Welcome and Connector

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Land Acknowledgement

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Connection

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Share a nature space that has shaped your identity

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Our Why

Schools are a gateway to powerful, life changing outdoor learning experiences.

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We have the opportunity to ensure that all children build connection to nature.

COP Objectives

By sharing our resources and innovative practices, this COP intends to build the capacity of COEs to serve as regional backbone support for the following outcomes in each county:

• Supporting access to regular and ongoing environmental and outdoor learning experiences for students, by working with school districts, teachers, and community-based partners. This work centers on supporting those from the most vulnerable and marginalized communities.
• Supporting development of district-wide plans that include experiences for students at all grade levels, with an emphasis on low income students and students of color.
• Applying frameworks that integrate environmental literacy and sustainability into the curriculum, campus, community, and culture.
• Infusing sustainability principles and practices into COE core operations.

Community of Practice Meetings

• Meeting 1: August 26, 2021 - COEs as Leaders in Systemic Change
• Meeting 2: Oct 14, 2021 - Facilitating a Community-Based Partner Network
• Meeting 3: December 9, 2021 - Curriculum and Professional Learning
• Meeting 4: February 3, 2022 - Sustainable Facilities, Climate Resilient Campuses, and Outdoor Learning
• Meeting 5: April 7, 2022 - Funding Environmental Literacy Programs
• Meeting 6: June 9, 2022 - Youth and Parent Engagement

Please register here for all meetings!

Automatic registration was not available! Calendar holds are not registrations.

Agenda

Curriculum and Professional Learning

• Welcome, Land Acknowledgement & Connector
• Overview of Curriculum and Instruction Leverage Points for Change
• Time for Processing and Applying to your COE
• Tools, Next Steps, Survey & Closing

Curriculum and Instruction Leverage Points

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Curriculum and Instruction and Leverage Points

• Standards, Frameworks, and Instructional Materials
• Internal Capacity Building within COE for Content Coordinators
• Professional Learning & Instructional Shifts: Content, Instructional Strategies, and Whole Child Methodology Frameworks
• Awards and Recognition
• Expanded Learning and Early Learning

Standards, Frameworks, and Instructional Materials

CA Environmental Principles & Concepts

AB 1548 (2003-2004) - Standards Integration in 2013

Principle V: Decisions affecting resources and natural systems are based on a wide range of considerations and decision-making processes.

Principle I: The continuation and health of individual human lives and of human communities and societies depend on the health of the natural systems that provide essential goods and ecosystem services.

Principle II: The long-term functioning and health of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems are influenced by their relationships with human societies.

Principle IV: The exchange of matter between natural systems and human societies affects the long-term functioning of both.

Principle III: Natural systems proceed through cycles that humans depend upon, benefit from, and can alter.

CA Environmental Principles & Concepts

Topics - Updated in Ed Code in SB 720, 2018

(1) Air.

(2) Climate change.

(3) Energy.

(4) Environmental justice.

(5) Environmental sustainability.

(6) Fish and wildlife resources.

(7) Forestry.

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(8) Integrated pest management.

(9) Oceans.

(10) Pollution prevention.

(11) Public health and the environment.

(12) Resource conservation, waste reduction, and recycling.

(13) Toxics and hazardous waste.

(14) Water.

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Science

Science Framework

K-12th Grade Level Chapters

Chapter 11: Instructional Strategies

Outdoor and Problem-Based Learning

Appendix 2: Connection to Environmental Principles & Concepts

K-12th alignment with Performance Expectations, DCIs, CCCs, and SEPs

Matrix of EP&Cs in NGSS

Grade Level Band Topics

(Not in Framework)

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Vignettes

• 2nd Grade: Biodiversity in Changing Environments
• Anchor phenomenon: Different numbers of organisms and types of organisms live in different locations on the schoolyard.
• 8th Grade: School Solar Energy Project
• Anchoring phenomenon: How much energy will solar panels on our school rooftop provide?
• High School Chemistry: Fertilizers and Global Hunger
• In the role of chemical engineers, students examine chemical reactions in synthetic fertilizers with the goal to eradicate global hunger

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History-Social Science

History-Social Science Framework

K-12th Grade Level Chapters

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Appendix B: Problems, Questions, and Themes in the History and Geography Classroom

Key Theme 6: Science, Technology, and the Environment

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Appendix G: CA Education in the Environment Initiative

K-12th Model Curriculum Units - Free Downloadable

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Environmental Literacy Integration

• 4th Grade: California - A Changing State

Colonists introduced European plants, agriculture, and a pastoral economy based mainly on cattle. (p.75)

• 6th Grade: Ancient Civilizations

How did the environment influence the migrations of early humans? How did early humans adapt to new environments and climate changes? (p.144)

• 11th Grade: U.S. History & Geography

Students learn about the prosperity and proliferation of consumer goods on the market in the 1920s, and that with these changes came both intended and unforeseeable consequences, many resulting in social effects on people and impacts on the environments where they lived (Environmental Principle IV). (p.392)

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Health

Health Education Framework

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Health Standards

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“Provide opportunities for ‘place-based’ learning and for students to empower themselves with knowledge and take action regarding local environmental injustices.” 


