines. As students move from one core idea to another core idea within a class or across grade-levels, they can continually utilize the crosscutting concepts as consistent cognitive constructs for engaging in sense-making when presented with novel, natural phenomena. Natural phenomena are observable events that occur in the universe and we can use our science knowledge to explain or predict phenomena (i.e., water condensing on a glass, strong winds preceding a rainstorm, a copper penny turning green, snakes shedding their skin) (Achieve, 2016).
Reading
Generally, when I hear about science and literacy, it involves helping students comprehend their science textbook or other science reading. It is a series of strategies from the field of literacy that educators can apply in a science context. For example, teachers could ask students to do a “close reading” of a text, pulling out specific vocabulary, key ideas, and answers to text-based questions. Or, a teacher might pre-teach vocabulary, and have students write the words in sentences and draw pictures illustrating those words. Perhaps students provide one another feedback on the effectiveness of a presentation. Did you speak clearly and emphasize a few main points? Did you have good eye contact? Generally, these strategies are useful, but they’re not science specific. They could be applied to any disciplinary context. These types of strategies are often mislabeled as “disciplinary literacy.” I would advocate they are not. Disciplinary literacy is not just a new name for reading in a content area.
Scientists have a unique way of working with text and communicating ideas. They read an article or watch a video with a particular lens and a particular way of thinking about the material. Engaging with disciplinary literacy in science means approaching or creating a text with that lens. Notably, the text is not just a book. The Wisconsin DPI defines text as any communication, spoken, written, or visual, involving language. Reading like a scientist is different from having strategies to comprehend a complex text, and the texts involved have unique characteristics. Further, if students themselves are writing like scientists, their own texts can become the scientific texts that they collaboratively interact with and revise over time. In sum, disciplinary literacy in science is the confluence of science content knowledge, experience, and skills, merged with the ability to read, write, listen, and speak, in order to effectively communicate about scientific phenomena.
As a disciplinary literacy task in a classroom, students might be asked to write an effective lab report or decipher the appropriateness of a methodology explained in a scientific article. They might listen to audio clips, describing with evidence how one bird’s “song” differs throughout a day. Or, they could present a brief description of an investigation they are conducting in order to receive feedback from peers.
Social Studies
You can find time to teach science and environmental education and integrate it with social studies by following a few key ideas. You can teach science and social studies instead of doing writer’s workshop, choose science and social studies books for guided reading groups, and make science and social studies texts available in your classroom library.
Teach Science/Social Studies in Lieu of Writer’s Workshop: You will only need to do this one, maybe two days each week. Like most teachers, I experienced the problem of not having time to “do it all” during my first year in the classroom. My literacy coach at the time said that writer’s workshop only needs to be done three times each week, and you can conduct science or social studies lessons during that block one or two times a week. This was eye-opening, and I have followed this guidance ever since. My current principal also encouraged teachers to do science and social studies “labs” once a week during writing time! Being able to teach science or social studies during writing essentially opens up one or two additional hours each week to teach content! It is also a perfect time to do those activities that definitely take longer than 30 minutes: science experiments, research, engagement in group projects, and so forth. Although it is not the “official” writers workshop writing process, there is still significant writing involved. Science writing includes recording observations and data, writing steps to a procedure/experiment, and writing conclusions and any new information learned. “Social studies writing” includes taking research notes, writing reports, or writing new information learned in a social studies notebook. Students will absolutely still be writing every day.
Choose Science and Social Studies Texts for Guided Reading Groups: This suggestion is a great opportunity to creatively incorporate science and social studies in your weekly schedule. When planning and implementing guided reading groups, strategically pick science and social studies texts that align to your current unit of study throughout the school year. During this time, students in your guided reading groups can have yet another opportunity to absorb content while practicing reading strategies.
Make Science and Social Studies Texts Available and Accessible in Your Classroom Library: During each unit, select texts and have “thematic unit” book bins accessible to your students in a way that is best suited for your classroom setup. Display them in a special place your students know to visit when looking for books to read. When kids “book-shop” and choose their just-right books for independent reading, encourage them to pick one or two books from the “thematic unit” bin. They can read these books during independent reading time and be exposed to science and social studies content.
Elementary Integration Ideas
Kindergarten: In a kindergarten classroom, a teacher puts a stuffed animal on a rolling chair in front of the room. The teacher asks, “How could we make ‘Stuffy’ move? Share an idea with a partner”. She then circulates to hear student talk. She randomly asks a few students to describe and demonstrate their method. As students share their method, she will be pointing out terms they use, particularly highlighting or prompting the terms “push” and “pull”. Next, she has students write in their science notebooks, “A force is a push or a pull”. This writing may be scaffolded by having some students just trace these words on a worksheet glued into the notebook. Above that writing, she asks students to draw a picture of their idea, or another pair’s idea, for how to move the animal. Some student pairs that have not shared yet are then given the opportunity to share and explain their drawing. Students are specifically asked to explain, “What is causing the force in your picture?”.
For homework, students are asked to somehow show their parents a push and a pull and tell them that a push or a pull is a force. For accountability, parents could help students write or draw about what they did, or students would just know they would have to share the next day.
In class the next day, the teacher asks students to share some of the pushes and pulls they showed their parents, asking them to use the word force. She then asks students to talk with their partner about, “Why did the animal in the chair sometimes move far and sometimes not move as far when we added a force?”. She then asks some students to demonstrate and describe an idea for making the animal/chair farther or less far; ideally, students will push or pull with varying degrees of force. Students are then asked to write in their notebooks, “A big force makes it move more!” With a teacher example, as needed, they also draw an image of what this might look like.
As a possible extension: how would a scientist decide for sure which went further? How would she measure it? The class could discuss and perform different means for measurement, standard and nonstandard.
Fourth Grade Unit on Natural Resources: This was a unit completed by one group of preservice teachers for one of my classes. The four future elementary teachers worked closely in their interdisciplinary courses to design an integrated unit for a fourth-grade classroom of students. The teachers were given one social studies and one science standard to build the unit around. The team of teachers then collaborated and designed four lessons that would eventually be taught in a series of four sessions with the students. This unit worked to seamlessly integrate social studies, English language arts, math, and science standards for a fourth-grade classroom. Each future teacher took one lesson and chose a foundation subject to build their lesson upon. The first lesson was heavily based on social studies and set the stage for the future lessons as it covered the key vocabulary words and content such as nonrenewable and renewable resources. Following that, students were taught a lesson largely based on mathematics to better understand what the human carbon footprint is. The third lesson took the form of an interactive science experiment so students could see the impact of pollution on a lake, while the fourth lesson concluded with an emphasis on language arts to engage students in the creation of inventions to prevent pollution in the future and conserve the earth’s resources. Contrary to the future educators’ initial thoughts, integrating the various subject areas into one lesson came much more easily than expected! Overall, they felt that their lessons were more engaging than a single subject lesson and observed their students making connections on their own from previously taught lessons and different content areas.
