Florida Project Learning Tree Materials

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Florida Project Learning TreeMaterials
Programs Innovative Resources

• Nancy Peterson, Florida PLT Coordinator
• School of Forest Resources and Conservation, UF

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Overview

• What is PLT?
• Materials
• Programs
• Innovative resources

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What is PLT?

• A comprehensive environmental education (EE)
  program
• Partnerships
• International Network
• Delivery System
• PreK-12 Curriculum

"Teaches Students How to Think, Not
What to Think
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Who Uses PLT?

• Classroom Teachers
• Youth Group Leaders
• Day Care Facilities
• Nature Center Staff
• Parents

• Community Groups
• Government Agencies
• Resource Professionals
• Museums, Zoos

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Were everywhere! (almost)

• All 50 States plus the District of Columbia
• US Trust Territories
• Brazil
• Canada
• Chile
• Sweden

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PLT's mission

• PLT uses the forest as a "window on the world" to
  increase students' understanding of our complex
  environment stimulate critical and creative
  thinking develop the ability to make informed
  decisions on environmental issues and instill
  the confidence and commitment to take responsible
  action on them.

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PLTs goals

• Provide students with the awareness,
  appreciation, understanding, skills, and
  commitment to address environmental issues
• Enable students to apply scientific processes and
  higher order thinking skills to resolve
  environmental problems
• Help students acquire an appreciation and
  tolerance of diverse viewpoints on environmental
  issues, and develop attitudes and actions based
  on the analysis and evaluation of available
  information

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PLTs goals

• Encourage creativity, originality, and
  flexibility to resolve environmental
• problems and issues
• Inspire and empower students to become
  responsible, productive, and participatory
  members of society

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PLT network

• Educators
• PLT Schools and EE Centers
• Facilitators
• State Steering Committee
• State Coordinator
• State Sponsors
• National Education Operating Committee
• National PLT Office

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Florida PLT sponsors
Florida Division of Forestry
School of Forest Resources and Conservation,
University of Florida
UF/IFAS 4-H Youth Program
Florida Forestry Association
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PLTs curricula

• Easily incorporated into existing curricula
• Interdisciplinary
• Hands-on, minds-on
• Correlated to Sunshine State Standards
• In line with education reform

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PLT conceptual framework

• Provides continuity between various content areas
• Promotes conceptual understanding
• Based on five themes
• Diversity
• Interrelationships
• Systems
• Structure Scale
• Patterns of Change

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PLT curricula

• PreK-8 EE Activity Guide
• Energy and Society Kit
• Wildland Fire
• Florida Urban Forests Supplement
• Secondary Environmental Education Program
• Online Training Program

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PreK-8 activity guide highlights Activity icons

• Differentiated instruction
• Technology connections
• Safety
• Urban and Community Forest

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PreK-8 activity guide highlights Reading
connections

• 3-7 books with each activity
• Literature piece- Introduction
• Read alouds
• Stories added to activities
• Improved discussion questions

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PreK-8 activity guide highlights Authentic
assessment techniques

• Reviewed, updated, or expanded
• One for each activity in order to design an
  evaluation to match the instructional goals of
  the activity
• Located at the beginning of the activity

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PreK-8 activity guide highlights Differentiated
instruction enhancements

• Provide additional challenges for gifted or quick
  learners
• Ensure that the lesson is comprehensible and
  accessible to those still acquiring English
  Language skills and to students with disabilities
• Incorporated methods include highlighting key
  vocabulary, creating links to prior knowledge,
  and providing nonlinguistic representations

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PreK-8 activity guide highlights Technology
connections

• Throughout the PreK-8 EE Activity Guide
• Word processing software
• Spreadsheet/database software
• Presentation and graphics software
• Graphic organizer software
• Digital/video cameras
• Internet resources
• Earth Sky radio show correlations

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Florida urban forests supplement

• Understand urban forests through science-based
  investigations
• Designed for youth in grades 3-8
• Based on three themes
• Urban forest ecology
• Benefits of an urban forest
• Strategies for improving urban forest health

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Secondary modules

• Available/Under revision
• The Changing Forest Forest Ecology
• Exploring Environmental Issues Focus on Risk
• EEI Focus on Forests
• EEI Municipal Solid Waste
• EEI Places We Live
• Biodiversity (available to download online)
• Coming soon
• Forests of the World
• Biotechnology

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Online training

• Intended to replace an in-person workshop
• Introduce and orient educators to the selected
  activity guide
• Self-paced program
• Available as of March 2008
• Places We Live, 9.50 registration fee

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Programs

• Earth sky
• Urban and community forestry
• GreenWorks!
• Florida PLT school
• Florida EE center

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Earth sky for teachers

• Integrated multimedia educational experience
• Access to accurate, reliable, and understandable
  scientific research and data
• Correlated to EarthCare series
• Includes a list of additional resources

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Urban and community forestry education

• Enhances the teaching of PLT activities related
  to urban and community forestry
• Searchable database
• Includes an annotated bibliography and links to
  websites of urban and community forestry
  organizations

Funding provided by National Urban and Community
Forestry Advisory Council
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GreenWorks!

• Community action and service learning program
• Encourages students to participate in
  community-based partnerships by developing and
  implementing action projects
• 500-2000 awards twice a year

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FL PLT schools

• At least 50 of the teaching faculty from an
  elementary school or 50 of the teaching faculty
  at grade or subject level in a middle or high
  school have participated in a PLT educator
  workshop
• Organize a PLT Week or
• Incorporate at least 5 PLT activities into lesson
  plans
• A PLT Coordinator from the faculty

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FL PLT schools

• Approved PLT Schools receive
• A colorful PLT School flag
• An engraved plaque
• A Tree Trunk of teaching aids
• An opportunity to participate professional
  development opportunities

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FL PLT ee center

• The center agrees to
• Hold at least one PLT educator workshop a year
• Have a staff member or volunteer become a PLT
  Facilitator
• Nature centers, ee centers, school district
  sponsored centers, etc.

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Innovative resources

• Searchable resource list
• Childrens literature list
• Florida resources

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Searchable resources list

• Many student pages in a downloadable pdf
  format 
• Technology connections
• Assessment opportunities
• Earth Sky radio show correlations
• Urban Community Forestry web site connections
• Additional resources

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Childrens literature list

• Sorted by author or PLT activity
• Title
• Publisher
• ISBN number
• Year published
• Synopsis
• Appropriate grade level

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Florida Resources

• Resources web pages
• Florida Correlations
• Professional Development Series

Florida PLT Web site http//sfrc.ufl.edu/plt
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Resources web pages

• Activity enhancements
• Activity materials
• Annual FL PLT awards
• Florida PLT listserv
• Memorial and recognition giving program
• PLTree Line newsletter
• Resource links

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Florida Correlations

• Prek-8 Activity Guide
• Energy Society Kit
• Places We Live
• FCAT-like Prompts

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Professional development series

• Compliment educational materials from Florida
  PLT with Florida specific content
• Online
• Self-paced
• No time limit
• Computer components usable by teachers and
  students

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Questions?