Bring the Great Lakes Into Your High School Classroom Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative Place-Based Education Conference 2012 East Lansing, MI Katie Larson Education Coordinator Alliance for the Great Lakes klarson@greatlakes.org 312.445.9726
A Community that Cares for the Great Lakes Formed in 1970, the Alliance for the Great Lakes is the oldest independent Great Lakes citizens' organization in North America. Our community today includes Individuals Businesses Elected officials Teachers and students Environmental advocates Policy leaders Recreational enthusiasts Civic organizations The Alliance is the only independent policy organization working solely to improve the Great Lakes every day.
The Great Lakes: Why they re important to all of us World treasure a place to visit and admire Recreation a place to have fun Biodiversity a place for many plants and animals, including 180 species of fish Home a place with many different habitats
Issues that Matter to the Alliance Clean water Sustainable water use Ecosystem restoration Emerging threats Civic and youth participation, e.g. Great Lakes in My World and Adopt-a-Beach Invasive species
Why Education Matters Help alleviate current issues Anticipate and prevent future environmental problems
Bringing the Great Lakes into Your School People making choices: Stewards: understand the value of the resource Problem solvers: understand the issues Visionaries: develop and implement solutions
Great Lakes in My World 9-12 a coastal habitats curriculum 17 lesson plans that address coastal habitat restoration and enhancement topics through standards-based learning Introduce students to Great Lakes natural resource management Observe and develop action plans for stewarding coastal habitats 1. Connect Understand resource value 4. Synthesize Develop reference portfolio 2. Explore Understand concepts and problems 3. Investigate Develop and implement solutions
1. Connect: understand resource value Overcoming the So what? attitude Opportunities for enjoyment and reflection
2. Explore: understand concepts and problems What are they? Why do they matter? What is their source? Great Lakes as a living laboratory
3. Investigate: develop solutions for real problems Real data Real issues Authentic learning
4. Synthesize: analyze data and implement solutions Real issues Collaborative problem-solving Service Learning
Great Lakes in My World 9-12 Real-world issues Common Core State Standards and the Great Lakes Literacy Principles Anticipating new science standards in late 2012 Cross-disciplinary - Science - Social Studies - Language Arts
Great Lakes in My World 9-12 Audience: 9-12 educators and students 17 activities, 66 Creature Cards, 1 USB flash drive Topics: Ecology, Botany, Mapping, Careers, Stewardship Student pages Assessment rubrics Glossary
Great Lakes in My World: 9-12 a coastal habitats curriculum Topics: Coastal Resource Education Issues: Coastal habitat destruction and invasive species Essential Questions: How was the Great Lakes basin formed? How have the coastal habitats changed? Why should humans work to restore and enhance these coastal habitats? What are the benefits for the region? How can humans be a positive influence on the region?
Giving Back to the Great Lakes: Adopt-a-Beach It is a year-round opportunity for families, schools, businesses and communitybased groups to conduct litter monitoring and water quality testing along the Great Lakes shorelines.
Giving Back to the Great Lakes: Adopt-a-Beach 1991 begun as part of the International Coastal Cleanup 2002 year-round program launched 2008 Adopt-a-Beach next steps - aligned forms with EPA Sanitary Survey Complete two forms: 1. Routine Visit Form 2. Litter Monitoring Form and enter the data into our online database.
Adopt-a-Beach : Litter Monitoring Form Trash In 2011, year-round Adopt-a-Beach groups picked up: Cigarette filters 119,256 Caps and lids 45,645 Food wrappers and containers 33,445 Straws and stirrers 21,119 Cigar tips 20,402 Plastic bags 15,167 Plastic beverage bottles 12,739 Cups, plates, eating utensils 12,290 Beverage cans 9,779 Glass bottles 9,418
Mark your Calendars: Adopt-a-Beach Join us for a web-based training, held monthly: www.greatlakes.org/ adoptabeachtrainings Spring Kick-off: April-May 2013 September Adopt-a- Beach event (part of the International Coastal Cleanup): September 21, 2013
Taking Action Use the information you gather to take action: Educate others with a display or presentation Meet with your local beach authority Write a letter to the editor of your local paper Meet with elected officials Start a campaign against litter
Contacting us General Adopt-a-Beach email: adoptabeach@greatlakes.org General Education email: education@greatlakes.org State outreach staff: Illinois and Indiana, Katie Larson at klarson@greatlakes.org Michigan and Minnesota, Jamie Cross at jcross@greatlakes.org New York, Nate Drag at ndrag@greatlakes.org Ohio, Hyle Lowry at hlowry@greatlakes.org Wisconsin, Todd Brennan at tbrennan@greatlakes.org To register for Adopt-a-Beach, visit www.greatlakesadopt.org or www.adoptabeach.org. Learn more about the Alliance: www.greatlakes.org All photos in this presentation belong to the Alliance for the Great Lakes and /or Lloyd DeGrane