References
Achieve. (2016). Using phenomena in NGSS-designed lessons and units. Retrieved from https://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/default/files/Using%20Phenomena%20in%20NGSS.pdf
Hill, L., Baker, A., Schrauben, M. & Petersen, A. (October 2019). What does subject matter integration look like in instruction? Including science is key! Institute for Science + Math Education. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Retrieved from: http://stemteachingtools.org/brief/62
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. (n.d.) Clarifying literacy in science. Retrieved from: https://dpi.wi.gov/science/disciplinary-literacy/types-of-literacy
Jim McDonald is a Professor of Science Education at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. He teaches both preservice teachers and graduate students at CMU. He is a certified facilitator for Project WILD, Project WET, and Project Learning Tree. He is the Past President of the Council for Elementary Science International, the elementary affiliate of the National Science Teaching Association.
by editor | Sep 7, 2025 | Environmental Literacy
Student perspective
By Kayla Tran, University of Washington Student, Renton High School Graduate,
2018-2019 Project Feed 1010 Ambassador
Crawfish, bean sprouts, and models of the water cycle and land erosion have lived on as my happiest memories of elementary school.
I moved to the United States when I was 7 years old as an English language learner. From second to third grade, my goal in school was to simply be able to communicate with teachers and interact with my classmates. The learning journey felt slow as I failed my spelling bees and felt socially secluded through 2 years of elementary. However, I quickly found joy at school when learning and keeping crawfish as class pets, seeing the growth stages of bean sprouts, and building our own water cycles. I soon learned that these projects were what we know as science.
Those projects allowed me to personally experiment and get hands-on with the plants, animals, and models that were brought into the classroom. As an elementary student speaking little English, I came to the conclusion that a) science is fun and that b) I love it. Looking back, I realize that my connection with science was due to the fact that it is a subject that knows no language barrier.
Years later, my love for science stood… until chemistry arrived. Unit analysis, balancing equations, and the memorization of charges and ions were unusual topics, calling for different ways of learning than I was used to. Rather than extracting DNA from strawberries, we were learning atomic theories. Instead of exploring osmosis, we were pairing the elements. The unfamiliarity drew me one more conclusion: c) science is fun, but difficult to apply. I suddenly asked myself, “is science really worth learning?”.
I found my answer when I interned at the Institute for Systems Biology for their Project Feed 1010 (PF1010) program. This program was created based on the idea that sustainable farming will be the solution to our food security crisis as a result of the traditional resource-consuming agricultural methods. Among several sustainable agriculture methods, aquaponics are the focus. Structured as a short-course over the duration of 6 weeks, the goal of the program is to lead students through the coursework of systems biology, sustainable agriculture, and science research. These areas of knowledge were taught by many activities involving experiential learning, also known as hands-on learning. What stood out to me in this program was that, before diving into the coursework, the importance of what we were learning was highlighted. Through reading and discussion, me, along with 6 other interns gained an understanding of the resource consumption of various farming practices, ranging from irrigation to hydroponics. With the help of our program managers, who are also scientists and teachers, we saw the potential consequences of our continual use of unsustainable farming practices amidst our resource-depleting planet and a growing population. The issues of water shortage, land degradation, and access to healthy foods interconnect with deeper challenges for poor populations, including a lowered quality of life. These challenges, on the surface of what seem like social issues, presents us with the question, “how can we sustainably feed an exponentially growing population without depleting resources and degrading land?”
PF1010 taught us that the solution to this question is science. By implementing sustainable farms such as aquaponics (a largely self-sustaining system that combines hydroponics and aquaculture), we can sustainably feed the growing population. As we went ahead to build and maintain our own aquaponic and hydroponic systems, we used an active application of knowledge on agricultural methods with the food insecurity crisis in mind. It is important to note that, in that moment, my connections between biological science research and social science were made. While researching and hands-on maintaining our systems, we used tomato seeds from the Tomatosphere program as an example of citizen science. Not only were we able to learn from our systems, but we were able to collect and submit the plant data to help investigate the effects of outer space on seed germination. We soon found the variable of outer space on seed germination to be relevant as we began the project of researching what agriculture would look like on Mars. After being given the size of our hypothetical Martian cohort and gender composition, me and my partner selected our own variety of foods we thought were best to grow based on nutritional value and growth difficulty. With the consideration of the Martian environment and atmosphere in mind, we used our new knowledge of sustainable food systems to brainstorm how our foods would grow, and how the food system would work. Despite starting this project with the same coursework and being given the same guidelines, each small group presented unique brainstorms of their Martian food systems. This goes to show that even when it comes to our real life food security crisis, the solutions that science offers comes in numbers. In other words, our knowledge can be so easily applicable that we can each come up with different solutions.
We were given the chance to show just how unique our ideas can be in our integration plans, where we brought what we learned in the short course to lead food sustainability projects in our own communities. With the support of each other through our monthly Google Hangout meetings and email contact, as well as resources such as an aquaponic system, I was inspired to make a lasting difference. My integration plan was carried out at school, and I decided that its theme would be water conservation and pollution awareness. Part one of this project was setting up a Back to the Roots aquaponic system in the classroom where it was used as a model of sustainable farming during the water and soil unit. Because I was in charge of the system, it was me who would troubleshoot the system as we encountered issues of smell and water clarity. With the help of my partner and the PF1010 team, we discussed adding snails and reevaluating water chemistry. Through troubleshooting, the workings of the biological system were clear to me, and I realized I was utilizing the skills of systems biology.
Part two of my plan was to build a rain garden in our courtyard as an effort to give students green space and to reduce stormwater pollution. A student forum was arranged to inform students about the impact of pollutants on aquatic life in the Puget Sound. The event also invited student input on how they would want the space to look like. A draft of the construction plan was eventually created by an architect, whose work would start this school year with the help of the new cohort of environmental science students.
I feel that both parts of my project have been able to leave a lasting influence on my school community. Not only did I get to be an example for other science students to connect with their community by using coursework in their service, but I learned a lot about the value of science too. I gained confidence using science knowledge to problem solve and most importantly, to serve the environment.
