showing entries tagged "Enduring Ed"
by: Beth Carreno
ESAA receives funding for forestry education
The Wisconsin Environmental Education Board (WEEB) announced that ESAA / The Etude Group has been awarded $4,700 to develop and enhance forestry education projects at the school.
Funds will be used for professional development, creating student project opportunities, integrating forestry education into existing field studies, and purchasing supplies and materials. Programming will take place on-site at ESAA and with other field studies.
This effort compliments use and expansion of the school gardens, the outdoor classroom, and adjacent outdoor spaces. It is exciting to receive these funds for our teachers and students.
The WEEB grant program has provided communities, schools, and organizations with funds to advance environmental education programs since 1990. The organization’s mission is to provide leadership in the development of learning opportunities that empower Wisconsin citizens with the knowledge and skills needed to make wise environmental decisions and take responsible actions in their personal lives, workplaces, and communities.
The Wisconsin Environmental Education Board (WEEB) is made up of the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources; the Superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction; the President of the University of Wisconsin System; the President of the Wisconsin Technical College System; one majority and one minority party senator and one majority and one minority party representative; and nine members representing agriculture, business and industry, conservation and environmental organizations, energy, environmental educators, faculty of public and private institutions of higher education, forestry, labor, and nature centers, museums and zoos.
by: Susan Griffiths
Gaining understanding through close looking
In our busy world, we rarely take the time to look closely to see things that often go unnoticed. Much can be learned when we slow down and really look at something. As one of our Habits of Mind, observation is essential to learning. Observation requires students to intentionally slow down and look closely to see details. From these details students start to form patterns and make connections. This leads to understanding not only the details they see, but how these parts interact systematically to form the whole. In projects at ESAA, observation can be found throughout the creative process. Observation is a form of research and discovery. Students use the details they uncover to wonder, think deeply, and analyze. These observations help students understand the complexities of the world around them.
by: Susan Griffiths
Establishing our school culture
First Day.blog
by: Libby Schmitz
Exploring Force and Energy
4th and 5th grade students have been exploring the physics behind what makes roller coasters man-made, gravity defying wonders. The thinking routine used in the beginning of their discovery was "Generate, Sort, Connect, Elaborate" to introduce the scientific method and give students a better understanding of how scientists develop their research and discovery process. The task was then to design and create their own model versions of roller coasters through a series of trial and error. Before building the roller coasters however, our student scientists carefully designed a blueprint that demonstrated kinetic and potential energy, centripetal force, friction, and inertia. Through this hands-on discovery, our 4th and 5th grade students came away with a new knowledge of how science can explain the natural world.
