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News and Views | January 2014
A Publication of the California Department of Education STEM Office
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| Statewide Coordinator's Message |
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Greetings!
Happy New Year!
Despite the very dry conditions in California this winter, many migratory birds have still made their way back to our fields and
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Snow Geese and the Sutter Buttes ,
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wetlands. Festivals and events are being held throughout the state this month and next to celebrate their return. Whether it is the Snow Goose Festival in Butte County, or the Winter Bird Festivals in Morro Bay, San Diego, or Galt, you are sure to find a way to enjoy the beauty of birds in your region by visiting our events calendar at CREEC.org.
January is also the start of tax season. Beginning this year, there will be a new way to donate to coastal and marine education right on your state tax form. The "Protect our Coast and Oceans Fund" will be listed in the Voluntary Contributions section near the end of the form, and taxpayers can simply fill in a tax deductible donation amount. Contribution to this fund will be dispersed back into our communities as part of the Coastal Commission's Whale Tail Grants program, which funds K-12 education, public awareness campaigns, citizen science, and coastal stewardship efforts throughout the state.
Anne Stephens, Statewide Coordinator The CREEC Network California Department of Education, |
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March 27-29, 2014: Green Schools National Conference, Sacramento, CA
More information on the conference website
2016 Science Framework: The California Department of Education is about to start the convening of focus groups to prepare for the development of the 2016 Science Framework that will help guide implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards. A Draft Schedule of Significant Events for the 2016 Science Framework is now available.
Be sure to visit our online calendar for a complete listing of events this winter.
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The Education and the Environment (EEI) Curriculum teaches to mastery select K-12 California academic content standards in Science and History-Social Science, using the environment as a context for learning.You can use the EEI Curriculum to:
- Replace old lessons with new, up-to-date materials that engage your students in topics that matter to them - the air they breathe, the water they drink, the food they eat.
- Cultivate your students' understanding of their relationship with the environment.
- Make learning relevant and fun!
- Prepare your students to be critical thinkers and 21st century problem solvers.
- Encourage your students to be responsible stewards of the earth.
- Teach History-Social Science and Science standards to mastery, and support California ELA and California Common Core standards for ELA and Literacy (K-12)
Please visit www.californiaeei.org to download materials and find out about both online and in-person training.
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Grants, Awards, and Contests
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EPA is welcoming applications from public school teachers (K-12) for the third annual Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Education. The award recognizes outstanding K-12 teachers and their local education agencies nationwide for excellence in integrating environmental education into their lessons and connecting students with their communities and the natural world. Winners will receive $2,000 to support their professional development in environmental education and each winner's school will also receive a $2,000 award to help fund environmental education activities and programs that support the teacher.
EPA's EE Model Grant Program is currently accepting applications. The program works to engage communities across the country through educational projects that have a lasting impact on local watersheds and air quality. This year's competitive grants program will total $2.77 million. Grants will be awarded from each of the ten EPA regional offices and EPA's headquarters in Washington, DC for a total of 22 to 32 grants. Each award will be an estimated $75,000 to $200,000.
 Action for Nature is calling for applications for the International Young Eco-Hero awards. Applicants, aged 8 to 16 years, will be honored for self-initiated projects of one year or more that they have undertaken as individuals that have had a significant environmental impact and have influenced others to care about the natural world. Now in its 12th year, over 100 youth have been recognized from the U.S. and the world. There are cash prizes of up to $500.
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Opportunities for Students and Teachers
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For Students
Application Deadline: January 31, 2014
The Joint Science Education Project (JSEP) announces a call for applications from U.S. high school students interested in participating in field research in Greenland. Five U.S. high school students will join peers from Denmark and Greenland to spend three weeks during summer 2014 doing field science in and around Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, and visiting Summit Station, a research base on the Greenland ice sheet. Students and teachers will work alongside scientists on research projects in a wide variety of fields including biology, geology, climatology, chemistry, and engineering. Students chosen for the U.S. team must be in 10th or 11th grade at the time of application, and they must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The program is sponsored by NSF's Division of Polar Programs.
The Green Schools Alliance (GSA) invites outstanding high school students who have demonstrated leadership in their schools or communities to participate in the sixth annual Student Climate & Conservation Congress (Sc3). Hosted by the U.S. Fish Wildlife Service's National Conservation Training Center (NCTC), Sc3 trains students in general leadership and organizational skills so they can lead a conservation project when they return home. Students are immersed in the program and return home with a new set of tools and a greater understanding of the interrelation between human societies, economies and the natural environment, making them an even stronger force for sustainable change in their local community. Speakers and mentors for 2014 include CBS News historian Douglas Brinkley, Aldo Leopold biographer and conservation biologist Curt Meine, filmmaker Ian Cheney, and many more plenary speakers and workshop leaders.
For Teachers
Green Ambassadors Institute: Professional Development for Environmental Service Learning. Looking for easy-to-use Common Core-aligned curriculum that engages students in solving real-world environmental issues? Sign up for the Green Ambassadors Institute-a learning lab project of Environmental Charter Schools-in Spring 2014.
Course Dates 2014:
Interdisciplinary Learning in Action: February 7 and 10
Green 101: Waste February 25 and 26
Earth Day Carnival: March 24 and June 6
Service Learning for Sustainability: April 8 and 9
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Environmental Education Resources
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Project Learning Tree Materials
Project Learning Tree's award-winning Energy & Society Kit can now be purchased directly from Acorn Naturalists. To supplement the kit, PLT has created a new to highlight specific connections to STEM, Next Generation Science Standards, and Common Core State Standards, as well as up-to-date information and resources on topics such as "fracking" and climate change, recommendations for children's books, careers in energy, and more! This new, online energy resource center is a comprehensive tool kit of energy education resources.
Introducing Conservation Connect for Schools
Conservation Connect is a new web-based video series that connects middle school students with the great outdoors and conservation careers. Produced by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Conservation Training Center, each episode will help students learn about wildlife, careers, and new technologies utilized to study and protect wildlife. An introductory broadcast for teachers and visitor services specialists will give a preview of the five- to seven-minute episodes, and illustrate how these videos can supplement the use of existing EE curriculum, citizen science projects, and STEM content.
Workshops for Teachers
Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) is an award-winning, nonprofit water education program and publisher. The program facilitates and promotes awareness, appreciation knowledge, and stewardship of water resources through the dissemination of classroom-ready teaching aids and the establishment of internationally sponsored Project WET programs. The Water Education Foundation is the California Coordinator for Project WET. Find a Workshop now!
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CREEC Regional e-Newsletters are a publication of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Office, California Department of Education.
Copyright � 2013 Reprints and Permission: Although CREEC holds the copyright to this email, we grant permission to use our copyrighted text for a variety of education related purposes, and therefore encourage dissemination and sharing via social media and other reprint, reproduction or dissemination whether electronic or hard copy print.
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