With the valuable experience of PF1010, I realized that science learning was no longer seen as a subject contained in the classroom, but one that’s meant to be explored in our environment and community. This serves as a reminder that, not only has science helped me overcome the boundary of language, but it pushes us to get out of the self-imposed boundaries of growth we create when we are stuck. This leads me to the last two conclusions: d) though it seems that science is difficult to apply, we use it more than we know and e) science is worth learning!
—Kayla Tran
by editor | Sep 7, 2025 | Environmental Literacy, Gardening, Farming, Food, & Permaculture, Student research
Cultivating Environmental Literacy and Sustainable Food through a Community Ambassador Program
by Jessica Day, Claudia Ludwig, and Nitin S. Baliga,
Institute for Systems Biology
Project Feed 1010 (PF1010) was founded in 2015 in response to a need identified by educators: students need to understand and be prepared to positively impact our food system in the future. Globally, one in three people (2.6 billion) suffer from some form of malnutrition1, and in 2015, 12.7% of Americans were not food secure2. By definition, these individuals experiencing food insecurity do not have access to sufficient, safe, and/or nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. Our food system itself is also headed toward a catastrophic situation resulting from water shortage (at least 40% gap between demand and supply by 2030), and rapid shrinkage of per capita arable land3. In addition, population growth (expected to reach 10 billion by 2050) is outpacing agricultural innovation, creating a demand that the industry will not be able to satisfy4. Put in simple terms, food insecurity is a complex issue with complex consequences. Understanding complexity and finding solutions to these real-world issues requires systems thinking – both in research and in education.
In 2015, the United Nations led a call to action by announcing the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development, which aim to improve lives by 2030. Goal 2, Zero Hunger, pledges to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture5. Fortunately, as the need for innovation becomes more apparent to reach this goal, job opportunities in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields are rapidly expanding. First-hand, real-world experience in systems biology and sustainable agriculture can prepare students to enter and be successful in these career fields. Furthermore, these experiences inspire and motivate non-STEM track students to stay informed on local and global issues as an environmentally-literate citizen.
Embedded within an award-winning education program (Systems Education Experiences; SEE) at Institute for Systems Biology (ISB), the PF1010 Ambassador Program set out to prepare high school students for success in future careers through innovating solutions to complex issues (such as food insecurity), and advocating as a leader for local community needs. Students gain critical thinking and complex problem-solving skills by applying SEE’s proven curriculum and systems-thinking strategies to find solutions to real-world phenomena. For example, one real-world problem identified by the scientific community was the gap in knowledge regarding the composition of the agricultural microbiome in aquaponic systems – sustainable food-growing systems gaining in popularity due to their low dependence on natural resources and relatively high plant yield. Using this real-world problem as a prompt, students designed experiments to explore microbial communities and contributed to meaningful scientific research, all while learning valuable skills they could apply to solving complex problems in the future. The broader impact of this program manifests itself as students apply their new knowledge, skills, and interests to address needs in their own communities as community ambassadors.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
PF1010’s commitment to environmental literacy, building leaders in Environmental Education (EE), and advancing efforts to motivate the public to take informed actions on environmental and civic issues, is evidenced through its Ambassador Program. The year-long program is comprised of an immersive, on-site summer internship opportunity followed by an ambassador-designed community outreach experience during the school year. It was strategically designed to provide hands-on experiences for students to gain knowledge and skills that are essential for 1) solving complex problems central to future innovation and discovery and 2) serving in leadership capacities 3) communicating effectively both personally and professionally.
In addition, the PF1010 Ambassador Program was also developed to address the enormous gap between the number of high school students who apply for rigorous, authentic STEM internship experiences, and lesser number of positions actually available. For example, SEE receives nearly 300 high school internship applications each year to fill between 10-12 positions. Including the PF1010 Ambassador Program as a summer experience allows SEE to provide an opportunity for 6-18 additional students each summer. These students serve as both community leaders and peer trainers, making this model a scalable solution that requires relatively little time management and financial support.
PROGRAM TIMELINE
The PF1010 Ambassador program is comprised of 6 to 18 high school students, who are trained in food security, sustainable agriculture, and systems-thinking through an intensive 6-8 week summer internship experience at ISB. To ensure equitable, inclusive EE, participants of various backgrounds and community needs are recruited. Ambassadors gain content knowledge and skills using SEE’s NGSS-aligned curriculum6 and conduct aquaponic and hydroponic experiments in both greenhouses and laboratory environments; however, the exact framework of these experiences is modified annually to reflect community needs and institute resources. As their summer learning experiences end, the students’ role as an ambassador begins. Ambassadors use their newfound knowledge, skills, and confidence to design and implement a program in order to take action on environmental issues of concern to their community. They also transfer the knowledge they gain through this process to open-access, online resources (blog posts, integration plans, materials lists, blueprints, grant proposals, etc.) accessible through their PF1010 ambassador profile7. This profile serves as a valuable resource as it creates a positive online presence for each student and aids them during their academic and career journeys. Finally, throughout the school year, ambassadors are mentored and supported by the PF1010 team and ambassador alum through monthly virtual meetings. The team uses this time to ask questions, provide advice, and share successes. At the end of the school year, PF1010 organizes an Ambassador Showcase, where family, friends, and PF1010 community supporters gather at ISB to hear final presentations and celebrate the ambassador’s impact and hard work.
PROGRAM IMPACT
Developed to diversify and strengthen the environmental research field, as well as provide skills training and authentic research experiences for students, this scalable year-long program has cultivated and supported 3 cohorts of 36 total high school students since 2016 from the Puget Sound region in Washington state, mostly from underrepresented and marginalized groups. To date, this program has provided ~200 hours of interdisciplinary EE focusing on sustainable agriculture, food security, aquaponics, systems biology and career exploration. Through program evaluation, all ambassadors agreed that the internship contributed positively to their self-confidence, felt it would be a valuable experience for others, and that it increased their interest in pursuing research in the future.
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
In addition to providing an authentic, hands-on experience for students to become inspired and empowered, PF1010 modified this program each year to reflect additional needs in research and educational resource development within ISB. This program could easily be modified to account for specific institute objectives and/or needs.
For example:
Additional research technicians were needed to maintain and sample experimental aquaponic systems for scientists in 2017; therefore, ambassadors were each assigned a system to manage and sample throughout the summer as part of their training experience.
The Seattle Youth Employment Program (SYEP) requested ISB be a host for Seattle youth in search of 150 hours of employment experience in 2017; therefore, 2017 Ambassadors were recruited and financially supported through SYEP during their summer experience at ISB.
