February 2015 News for Teachers

Need Funding? The Best Grants for Teachers

If you have a classroom project you're keen to bring to life but aren't sure where to start, be sure to visit ACEE's Grants and Awards webpage. We list the top grants available for teachers to apply to.

Here are a few ideas to get you started!

Evergreen School and Community Grants
ConocoPhillips School Environmental Quest Grant
TD Friends of the Environment

Click here to learn more about the grants and awards available to Alberta teachers.

Energize Your Classroom With Up To $10,000

BP's A+ for Energy program awards grants to Kindergarten to grade 12 teachers who create new ways to teach about energy and energy conservation in the classroom.

Since the program began in 2007, students have had the opportunity to creatively explore the role energy plays in their lives through a variety of projects. We've seen classes create documentaries about energy, write pop songs about energy conservation to share with their community and work towards a more energy efficient and paperless school -- to name just a few. The deadline to apply is April 10.

Learn more and apply

STEM Education for a Sustainable Future

The connection between economic growth and environmental sustainability needs to be made early on. To address this, a number of stakeholders in energy and environmental education are working to improve the energy and environmental literacy of Albertan students. Driving their efforts is the belief that today's youth need exactly this kind of literacy to build a prosperous and sustainable future for Alberta.

To learn more about how energy and environmental groups in Alberta are working towards investing in youth and building teacher capacity around the proposed changes to Alberta's curriculum, read the full article here.

ATA Teachers Conventions

ACEE was busy in February presenting at many of the ATA Teachers' Conventions. It was great to meet with such a variety of teachers from around the province. We presented at North East, Central Alberta, Calgary and Greater Edmonton. Here are some of the resources we shared with teachers:

ACEE Bookshelf - Natural Curiosity, Five Minute Field Trips, Building Outdoor Classrooms, Nature Play and Learning Spaces, Forest and Nature School in Canada, Early Childhood Activities for a Greener Earth, Guide to Education for Sustainability, Connecting the Dots.
Searchable Resource Database
Grants, awards and contests
Champion EE - the cited research on the benefits of environmental education.
Working with Alberta Education: Curriculum for a Sustainable Future - the work of an Education Task Force to outline what students should learn to be energy and environmentally literacy;
2013 Ministerial Order that outlines the cross-curricular competencies

Thanks to all the teachers that attended and shared their own classroom examples of incorporating energy and environmental education.

Getting to Know Earth Matters Keynote Wade Davis

Humanity's soaring population, eco-degradation, the rapid loss of the world's languages - these are not exactly things that make Davis's heart soar.

But Davis brings a message of hope for people who despair about the world's chance of surviving. And when this affable and famous explorer, anthropologist, and University of British Columbia professor expresses hope, you listen.

"The world is not dying. It's not falling apart. It's changing," Davis says. "I personally believe that pessimism is an indulgence, despair an insult to the imagination. There are wonderfully positive things out there."

Read more about Davis's thoughts and his advice for the next generation of environmental stewards.

To learn more about the Earth Matters conference, click here.

Richard Louv to Speak at U of A: Free Lecture!

On March 5, Richard Louv, author of 'Last Child in the Woods' and 'the Nature Principle', will be presenting on the topic of nature-deficit disorder, as part of the Forest Industry Lecture series at the University of Alberta.

It's free and you can register here.

Joy in Nature Contest: Win a Trip to Jasper!

Are you part of a group (school, youth group or club) of youth between the ages of 13-19? Do you live in Alberta? Share what your group has done to spend time in nature by submitting a description and photo, and you could win a trip a trip to Jasper to explore and learn for two full days! Applicants must be able to travel to Jasper in June 2015. The deadline to apply for the contest is March 27th.

Learn more and apply

Edmonton Regional CoP Session: February 24th

The next Edmonton Regional CoP session will take place on Tuesday, February 24th from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.

The session will be held at Jasper Place High School and we'll be discussing how our programs deliver on the cross-curricular competencies, our professional learning needs and how we, as a community, can better support teachers. This is a free session but registration is required.

Back On The Trails Conference: May 1-3

Registration is now open for the 2015 GEOEC Conference to be held at the Palisades in picturesque Jasper on May 1-3, 2015. We are excited to present two amazing keynote speakers, Director of the Center for Global Citizenship Education & Research, Dr. Lynette Schultz, and Naturalist & Conservationist Kevin Van Tighem. Sessions offer a combination of indoor and outdoor activities, appreciation for Afro-Caribbean drumming & Geocaching, and include presenters from a wide variety of organizations.

Please visit the GEOEC website to register now!

CPAWS Launches New Gr. 7-9 Education Program

CPAWS Southern Alberta is pleased to announce their new Discover Parks program for Grades 7-9 students!

The Discover Parks program will encourage students to experience the wonders of Alberta's Parks, and will engage students in hands-on, curriculum-linked activities to discover, experience and become stewards of parks ecosystems.

Units covered in this program include:

Grade 7: Science - Interactions and Ecosystems
Grade 9: Science - Biological Diversity

For more information, visit:

http://cpawssouthernalberta.org/campaigns/education

Quick Links

An Inspiring Alberta Education

Read about Edmonton social studies teacher Dan Scratch's suggestions for those involved in our education system, and consider what a truly "Inspiring Education" can be for all of us.

Michelle Obama: Education Is a Civil Rights Issue

During a recent panel discussion, Michelle Obama called education the "single most important" civil rights issue facing the country and pleaded with young people to make going to school a priority.

For more information visit:
www.abcee.org
Questions or comments? Please contact rosemarie@abcee.org.