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The California History–Social Science Project’s 2019 Environmental Literacy Teacher Institutes: Hawks, History, and California’s EP&Cs

Shelley Brooks, PhD, is a program coordinator for the California History–Social Science Project, developing professional learning and teaching resources for K–12 teachers. In this article, she reflects on coordinating environmental...

Environmental Literacy: A TK–12 Experience

Parent Michele Whiteaker reflects on the importance of ecoliteracy as part of her son's K-12 education. She explains how outdoor experiences can be integrated into every subject of every grade,...

Environmental Literacy and Social Justice

Environmental literacy and social justice are inextricably linked, and recent changes in California’s curricula fully encourage pedagogical exploration of this linkage. A school district representative, a teacher, and a student...

California Department of Education Supports Educators Teaching Next Generation Science Standards Through Engagement With Their Local Environment

We knew from recent work with the science community of practice that teachers saw the value of discourse and felt somewhat comfortable with it, yet needed more professional development to...

EP&Cs: Just One More Thing I Was Wrong About

Middle school students are desperately searching for ways to be seen as independent people who have something to offer the world. It is the perfect time to introduce them to...

NGSS Rollout 6: The Power of Integrating Science and Environmental Education

I believe that it is our duty as educators to respond to the preponderance of evidence that has mounted, which paints a picture of a rapidly changing environment and a...

The California Environmental Literacy Initiative from a Regional Municipality Perspective

By partnering with CAELI organizations, the Municipal Water District of Orange County was able to create compelling educational opportunities for students, focused on water and environmental stewardship....

A Vision for Inclusive, Community-driven Environmental Literacy

On April 16, 2019, school districts focused on the ongoing development and refinement of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) implementation plans came together with districts focused on developing environmental literacy...

This Is Environmental Literacy: Pajaro

The students, once again, have the answer: our charge is to hear them, and join in the work of enacting the solutions. Please take a moment and listen to their...

Lessons Learned About Things I Thought I Knew: Bridging Community and Science Instruction

How a K–12 teacher found a path to environmental literacy through district-wide collaboration and community outreach....

Making Sustainability Inclusive in a Time of Socio-Environmental Justice

A University student reflects on her experiences learning about and advocating for environmental justice, and how inclusive, collaborative learning spaces empower all students....

Hands-On Learning Activates Student Projects

The California Global Education Project encourages teachers to design environmental literacy programs. In these programs, students addressed diverse environmental issues, ranging from researching carcinogens, reducing waste and saving marine mammals....

When the Environment is Brown Like Me: Growing Up Environmentally Literate in California

A look at how students benefit from integrating environmental literacy into all subjects and the pathway it creates to social, economic, academic, and civic engagement....

Why Does Teaching Science Beyond the Classroom Matter?

As Erika Remedios explains in this essay, teaching science can be so much more than reading a textbook. Students derive more meaning from hands-on activities in nature because they bring...

How Environmental Literacy and Land Stewardship Could Help Save California for Future Generations

After searching for ways to protect California from wildfires like the one that nearly engulfed her hometown, author Lucia Garay advocates environmental literacy. In order to protect nature, we have...

County Offices of Education Present Environmental Literacy Programs at CISC Leadership Symposium

Dr. Faris Sabbah reflects on his participation in a panel discussion about implementing environmental literacy programs across four California counties. By engaging stakeholders to compare strategies, they can learn from...

Connecting Curriculum and Standards to Teach About Healthy Habitats

Rebecca Fox is a science teacher who wanted to improve her school’s curriculum to meet new content standards for K-12 science classes. But when the new standards were implemented, she...

This Is Environmental Literacy: Rialto

The history of this place, and the story of what Ms. Chan and the district are doing to provide effective student-centered learning are inexorably intertwined, and illustrate another instance of...

This Is Environmental Literacy: Plumas County

My next 48 hours in Plumas County provides many deep and powerful lessons on the meaning of place, of place-based learning, of public education and the public trust, and of...

Partnering for Equitable Environmental Literacy: A Conversation with Breakthrough Communities

The more consistently students experience how humans can positively affecting their environment, the easier it becomes to question policies or activities that are harmful to our planet’s ecosystems later in...

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