PF1010 developed a new, standards-aligned curriculum module which needed to be field-tested in 2018; therefore the 2018 Ambassador program was structured as a “short course” in which Ambassadors received a 33-hour course completion certificate from SEE.
Due to the success we observed in both ambassadors and the development of our program and research, we recommend other educators also strategically develop their programs to address the needs of their communities while also making progress toward achieving milestones in their own organizations. This real-world application and career-connected learning piece will provide ambassadors with context and relevance in an otherwise siloed experience. If you are an educator interested in developing an Ambassador program, consider asking yourself a few key questions as you begin planning.
For example:
- What student and environment-related needs exist in your community? Ex: STEM internships, aquaponic research, curriculum development
- What resources and/or incentives are available for students? Ex: Stipends, short course certifications
- Which local and/or national organizations could you partner with to legitimize the experience? Ex: Seattle Youth Employment Program, Seattle Parks and Recreation
- How will you measure the impact the program has on students? The community?
Summary
As evidenced by the success and feedback from ambassador alumni, the PF1010 Ambassador Program has proven to be an effective experience that prepares students and citizens to be confident community leaders and complex problem solvers. Alumni are compelling communicators and innovators who care about making a difference in their various fields of interest. Due to the student-led ambassador training model, this program is highly scalable, requires low time management, and is relevant in many contexts. We believe it can be leveraged in many environments – schools, universities, nonprofits, after school programs, etc. – anywhere an educator can develop opportunities for students to feel empowered and supported to make a difference in their communities.
Acknowledgements
The success of this program is possible due to the generous training and resources provided by ISB scientists (Jake Valenzuela, Wei-ju Wu, Serdar Turkarslan, Rachel Calder, Annie Otwell, Matt Richards), ISB visiting scholars (Shari Carswell, Barb Steffens, Emily de Moor, Emily Borden, Amanda Cope, Dexter Chapin), the ISB communication team (Hsiao-Ching Chou, Allison Kudla, Joe Myxter), ISB undergraduate intern Kourtney Tams, and ISB high school interns (Linnea Stavney, Ivan Esmeral, Sarah Brossow, Annabelle Smith); donation of greenhouse and classroom space from the Black Farmers Collective’s Ray Williams and Northeastern University; web-based data management hub development by Ian Gorton and Northeastern University graduate students; engineering and construction support from Jeff King and Ray Williams; donation of aquaponic kits from AquaSprouts and aquarium materials from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; student project support from ambassador high schools; and funding from the Seattle Youth Employment Program, the Microsoft Giving Campaign, CrowdRise donors, DonorsChoose, and the National Science Foundation (NSF MCB-1616955, MCB-1518261, DBI-1565166, MCB-1330912).
1. World Food Programme. <https://www1.wfp.org/zero-hunger>. Web Accessed Mar 4 2019.
2 Coleman-Jensen, A., Gregory, C., & Singh, A. Household Food Security in the United States in 2013. USDA Economic Research Service. 2014.
3 “The business opportunity in water conservation”, The McKinsey Quarterly 2009. McKinsey and Company. Dec 2009.
4 “Creating a Sustainable Food Future”. Synthesis Report. World Resources Institute. Dec 2018.
5 Sustainable Development Goal 2. Sustainable Development Goals Knowledge Platform. United Nations. <https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg2>. Web accessed Mar 4 2019.
6 Modeling Sustainable Food Systems Curriculum. Systems Education Experiences. <https://see.systemsbiology.net/modeling-sustainable-food-systems/>. Web Accessed Mar 4 2019.
7 Project Feed 1010 Ambassador Profiles. Project Feed 1010. <http://www.projectfeed1010.com/ambassador-profiles/>. Web Accessed Mar 4 2019.
AUTHORS
After Jessica Day received her master’s degree in wildlife science, her passion for both science and science education led her to inspire others as a high school science teacher in Texas. Compelled to make a wider impact, Jessica later transitioned into project management at Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle in 2015. Here, with the support of ISB’s scientists and educators, she developed and managed Project Feed 1010 until 2018. Jessica continues to pursue opportunities to impact science and education, and currently manages agricultural research and extension projects at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina.
Claudia Ludwig grew up in the midwest where she always found ways to explore nature, even in the midst of Chicago. With degrees in Biology, Chemistry and Education, Claudia taught middle and high school science and made her way to Washington state. Experiential learning brought her to Institute for Systems Biology where she learned how to bring systems science to her students and to other teachers. She continues her work at ISB by striving towards a world where all people, especially those from underserved communities, participate in systems science.
Nitin S. Baliga grew up in Mumbai, India where, at a young age, he witnessed disparities in education and food security which have fueled his work. After completing his degrees in microbiology and marine biotechnology, he came to the Univerisity of Massachusetts, Amherst to complete his PhD in microbiology. He then joined ISB in Seattle, as one of its founding scientists in 2000. Since that time he has made significant contributions to systems-level cellular studies and to science education by translating his research into teaching modules and new programs.
by editor | Sep 7, 2025 | Conservation & Sustainability, Critical Thinking, Environmental Literacy, Experiential Learning, Learning Theory, Questioning strategies, Service learning, Sustainability
Empowering Elementary Students through Environmental Service-Learning
by Eileen Merritt, Tracy Harkins and Sara Rimm-Kaufman
“We use electricity when we don’t need to.”
“When we use electricity we use fossil fuels and fossil fuels pollute the air and fossil fuels are nonrenewable.”
“We use too many non-renewable resources to make energy.”
“One problem that we have with the way that we use energy is that we often taken it for granted, leaving lights on when it’s unnecessary, and plugging in chargers without using them.”
“We are literally putting pollution on the blanket of the earth!?”
The problems listed above were identified by fourth grade students in the midst of an environmental service-learning unit. These powerful words, and many similar ideas shared with us by other fourth grade children, show that children care a lot about our planet. They notice when we waste resources, pollute our air, water or land, or cause harm to other living things. Their concerns must be heard, to motivate others to confront the environmental crises that we are facing today. Greta Thunberg has recently demonstrated how powerful one young voice can be, mobilizing people around the world to take action on climate change.
