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Conference Proceedings 2010

Birding for the Blind

The presentation presents information about the Birding for the Blind program held at the Patuxent Research Refuge

Michelle Donlan Education Specialist Patuxent Research Refuge

Birding for the Blind Powerpoint - NOTE: If using images or slide show, please credit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Measuring a Forest

Open your student' eyes to the importance of forests as efficient life-supporting ecosystems. Have them observe forest structure, diversity and succession using standard monitoring and measuring methods, gaining tree identification skills as they go. Through hands-on investigations, they'll learn about the marvelous economy of forests in cycling water, matter and energy, calculate the benefits of trees and identiy current threats to our forests and the wildlife they harbor.

Elaine Friebele
Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary

Measuring a Forest - PowerPoint
A Key to Some Common Trees of Maryland - PowerPoint
Forest Plot Survey Form
Structural Functional Diversity Datasheet
Forest materials and Resources - readings and websites on forests in maryland
Forest in a Jar - activity to demonstrate succession
Transect
Forests and Watersheds - "Key to Watershed Function" The State of Chesapeake Forests
Plant Densities Transect

How far does your environmental education go? Home Challenges

How far does your environmental education go? Does it end at the school house door or does it follow students home. Learn strategies that are effective in encouraging students to take action at home and to keep at it beyond the school year.

Tom Kozikowski
Mt. Ridge High School

Helping Kids Find Themselves with GIS

Minority students, especially those newer to life in the United States bring different environmental sensibilities and ethics. For them and their native US peers life in the “real world” is as displayed in a plethora of digital formats. They have no sense of belonging and therefore sense of stewardship in the environments where they live. Properly designed Geographic Information Systems lessons based on local data which they collect can be a portal from the digital to the actual world.

Chuck Bower
Sterling Middle School
Loudon, Virginia

Helping Kids Find Themselves with GIS Powerpoint

Schoolyard Classroom Project

Through a partnership, AFF works with local elementary schools to train them and provide necessary resources to them to take their lessons outside, if only for 10 minutes at a time. In this workshop, participants had an opportunity to discuss with partner classroom teachers how they are using their schoolyards in their everyday interdisciplinary instruction.

Christa Haverly; Teresa Nicholson
Alice Ferguson Foundation

Included are many of the outdoor lessons I and teachers I work with have developed this year to adapt their curriculum and pacing guides along with the readings I had available for participants to read and discuss in groups.

Maryland Partnership for Children in Natured

During this roundtable, we will update attendees on the status of the Partnership for Children in Nature initiative. This dynamic endeavor, signed into Executive Order by Gov. O’Malley in April 2008, aims to get children reconnected to nature through formal education and non-formal outdoor opportunities. We will discuss future plans for the Partnership and how we will continue to provide energy to this effort.

Elena Takaki
Maryland DNR

Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature PowerPoint

How We Talk About the Environment Makes a Difference

This presentation deals with how the language we use, the images we show and the activities we engage in are being received by our diverse audiences. The presentation is based on a workshop conducted for MD DNR employees by Eric Ekyl (waterwordsthatwork.com)

Bart Merrick
Maryland DNR

How We Talk PowerPoint

Junior Master Gardeners

Ever suck a bug or make mud pies to evaluate soil texture? The Junior Master Gardener (JMG) is a horticulture education program in which youth learn the basics of gardening, ecology, life skills, and service learning. JMG is a very versatile program which teaches youth the basics of gardening while incorporating life skills, literature, math, career development. The mission of JMG is to grow good kids by igniting a passion for learning, success and service through a unique gardening education. Activities from the 6 curriculum options can be utilized from elementary school to middle school. Junior Master Gardener can be implemented in the classroom, afterschool, in clubs, in summer programs, and as one-time events. So get ready to get down and dirty with JMG and watch plants, youth, adults come to life.

Beth Nichols
University of Maryland - Extension

JMG PowerPoint
Sample of Junior Master Gardener Lessons – Level 1 Curriculum

A Case Study of an Outdoor Environmental Science Field Trip

This study was designed to address the student process of learning during an environmental science field trip to an outdoor setting. John Dewey’s extensive writings on the relationship between experience and learning informed the analysis, creating a focus on active and passive elements of the experience, continuity within and across contexts, the interactive nature of the experience and the importance of subject matter.

Peggy Preusch
Towson University

Document containing links to websites visited during presentation

Resource Networks: Collaboration to support schoolyard and community gardens

The Community Greening Resource Network is a membership program supporting school and community gardens by consistently, equitably, and collaboratively providing access to material and educational resources needed to effectively maintain green spaces over the long term. We will talk about how the need for the program was identified, the components of the basic framework, program components and accomplishments, and identifying those guidelines that can be adapted to your communities.

Sarah Krones
Parks and People

GPS & Tree ID

This lesson is frequently conducted by MCPS teachers with 6th grade students. It is one way to use GPS technology combined with science curriculum objectives. Participants received instructions on how to use a Garmin eTrex GPS Unit to locate previously marked trees. Once the trees were located, participants used dichotomous keys to identify the trees

Mark Granger
L. E. Smith Environmental Education Center

GPS and Tree ID PowerPoint

BioFuel for Your Fleet

A look at what’s involved with small-scale biodiesel production. Some insights at the environmental, educational, and economical benefits to creating your own program and the difficulties that come with it. Learn from our mistakes and join us in making your organization energy independent!

Matthew Markoff
Calleva Inc

Ice Balloons - Adventure in Inquiry

Ice Balloons is a professional development exercise that is used to enhance the ability of educators to promote inquiry through student questions. In this version, the outdoor environment is suggested as the engaging context for the generation of student questions which can lead to authentic inquiry investigations and science fair experiments.

Laurie Jenkins and Bill Kraegel
Mongomery Co Public Schools

Power Point of the presentation – this is basically a step by step procedure for building skills in encouraging student questioning, identifying testable from non-testable questions, and turning non-testable questions into testable questions.

Free GIS Methods for Examining Local Land Use Changes

This workshop will be a demonstration of multiple ways to use the Internet and free GIS resources to examine land use changes from local perspectives to a wider U.S. focus. Presentation"Hand out" will include detailed instructions on how to accomplish incorporating technology into the classroom. It will be useful for classroom use and for enviornmental centers to relate field studies to the bigger picture, bring relevant geotechnologies into education use for this subject and as an open door for many other environmental studies.

Martin Schmidt Jr., Teacher, McDonogh School

1. Examining Land Use Changes PowerPoint (7MB)

2. Examining Land Land Use with GIS - Document