Fundamentals of Environmental Education

 

  

Culminating Assignment

There are four options from which workshop participants can choose a culminating assignment.  Participants who are taking the course for credit must complete Option 1.  You can work on the culminating assignment continuously throughout the course.  The last week of the course is reserved for you to finish your culminating assignment.  It is worth 150 points and should be submitted to the Dropbox.
 

Option 1: Lesson Plan

Design a five-day EE lesson plan/program.  As you develop your lesson plan/program, identify what EE learner guidelines you are targeting, and what learner outcomes you desire.  Develop activities and experiences that use a variety of methods to address your goals and help your learners achieve the desired outcomes.  Consider that each day you have three hours of instructional time.  Your lesson plan/program must include an introduction that:

  • Describes your learners/audience and the situational context for this lesson plan/program.

  • Identifies the environmental concept, topic, or issue being addressed and the rationale for selecting it as your instructional focus.

  • Identifies the specific, age appropriate EE Learner Guidelines being addressed.

  • Identifies specific learner outcomes/objectives (i.e., what do you want the learners to know or what skills do you want them to develop as a result of each lesson).

Your lesson plan must also include a Day by Day Narrative that :

  • Identifies the EE Learner Guidelines and targeted learner objectives for each day.
  • Identifies state or national content standards (i.e. Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies) that are addressed by your lessons each day (See section 3.1).
  • Describes the activities and instructional methods you will use each day.
  • Identifies at least two community resources that you will use as part of your lesson plan/program (e.g., guest speakers, field trip sites, etc.).
  • Develops an assessment plan to determine if your desired outcomes were achieved and shows daily formative assessments and a culminating, summative assessment (See Unit Five).
  • Includes a bibliography of sources used to create your lesson plan/program.
     

Option 2: Guidelines for Preparation and Professional Development

Review the "Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators" at http://www.naaee.org/npeee/new_ee.php (formally called the "Guidelines for the Initial Preparation of Environmental Educators").  These guidelines are being used by a growing number of states to identify key competencies for professional environmental educators and to develop environmental educator certification programs.

Complete the matrix provided (place a link here) by identifying the content and assignments in this course that address each guideline and indicating the degree to which you think each guideline was addressed via Fundamentals of Environmental Education (3= Fully Addressed, 2=Partially Addressed, 1=Minimally Addressed, 0=Not Addressed). 

Write a 3-4 page paper (double-spaced) that includes the following:

  • Your general reaction to these guidelines.
  • A discussion of at least five specific guidelines that you have gained competency in as a result of this course and how.
  • A discussion of at least three specific ways you intend to apply what you have learned in this course in your work as an environmental educator.
     

Option 3: EE Presentation

Design and submit to your instructor an Interactive PowerPoint presentation on EE.  Summarize or highlight the key concepts/elements you have learned as a result of this course.  The presentation should consist of 30-50 slides, be at least 45-60 minutes in length, and not be any larger than 3000K (Tip: Keep the file sizes of photos and graphics small.  You can check your PPT file size by going to File > Properties > General.)

Within the PowerPoint presentation:

  • Provide notes under each PowerPoint slide to articulate what you would say as you present each slide.

  • Provide notes under appropriate PowerPoint slides to indicate at least three places in your presentation where you will include activities to engage your audience and make your presentation interactive and identify the activity/strategy you will use.

In a separate 2-3 page paper (double-spaced):

  • Identify your intended audience.

  • Describe the context in which this PowerPoint presentation will be used.

  • Describe the learning objectives you wish to accomplish through the presentation.

  • Summarize the strategies you will use to make your presentation interactive.

  • Suggest how you might assess whether your audience has achieved your intended objectives.
     

Option 4: EE in Your State

Interview two people in EE leadership positions within your state (e.g., State EE Board Member; EE Professor) and submit a 4-5 page essay (double-spaced) to your instructor that:

  • Identifies the names, positions held, and backgrounds of the two EE leaders.

  • Discusses each leader's responses to the following questions.

1. What is the history of EE in our state?

2. What is the current attitude of the state legislature and governor toward EE?

3. Where does EE fit organizationally within state agencies? Are there positions, offices, and/or responsibilities assigned to support EE? Specifically, what support is provided?

4. What are the strengths in our state in terms of providing EE to the state's students, teachers and citizens?

5. What are the weaknesses in our state in terms of providing EE to the state's students, teachers and citizens?

6. What specific steps need to be taken to build upon the strengths and address the weaknesses in order to improve our capacity to deliver EE to our state's students, teachers and citizens?

7. Who could/should provide leadership to initiate these steps?

8. Summarize your own reflections about the status of EE in your state, (i.e., what do you see as the strengths, weaknesses, needs, and future prospects?) based upon your interviews and your own experiences.