How can educators help students develop skills to be change agents, offering creative and feasible solutions to problems they see around them? Service-learning is one powerful way to build students’ knowledge and skills as they learn about issues that matter to them. Recently, we worked with a group of urban public school teachers to support implementation of environmental service-learning projects in their classrooms. In environmental service-learning, students apply academic knowledge and skills as they work together to address environmental problems. High quality service-learning, according to the National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC), provides opportunities for students to have a strong voice in planning, implementing and evaluating projects with guidance from adults and engages students in meaningful and personally relevant service activities that address content standards (NYLC, 2008). We designed Connect Science, a curriculum and professional development program, with these goals in mind (Harkins, Merritt, Rimm-Kaufman, Hunt & Bowers, 2019). As we have analyzed student data from this research study, we have been inspired by the strength of conviction that students conveyed when they spoke about the environment and the creative solutions they generated for problems they noticed. In this article, we describe key elements of lessons that fostered student agency (see Table 1). First, two vignettes below exemplify service-learning projects from two classrooms.
In another classroom, students launched a campaign to reduce the use of disposable plastic containers at their school. They made posters to educate others about single-use plastics, explaining how they were made from petroleum (see Figure 1). Students and teachers in their school were encouraged to take a pledge to use reusable water bottles, containers and utensils in their lunches. Sign-up sheets were placed near posters around the school. Several hundred people took the pledge.
What both groups have in common is that they participated in a science unit about energy and natural resources. In the first part of the unit, they discovered problems as they learned about different energy sources and how these energy sources produce electricity. They began to recognize that fossil fuels that are used for transportation, electricity production and plastic products, and that their use causes some problems. This awareness motivated them to take action. Later in the unit, each class honed in on a specific problem that they cared about and chose a solution. Below, we summarize steps taken throughout the unit that empowered students.
1 Choose an environmental topic and help students build knowledge
Students need time to develop a deep understanding of the content and issues before they choose a problem and solution. Many topics are a good fit for environmental service-learning. Just identify an environmental topic in your curriculum. Our unit centered around NGSS core idea ESS3A: How do humans depend on earth’s resources? (National Research Council, 2012). Students participated in a series of lessons designed to help them understand energy concepts and discover resource-related problems. These lessons can be found on our project website: connectscience.org/lessons. Fourth grade students are capable of understanding how the energy and products they use impact the planet (Merritt, Bowers & Rimm-Kaufman, 2019), so why not harness their energy for the greater good?
There are many other science concepts from NGSS that can be addressed through environmental service-learning. For example, LS4.D is about biodiversity and humans, and focuses on the central questions: What is biodiversity, how do humans affect it, and how does it affect humans? Environmental service-learning can be used to address College, Career and Civic Life (C3) standards from dimension 4, taking informed action such as D4.7 (grades 3-5): Explain different strategies and approaches students and others could take in working alone and together to address local, regional, and global problems, and predict some possible results of their actions (National Council for the Social Studies, 2013). Language arts and mathematics standards can also be taught and applied within a service-learning unit.
2 Generate a list of related problems that matter to students
Partway through the unit, each class started a list of problems to consider for further investigation. Collecting or listing problems that kids care about is an effective way to get a pulse on what matters to students. Fourth graders’ concerns fit into three broad categories:
• Pollution (air, water or land)
People need to stop littering. Before you even throw everything on the floor, think about it in your head… should I recycle, reuse? I can probably reuse this…
• Not causing harm to people, animals or the environment
Plastic bags suffocate animals.
• Wasting resources (e.g. electricity, natural resources or money)
If people waste energy, then their bill will get high and it will just be a waste of money.
Co-creating a visible list for students to see and think about legitimizes their concerns and may help them develop a sense of urgency to take action.
3 Collectively identify an important problem
The next step was for students to choose ONE problem for the upcoming service-learning project. Each teacher read the list of problems aloud, and students could cast three votes for the problems that they cared about the most. They could cast all 3 votes for one problem, or distribute their votes. Most teachers used this process to narrow in on one problem for their class to address. One teacher took it a step further by allowing small groups to work on different problems. Either way, allowing students to CHOOSE the problem they want to work on fueled their motivation for later work on solutions. Different classes honed in on problems such as wasting electricity, single-use plastics, foods being transported a long distance when they could be grown locally, and lack of recycling in their communities.
4 Explore possible solutions and teach decision-making skills
Students were introduced to three different ways that citizens can take action and create change. They can work directly on a problem, educate others in the community about the issue or work to influence decision-makers on policy to address the problem. They broadened their perspective on civic engagement as they brainstormed solution ideas in each of these categories. After deciding to work on the problem of lights left on when not in use, one class generated the following list of possibilities for further investigation (see Figure 2)
After considering ways to have an impact, students were ready to narrow in on a solution. Teachers introduced students to three criteria for a good solution. This critical step provides students with decision-making skills, and helps them take ownership of their solution. Our fourth graders considered the following guiding questions in a decision-making matrix:
- Is the solution going to have a positive impact on our problem?
- Is the solution feasible?
- Do you care a lot about this? (Is it important to the group?)
At times, this process prompted further research to help them really consider feasibility. Of course, teachers needed to weigh in too, since ultimately they were responsible for supporting students as they enact solutions. When discussing impact, it’s important to help students understand that they don’t have to SOLVE the problem—the goal is to make progress or have an impact, however small.
While many groups chose the same problem, each class designed their own unique solution. Most focused on educating others about the topic that mattered to them, using a variety of methods: videos, posters, announcements, presentations to other students or administrators, and an energy fair for other members of the school community. The process of educating others about an issue can help consolidate learning (Hattie & Donoghue, 2016). Some groups took direct action in ways such as improving the school recycling program or getting others to pledge to use less electronics or less plastic (as described above). These direct actions are very concrete to upper elementary school children since impacts are often more visible.
5 Support students as they enact solutions
Social and emotional skills were addressed throughout the unit. During project implementation, teachers supported students as they applied those skills. Students developed self-management skills by listing tasks, preparing timelines and choosing roles to get the job done. At the end of the unit, students reflected on the impact that they made, and what they could do to have a larger impact. One group of students noticed that every single student in their class switched from plastic to reusable water bottles. Another student felt that their class had convinced people not to waste electricity. Some groups recognized that their solution wasn’t perfect, and wished they could have done more. For elementary students, it’s important to emphasize that any positive change makes a difference. Critical thinking skills develop when students can compare solutions and figure out which ones work the best and why. The instructional strategies described in this article have been used by educators across grade levels and subjects for other service-learning projects, and can be adapted for different purposes (KIDS Consortium, 2011).
