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The photos and blogs viewed here have been submitted by educators from around the country and entered into EE Week's 2011 Photo Blog Contest. Read the complete contest rules.
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Vested Interest in Results, Carolina Center for Educational Excellence
Submitted by Elizabeth Kempter on May 31, 2011
Measuring, logging, calculating, analyzing...these are some of the critical basic skills we need in science. Too often, a tedious presentation of these skills results in ineffectual learning or an off-putting experience for students. However, put those same skills into a meaningful context, and they become empowering tools to understand and take care of the world around us! In Bolin Creek Study, middle schoolers at the Carolina Center for Educational Excellence immerse themselves in an intensive ten week study of their stream and the complex interactions that influence it. By measuring and tracking in the field the concepts they study in the classroom, these students come away with a concrete understanding of how their watershed works and how it impacts their lives. This student pictured is intently measuring dissolved oxygen. By learning how this titration technique works and the factors influencing stream dissolved oxygen concentrations, as well as how it impacts life in the stream, he has a vested interest in his result!
A Tighter Grasp on Learning, Carolina Center for Educational Excellence
Submitted by Elizabeth Kempter on May 31, 2011
Within each of us is an innate desire to connect with the natural world. So much a part of us is our natural environment, that we are especially tuned to receive the multi-sensory experience of being outdoors. What better place, then, could there be to begin our study of the complex interactions that make up our environment! At the Carolina Center for Educational Excellence, we have designed our introductory environmental science class for middle schoolers, Bolin Creek Study, around this idea. With students' relationship to the natural world as a foundation for learning, we construct knowledge together through layers of complexity, examining the physical, chemical, biological and social aspects of our watershed. By visiting our field site weekly, students immerse themselves in the concepts they are learning about in the classroom. One highlight of our study is discovering the many macroinvertebrates of our creek. We examine them as bioindicators of water quality and look at their roles in the food web. Revisiting the study site, its creatures, and the ideas they encompass, students form deeper connections and a tighter grasp on learning.
Our Garden, River Bend Middle School
Submitted by Courtney Sajben on May 31, 2011
This is our school garden that we created as an earth day project. We began by picking the perfect spot, talking with the neighboring farmer about tilling the land, and ordering top soil. We also collaborated with Home Depot who donated several flowers and mulch to get us started. We then talked with a landscape artist about how to design our garden and get information on the best types of flowers to use. We purchased the seeds for the flowers and began creating our garden. It was hard work, but it was worth it and now we have something that helps the earth and is available for everyone to enjoy. We love tending to our garden each day and tracking its progress.
Amiga in the Garden, River Bend Middle School
Submitted by Courtney Sajben on May 31, 2011
This is our classroom bird, Amiga. She was a rescued bird and we use her in our school and community to teach people the importance of caring for animals and the earth. She is shown here in our garden that we created from scratch as part of an earth day project. We tend to the garden each day and it is enjoyed by our entire school as well as Amiga.
On the Lookout, TLC Child Care
Submitted by Samantha Adams on May 31, 2011
A couple of us local child care providers started up an early learning eco club where we get together once a week with our kiddos for hikes in and around the Juneau area, local park clean-ups and nature investigation.
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