Journal 9

NETS-T: 5

Waters , J K. (2011). Teaching green. The Journal, 38(April),
Retrieved from http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/1105/journal_201104/#/12

     In John Waters article, he discusses the many ways that the environment can be incorporated into the classroom.  He begins by stating the history of how environmental issues became part of our educational curriculum.  Nixon passed the National Environmental Education Act that led to the abundance of resources that teachers now have today to address this issue.  Next, Waters describes a site named Classroom Earth (classroomearth.org).  This site is a good fit for high school students and teachers.  It is user friendly for both with lots of capability to make environmental education apart of the regular curriculum.  There is even a "Grants" section that can help schools with funding for environmental education programs.  There is also mention to a very interesting site for kids that live in urban areas that don't get much exposure to wildlife and nature.  A Walk in the Woods (urbanext.illinois.edu/woods), provides virtual tours through natural settings that is available in English or Spanish.  There are also websites that offer quizzes and games to get kids involved with the latest environmental issues.

Question 1:
Which of the provided resources would I most likely use as an elementary school teacher?
     I found the  US Environmental Protection Agency Teaching Center (epa.gov/teachers) website the most appealing and teacher based.  Through this site I will have access to lesson plans and classroom activities.

Question 2:
Which of the provided resources will I have my students using in the classroom?
     I liked what PowerUp (poiwerupthegame.org) had to offer to my potential students.  It's a 3-D game that several kids can play.  The students will live on a planet where natural disasters endanger to destroy their planet.  Examples include severe pollution and extreme weather conditions.  The students act as volunteers helping to save the planet.  This sounds like a fun and interactive way for students to see the damage of environmental carelessness.