Student-designed solutions yield deeper learning
One challenge that teachers faced when implementing environmental service-learning was that it took time to work on projects after the core disciplinary lessons, and curriculum maps often try to fast forward learning. Deeper learning occurred when teachers carved out time for service-learning projects, allowing students to apply what they know to a problem that mattered to them. There are always tradeoffs between breadth and depth, but ultimately students will remember lessons learned through experiences where they worked on a challenging problem and tried their own solution. School leaders can work with teachers to support them in finding time for deeper learning experiences. The students that we worked with cared a lot about protecting organisms and ecosystems, conserving resources and reducing pollution. They had many wonderful ideas for solutions that involved direct action, education or policy advocacy. For example, one student suggested the following solution for overuse of resources, “Go out and teach kids about animals losing homes and people polluting the world.” The voices of children around the country can be amplified through civic engagement initiatives such as environmental service-learning. Citizens of all ages are needed to actively engage in work toward solutions for climate change. Why not help them begin in elementary years?
References
Harkins, T., Merritt, E., Rimm-Kaufman, S.E., Hunt, A. & Bowers, N. (2019). Connect Science. Unpublished Manual. Charlottesville, Virginia: University of Virginia, Arizona State University & Harkins Consulting, LLC.
Hattie, J. A. & Donoghue, G. M. (2016). Learning strategies: A synthesis and conceptual model. Science of Learning, 1, 1-13.
KIDS Consortium. (2011). KIDS as planners: A guide to strengthening students, schools and communities through service-learning. Waldoboro, ME: KIDS Consortium.
Merritt, E., Bowers, N. & Rimm-Kaufman, S. (2019). Making connections: Elementary students’ ideas about electricity and energy resources. Renewable Energy, 138, 1078-1086.
National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). (2013). The college, career, and civic life (C3) framework for social studies state standards: Guidance for enhancing the rigor of K-12 civics, economics, geography, and history. Silver Spring, Md.: NCSS. Accessible online at www.socialstudies.org/C3.
National Research Council. (2012). A framework for K-12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts and core ideas. Committee on a Conceptual Framework for New K-12 Science Education Standards. Board on Science Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
National Youth Leadership Council. (2008). K-12 service-learning standards for quality practice. St. Paul, MN: NYLC.
Acknowledgements:
The research described in this article was funded by a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education (R305A150272). The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the funding agency. We are grateful to the educators, students and colleagues who shared their ideas throughout the project.
Eileen Merritt is a research scientist in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech and former Assistant Professor in Teacher Preparation at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University. She developed her passion for environmental education along the banks of the Rivanna River with her students at Stone-Robinson Elementary. She can be reached at egmerritt@vt.edu.
Tracy Harkins, of Harkins Consulting LLC, works nationally guiding educational change. Tracy provides service-learning professional development and resources to educators to engage and motivate student learners. https://www.harkinsconsultingllc.com/
Sara E. Rimm-Kaufman is a Professor of Education in Educational Psychology – Applied Developmental Science at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. She conducts research on social and emotional learning in elementary and middle school classrooms to provide roadmaps for administrators and teachers making decisions for children.
by editor | Sep 7, 2025 | Adventure Learning, Environmental Literacy, Experiential Learning
Discovering Careers in Natural Resources through Outdoor Adventures
by Emily J. Anderson
Oregon State University
Career education and opportunities to explore diverse options in higher education are often limited for many high school students. New college students cite personal interests and work-relevant experiences as the primary factors influencing their degree and career choice (Lent et al., 2002) and perceive a significant lack of career guidance in the secondary school system (Hurley & Thorp, 2002). Traditional and non-formal educators should find new and creative ways to introduce youth to a variety of career options so they can make better informed decisions about their future. Oregon 4-H Explorers provides an example of introducing teens to natural resource career fields through outdoor adventure programming.
In recent decades, American teenagers have shown decreased interest in natural resource professions despite their strong interest in environmental issues (Strandbu & Krange, 2003). Declining enrollments in these degree programs impacts the outlook of natural resource industries. This poses a significant problem with economic success in communities of the Pacific Northwest that are strongly linked to natural resources. Furthermore, a personal connection to nature is a strong indicator of positive environmental ethics and desire to participate in conservation activities as an adult (Guiney & Oberhauser, 2010). For these reasons, one of our educational priorities should be finding ways for youth to value and connect with the resources, potentially leading to the decision to pursue a career in the field.
A young person’s choice to pursue a career in natural resources often stems from exposure to nature at an early age and an attraction to working outdoors (Sharik & Frisk, 2010). Additionally, youth who have a make the acquaintance of a professional in the field are more likely to choose a similar career path (Searle & Bryant, 2009). One study found that the declining selection of natural resource careers is caused by a lack of understanding of what exactly these jobs involve and absence of exposure to the field (Hager, Straka, & Irwin, 2007).
Perhaps the best way to attract youth to natural resource careers is through time spent in the outdoors, developing that all-important connection to nature while interacting directly with those who work in the field. Oregon 4-H Explorers was designed to do just that: introduce teens to careers while participating in an outdoor adventure program with industry professionals.
The benefits of learning in outdoor environments are abundant. Through intentionally designed outdoor experiences, youth advance their knowledge and understanding, attitudes and feelings, values and beliefs, activities or behaviors, and personal and social development (Dillon, et.al. 2005). More specifically, positive youth development programs with wilderness adventure elements can play a key role in addressing the needs of underserved youth (Norton & Watt, 2013). With this understanding, outdoor adventure opportunities are an easy choice for educators introducing youth to careers in natural resources while remaining rooted in positive youth development theory.
Oregon 4-H Explorers is a place-based, experiential education program for 12-18 year old youth. The program spans five months with full day excursions scheduled every-other Saturday and resource material to review in between. Marketing efforts highlight the outdoor adventure and recreation opportunities. However, in addition to technical skill building and nature-discovery, youth are exposed to a new natural resource profession during each excursion. Local professionals participate in each excursion while informally presenting about opportunities to work in their field, which compliments the outdoor activity. For example, a fish biologist joined the Explorers’ rafting trip and talked to the participants about the time he gets to spend on the river for field work. Similarly, a forester led participants on a Pacific Crest Trail hike, a geologist joined the caving expedition, and a climatologist took them snowshoeing at Crater Lake National Park. Inviting these guest professionals on the excursions provides a comfortable, informal way for youth to learn about natural resource topics and a “day in the life” of a professional in the respective field.
Participant evaluation results determined that program goals were achieved. Participants reported a stronger desire to study natural resources in college and pursue a career in a natural resource field. Conjointly, participants have a stronger connection with the natural environment, feel safer and more comfortable outdoors, enjoy outdoor recreation more, care more about the health of the environment and have a better understanding of how ecosystems function.
While exploring the great outdoors and natural resource career fields, Oregon 4-H Explorers simultaneously developed valuable soft skills that will provide lifelong benefits in whatever career path they ultimately choose to pursue. Participants reported a stronger sense of independence, increased confidence, and a more positive self-image. Furthermore, upon completion of the program all participants said they were passionate about the topics presented and many believed they would not have had the opportunity to learn about these topics if not for the program.
