Resources
and Materials for Educators
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New
Resources for Educators
Lake Education Assistance Program (LEAP)
This program provides funding for various watershed
related projects. LEAP offers maximum awards on a $500 per school
and/or other not-for-profit organization basis. Schools and other
not-for-profitorganizations can apply for financial help for group
or individual attendance at field trips, seminars, workshops or
other events related to inland lakes or lake watersheds. The Illinois
EPA will grant approximately 100 awards per fiscal year. Two application
periods are offered annually, September 30 and January 31. Application
forms for LEAP assistance can be obtained from the Illinois EPA,
Bureau of Water, P.O. Box 19276, Springfield, Illinois, 62794-9276,
phone 217/782-3362 or downloaded from the Illinois EPA's homepage
(http://www.epa.state.il.us/water/conservation-2000/leap.html
or http://www.epa.state.il.us/water/surface-water/forms/leapform.pdf
).
Registration is Now Open for "Earth Day in the Parks"
from the IDNR
"Earth Day in the Parks" is a new event to promote stewardship
of Illinois' natural resources by school children. On April 17,
2008, students and their teachers from throughout Illinois will
visit participating Illinois state parks to take part in natural
resources stewardship activities such as: planting native trees,
grasses and wildflowers; building and installing nesting/roosting
boxes; removing invasive exotic plant species; and constructing
woodland ponds for amphibians. Students will be helping the environment
and wildlife, participating in outdoor activities to increase
their fitness and learning that their actions can make a difference
in the world. Teachers and students are encouraged to return to
the state park to see and study the results of their work.
"Earth Day in the Parks" is sponsored by the Illinois
Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) in cooperation with the
Illinois Conservation Foundation. The IDNR Division of Education
is accepting applications from teachers who would like the opportunity
for their class to participate in the program for 2008. For more
information, including the list of participating state parks,
and to download an application form, visit http://www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/education/CLASSRM/EDITPinstruct.htm.
The completed application must be mailed to the address shown
on the form. Only one application per teacher will be accepted.
Incomplete applications will not be considered. The application
must be RECEIVED by the IDNR Division of Education any day from
January 1, 2008, through February 29, 2008. A drawing will be
held on March 3, 2008, to determine the class that will participate
at each state park. All applicants will be notified by email after
the drawing as to their status. Winners will be provided with
additional information. PLEASE NOTE: Due to the nature of the
projects, grade-level restrictions apply to applicants. No exceptions
will be made.
If you have questions about "Earth Day in the Parks,"
please email (dnr.teachkids@illinois.gov) or call (217-524-4126)
the IDNR Division of Education.
General
Resources
US
EPA Region 5 Resources for Educators
The
National Park Service Educational Resources
The National Park staff has developed age appropriate
educational worksheets on biology, geology, and history, which
are being distributed for free along with classroom sets of
appropriate Park brochures.
A field guide to aid biologists, naturalists,
land managers, law enforcement officials and students in the
identification of the butterflies found in Illinois. This guide
contains more than 300 color photographs of all species plus
information on habitats, natural history and distribution.
Green Teacher is a non-profit,
practical, quarterly magazine for all K-12 educators and parents
who seek to promote environmental literacy and global awareness
with young people.
- Masters of the Air Booklet The latest addition
to the series of activity books available from the Department
of Natural Resources (IDNR) features 16 hawks and owls with
illustrations to color and descriptions to read. The booklet
also includes several other activities about the raptors.
- Illinois Snakes Poster This is the fifth
poster in the Illinois Fauna series by the IDNR Division of
Education. Twenty-five species of snakes native to Illinois
are illustrated with color images, as are five juvenile snakes.
- Natural Divisions State Map Another poster
is available for you to use! The front side of Illinois' Natural
Divisions has a map of the State showing the location of the
14 natural divisions and a color image of each. The reverse
side explains what the natural divisions are and how they
and the biodiversity of Illinois are related.
- To obtain a copy of the above, or other IDNR Education
materials, contact:IDNR Division of Education
Earth Awareness program is an
interactive enrichment (school assembly) program being utilized
by Education Service Agencies, museums, schools and educational
organizations throughout the United States to teach students
about earth science, the environment (recycling, water, pollution,
rain forests, etc.) as well as subject areas such as geography
and social science. The Earth Balloon, a 20 foot model of the
earth that students enter to learn about the changing planet,
is ideally suited for classes, such as: environmental science,
math and more.
Our Water Environment is now
available on line in its new form as the Water Works Journal
(WW). WW continues the National Water Center's tradition and
commitment to a better understanding and appreciation of all
aspects of our water environment.
Materials include a teacher's guide, posters
for display in classroom and information on the statewide poster
and poetry/prose competition. The guide was designed to meet
the North American Association for Environmental Education's
Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence.
It is correlated to the Illinois Learning Standards. The guide
and the information for the statewide poster and poetry/prose
competition are available on Illinois EPA's Web site (http://www.epa.state.il.us/kids/teachers/index.html).
Environmental
Education Courses Calendar
Fundamentals
of EE
Gain a foundational knowledge of
environmental education and learn how to incorporate quality
EE into your instruction. Participants discuss the history and
goals of EE, develop an understanding of the professional roles
and instructional methods of environmental educators, and interact
with other educators from across the country.
Environmental
Education Grants
Lake
Education Assistance Program (LEAP)
This program provides funding
for various watershed related projects. LEAP offers maximum
awards on a $500 per school and/or other not-for-profit organization
basis. Schools and other not-for-profitorganizations can apply
for financial help for group or individual attendance at field
trips, seminars, workshops or other events related to inland
lakes or lake watersheds. The Illinois EPA will grant approximately
100 awards per fiscal year. Two application periods are offered
annually, September 30 and January 31. Application forms for
LEAP assistance can be obtained from the Illinois EPA, Bureau
of Water, P.O. Box 19276, Springfield, Illinois, 62794-9276,
phone 217/782-3362 or downloaded from the Illinois EPA's homepage.
Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grant
Remember that your grant application package must
be postmarked by January 31, 2008. Applicants may apply for
a field trip to be taken in either spring, summer or fall semesters
2008. Awards up to $500 per teacher are made through this competitive
program. Funds are administered by the Illinois Conservation
Foundation. For instructions and to download the application
form, visit their
website. If you have questions, contact the IDNR Division
of Education at dnr.teachkids@illinois.gov or 217-524-4126.
If you've never applied before, 2008 would be a great time to
start!
Environmental
Education Resources
Environmental
Literacy for IL
'If
Trees Could Talk'
Environmental History Curriculum
Illinois
Environmental Education Database
Environmental education (EE) is
a life-long process of discovering and understanding the interdependence
between humans and their environmental resources. The function
of EE is to foster environmental literacy-to develop a citizenry
that is aware of, and concerned about, the environment and its
associated problems, and which has the knowledge, skills, attitudes,
motivations, and commitment to work individually and collectively
toward solutions for current problems.
Community
Action Problem Solving (CAPS) Program Training
Earth Force offers local training in the Community
Action Problem Solving (CAPS) program. CAPS combines environmental
education, service learning and civic action into one framework
that engages youth to create lasting environmental change in
their communities.
Eisenhower
National Clearinghouse (ENC) Online
ENC, established by the U.S. Department of Education,
focuses on K-12 math and science education. The content on ENC
Online has been organized into four major categories - Curriculum
Resources, Web Links, Professional Resources, and Topics.
ESCAPE
Escape is a collection of 36 hands-on activities
related to exotic aquatic species.
Illinois
Wildflowers
This website has many good photos and great descriptions
of Illinois wildflowers put together by local plant enthusiast
John Hilty.
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