All of the youth who completed the inaugural season of Oregon 4-H Explorers wanted to participate the following year. A leadership track was developed to offer the returning participants an elevated experience where they could explore careers more deeply and strengthen their leadership skills. These experienced youth earned the title “Guide” when they committed to the second season of the program. They were tasked with deciding which recreation activities and natural resource fields would be explored in the second season. They were then given the responsibility of leading “tailgate sessions,” or safety talks, and physically guiding the group through adventure activities. They each received 4-H Junior Leader Training, CPR and First Aid certification, Leave No Trace training, and were offered job shadowing opportunities with one of the guest professionals.
The keys to success for Oregon 4-H Explorers that should be considered when designing similar adventure- or nature- based programs are, (1) informal learning and self-discovery, (2) diligent risk management protocols, and (3) strong relationships between youth and adults. Oregon 4-H Explorers follows a true “learn-by-doing,” experiential approach. Activities were intentionally designed to be hands-on and learning was often self-paced. Rather than scheduled lessons or prescribed curriculum, youth learned about natural resource careers through informal question and answer and one-on-one conversation. Risk management and safety are also significant factors in creating an environment where youth are comfortable. In addition to important safety protocols and requirements mandated by the organization, Oregon 4-H Explorers utilized “tailgate sessions” at the beginning of each excursion to discuss safety concerns and precautions for the particular day’s activities. Finally, youth developed strong relationships with the adult chaperones who supervised each excursion. This allowed a deeper sense of safety and comfort while experiencing new, and often risky, activities. The amount of time spent with the guest professionals, typically 6-8 hours, also offered the unique opportunity to develop a comfort level that is difficult to create in an alternative classroom presentation. Youth were able to ask questions about their career throughout the day as the level of comfort increased.
Careers in natural resource fields are alluring options for youth who have a personal connection to nature or would enjoy working outdoors. Unfortunately, many youth do not consider these fields because they are not exposed to them or offered opportunities to spend unstructured time in nature. Non-formal educators are in a prime position to design programs that compensate for these missed opportunities and help youth discover the benefits and rewards of natural resource careers. A tremendous opportunity exists in collaboration between schools and non-formal environmental education organizations.
Non-formal education providers can be excellent resources for school administrators and teachers. Organizations like 4-H Youth Development have the expertise and flexibility to offer out-of-school educational opportunities. Experiential and place-based education outside the classroom is an outstanding way to supplement the traditional classroom experience. Programs like Oregon 4-H Explorers can be developed in collaboration with a class or school to compliment the classroom experience or can be stand-alone educational experiences in out-of-school settings.
Offering opportunities for youth to develop personal connections with nature may be the first step in their eventual selection of a career in natural resources. Oregon 4-H Explorers demonstrates that during or after that connection has been made, creating environments for youth to spend unstructured time with professionals in these fields can have a significant impact on their ability to visualize themselves in those professional roles. Facilitating these opportunities in a way that is fun and engaging for participants has a strong and long lasting impact.
Emily Anderson works for Oregon State University as a 4-H Youth Development Program Coordinator in Lane County, Oregon.
References
Dillon, J., Morris, M., O’Donnell, L., Reid, A., Rickinson, M., & Scott, W. (2005). Engaging and learning with the outdoors – the final report of the outdoor classroom in a rural context action research project. Berkshire: National Foundation for Education Research.
Guiney, M.S. & Oberhauser, K.S. (2010). Conservation volunteers’ connection to nature. Ecopsychology, 1(4), 187-197.
Hager, S., Straka, T., & Irwin, H. (2007). What do teenagers think of environmental issues and natural resources management careers?. Journal of Forestry, 105(2), 95-98.
Hurley, D. & Thorp, J. (2002). Decisions without direction: career guidance and decision-making among American youth. Research report prepared for the Career Institute for Education and Workforce Development. Washington, DC: National Association of Manufacturers.
Lent, R.W., Brown, S.D., Talleyrand, R., McPartland, E.B., Davis, T., Chopra, S.B., Alexander, M.S., Suthakaran, V., & Chai, C. (2001). Career choice barriers, supports, and coping strategies: college students’ experiences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, (60(1), 61-72.
Norton, L.N., & Watt, T.T. (2014). Exploring the impact of a wilderness-based positive youth development program for urban youth. Journal of Experiential Education, 34(4), 335-350.
Searle, S. & Bryant, C. (2009). Why students choose to study for a forestry degree and implications for the forestry profession. Australian Forestry, 72(2), 71-79.
Sharik, T.L. & Frisk, S.L. (2010). Student perspectives on enrolling in undergraduate forestry degree programs in the United States. Natural Sciences Education, 40(1), 160-166.
Strandbu, A. & Krange, O. (2003). Youth and the environmental movement – symbolic inclusions and exclusions. The Sociological Review, 51(2), 177-198.
by editor | Sep 7, 2025 | Critical Thinking, Environmental Literacy, Experiential Learning, Learning Theory, Sustainability
Environment, Literacy, and the Common Core
by Nancy Skerritt and Margaret Tudor, Ph.D.
ABSTRACT: This article describes how Common Core ELA standards provide an important opportunity to build background knowledge on environmental topics in preparation for a deeper study of those topics through science performance tasks guided by the Next Generation Science Standards Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI’s).
GRADE LEVEL: K-8
The Common Core ELA standards demand a level of rigor that will challenge many students. Unlike previous curriculum reforms that were content specific, the Common Core expectations involve the integration of skills across content areas including social studies, science and language arts. Students must apply reading, writing, research, and speaking and listening to content provided through articles, speeches and videos. The new performance tasks that are a key component of Smarter Balanced assessment system require research skills, note-taking abilities, and the difficult challenge of synthesizing ideas into well-written essays or speeches that explain or advocate.
In order to engage students in these rigorous expectations, teachers must find rich content for the students to explore. Environmental issues provide relevant topics and complex problems that invite analysis and research. Students can practice and apply the ELA expectations using topics related to our environment. Resources supporting environmental issues are readily available on line in the form of articles, videos, and speeches. In addition, students can gather relevant data through outdoor learning experiences, a unique benefit to this content area. Teachers can structure rich and relevant investigations that mirror performance tasks on the new assessments, using the environment as a context for learning.
Designing a Performance Task
Let’s visit a grade three elementary classroom where the children have been studying the life cycle of the salmon including how to preserve and protect water quality and quantity so that salmon can continue to survive. After visiting a local fish hatchery, the students illustrate the life stages of salmon, monitor their own water consumption, and create a rule that they can enact at school to preserve and protect water. In addition, they visit a local creek to view the salmon first hand, appreciating their beauty and endurance. How might the Common Core ELA standards support the learning in this unit? What might students research, what issue might they weigh in on, and what product might they create—an essay or a speech?
The new performance assessments are designed to measure proficiency in reading, writing, research and speaking and listening. The students are given a scenario that is grounded in a real world context. Then they acquire knowledge of the topic or issue by reading pre- selected articles and watching chosen videos. The students are expected to take notes on the information provided, keeping in mind the task that they are given in the scenario.
Here’s how this might play out in our elementary classroom. The students are provided with this scenario:
You have been asked to explain why salmon need clean water to survive. You will read an article and watch a video that provides you with information about the needs of salmon for their survival. You will take notes on the articles and the video, writing an informational essay explaining why salmon need clean water to survive.
Students read the article provided, preferably on the computer since all of the new assessments will be delivered using technology. Students will work in an entirely online environment so must learn how to navigate websites, read material on a computer screen, and compose their essays using a keyboard. For our hypothetical Salmon task, reading and viewing material might include the following:
Article #1: Short piece explaining the salmon’s need for clean water. Video #1: Showing pollution in our waters and its effects on salmon.
Scoring Performance Tasks: Research Skills and Writing Rubrics
All performance tasks include research questions that require the students to draw information from the multiple sources in preparation for writing an essay or speech. These questions are measuring specific research skills.
The research skills include the following:
- The ability to locate information
- The ability to select the best information including distinguishing relevant from irrelevant information and facts from opinions.
- The ability to provide sufficient evidence to support opinions expressed
Rubrics are provided for each of the three skills and are used for scoring student responses.
Here are some example research questions that link to our salmon task:
According to the video, what are two important steps we can take to preserve and protect our salmon? Use details from the video to support your answer. (Locating Information)
Which source, the video or the article, best helps you understand the needs of salmon? Use details from both sources to support your answer. (Selecting the best information)
Based on the reading and the video, what do you think is the one most important thing we could do to protect our salmon? Use details from both sources to support your answer. (Using sufficient evidence)
Students write their responses to the research questions using the notes that they have taken while reading the article or viewing the video. They submit their answers for scoring and on a second day, proceed to part two of the assessment.
Part two involves writing an essay or outlining and delivering a speech. The Common Core ELA requires that students be skilled in their ability to write in three different modes: informative/explanatory, opinion/argumentative, and narrative.
Students must also be able to outline and deliver a speech on a given topic. In our elementary grades salmon task example, students might be given the following prompt:
You have been asked to write an informational essay where you share what salmon need to survive. Use information from both the article and the video to support your ideas.
To demonstrate the CC ELA writing standards, students must use information from the various sources, clearly summarizing their information with text-based evidence.
Background knowledge is not a factor when scoring these essays. Students must cite text-based evidence to support their ideas, not prior knowledge from other sources. Essays are scored using a five trait rubric. Close reading of text is paramount in the ELA CC standards.
Scenario-Based Problems
Performance tasks require students to engage with a scenario-based problem, research information presented in various media, extract key ideas from the information, answer research questions, and compose an essay or speech that presents their original opinions and ideas supported by text based evidence. Task developers follow a specific template when creating performance assessments. The template includes identifying a plausible scenario, locating appropriate source material, designing research questions and structuring an essay or speech that synthesizes information from the research.
Selecting the content for these tasks is critical for the content must be relevant and problem based. Students practice and apply career and college ready skills including critical thinking and analysis. Topics connected to the environment provide real-world scenarios that can capture the interests of our students.
Here are some examples of Environment focused Performance Tasks that the Pacific Education Institute has developed for K-12 teachers to assign to their students:
Healthy Waters: How do water treatment plants work and why are they important?
SOS: Saving Our Sound: What can we do to improve the health of the Puget Sound?
Stormwater Engineering: How do engineers solve problems linked to storm water runoff?
Earth Day: What is the history behind the environmental movement and how has this movement influenced legislation today?
Ocean Acidification: What can we do to ensure the survival of our shellfish?
Field Experiences and Performance Tasks
Field experiences, an important component of environmental education, can be part of a performance assessments, either embedded in the assessment itself or as a follow up activity. Students can enhance their knowledge acquired through text-based research with knowledge gained in a systematic way through direct experience. Scenarios may be developed that incorporate outdoor learning experiences where students reinforce their understanding of the topic provided through direct observation and data gathering. In our salmon example, students could be prompted to take pictures on their field experiences to the fish hatchery and to the local stream, providing visual images of the salmon to support their text-based evidence. These photos can serve as primary source material when students compose their essays or outline their speeches.
Much has been written and created regarding sustainability issues. Teachers can select a topic appropriate to their grade level curriculum and locality, compose a scenario that is directly relevant to the student, and identify source material for student engagement. They can also incorporate outdoor learning experiences that enhance understanding, promote enthusiasm for the environment, and add to their knowledge base. By designing performance tasks using the environment as the context for learning, students work with relevant information, learn about the challenges we face, and form opinions at a young age that will guide their future thinking and civic involvement.
Democracies, for their survival, demand an informed electorate. Environmental issues may be the most critical issues our children will face. We can accomplish two important goals by linking performance assessments to sustainability education. One goal is to teach and practice the ELA skills that the students will need to be career and college ready. The second and equally important goal is the ability to form reasoned judgments about environmental issues. By connecting the Common Core ELA standards to the environment, students benefit on two fronts: Acquiring both environmental literacy and literacy in English Language Arts.
Our children face crucial decisions regarding a sustainable future. Their knowledge base, critical thinking skills, and ability to effectively communicate are keys to informed decision-making. We must educate our children to effectively read, write, research, speak and listen. They need to think critically and creatively in order to solve the complex problems we face.
Let’s make content choices for our curriculum that are meaningful today and into the future. Nothing is more relevant, engaging, and crucial than issues related to preserving and protecting our environment.
Nancy Skerritt is an educational consultant after 22 years as a classroom teacher in the Tahoma School District in Washington.
Margaret Tudor is the founder and director of Pacific Education Institute.
Jim McDonald is a Professor of Science Education at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. He teaches both preservice teachers and graduate students at CMU. He is a certified facilitator for Project WILD, Project WET, and Project Learning Tree. He is the Past President of the Council for Elementary Science International, the elementary affiliate of the National Science Teaching Association.