-Chapter 7, Page 29

Vignettes

• Middle School: Writing Arguments about Healthy Food
• Selected Standard: (7-8 8.1.N) Practice making healthy eating choices with friends and family.
• Students research conventional and organic farming. Working with the ELA and ELD teacher, they compose a written argument regarding organic food choices in the cafeteria.

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• High School: Why is That in Our Community?
• Selected Standard: (9-12 1.13.P) Describe the impact of air and water pollution on health.
• Students investigate an environmental health issue on campus that leads them to a study of environmental health topics in their local community. They analyze the results of data they collect on health. In the process, they learn about agencies that promote health and protect the environment and discover how they can keep informed about local issues.

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Arts

California Arts Education Framework

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Chapter 8: Transcending Disciplinary Boundaries—Arts Integration

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“Using their own experiences and knowledge, young artists can explore themes across all aspects of their world and interests — literature, sciences, history, environment, and personal and social issues.”

-Chapter 8, Page 1

Vignettes

• 3rd Grade: Visual Arts + Math

Students observe, deconstruct, and draw animals in urban environments using basic shapes.

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• 5th Grade: Music + Literacy

Students work together to compose music and lyrics inspired by the fall season.

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• Middle School: Integrated Unit - EP&Cs + Media Arts, Science, History-Social Science, + Health

Students investigate local causes of water pollution and create media campaigns to promote solutions to improve public health.

Internal Capacity Building with Content Coordinators in COE

SMCOE Story Telling: Internal Capacity Building

• Content Coordinators Team Read: The World Becomes What We Teach

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• Shared Educational Philosophy and “North Star”

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• Integrated Model Curriculum Projects and PD Offerings

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• Each Coordinator embeds environmental and social justice into their own work

Professional Learning for Instructional Shifts: Content, Instructional Strategies, Whole-Child Methodology Frameworks

Santa Cruz COE Story Telling:

District Capacity Building With NGSS

History & Context:

• Districts showed new science commitment with end of NCLB and release of NGSS
• Key districts’ science coordinators saw strengths of environmental literacy for science engagement
• Community-based Partners were engaged early in strategic planning process
• COE dedicated staff time to environmental literacy

County Science Initiative:

• All ten districts working in parallel and in collaboration toward common science vision.
• Partnered with BaySci at UC Berkeley to lead vertical team strategic planning
• COE committed to using environmental context and modeling integration throughout.

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Santa Cruz Countywide Vision for Science

“All students will have equitable, meaningful, and regular access to high-quality science and engineering learning experiences, in a variety of richly complex learning environments. These experiences will prepare them for a future of college and career, inspire curiosity, and will build student capacity to be scientifically and environmentally literate so that they become responsible and informed participants of our democracy to positively impact their communities and the world.”

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• All individual districts also included environmental literacy and/or outdoor learning as part of their individual district science vision and mission statements.
• All districts committed to sending a team of teacher leaders for training led by the COE

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NGSS & Outdoor Learning

Teacher Leaders at Every School Site & Grade Band

Building a shared vision and understanding of NGSS and environmental literacy

Santa Cruz COE Teacher Leadership Institute for Science and Environmental Literacy

• NGSS content related to themes of watershed, ocean, and climate
• Lesson sequences co-created by Teacher Leaders and Environmental Education Partners for every grade level
• Outdoor learning as part of every classroom’s curriculum (even Distance Learning that took students offline and outdoors)
• Integrated student action projects & social-emotional learning and climate justice

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Teacher Leadership Institute K-12 Lesson Sequences

2021-22 Teacher Leadership Institute

• Train the Trainer Model in 2021-22
• Teacher Leaders and EE Partners create PD sessions with facilitator guides to support science and environmental literacy and dissemination of the lesson sequences
• Goal: every student has at least one science and environmental literacy focused lesson sequence with locally-based outdoor learning during each of year of their K-12 education

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Custom PD requests: Leveraging Outdoor Learning for Teaching

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SMCOE Story Telling for PBL: Come All and District

• Pilot Environmental Literacy infused PBL at COE Solutionary Teacher Fellowship with early adopters
• Use examples and resources at universal district PD trainings

SMCOE Story Telling: SEL and Trauma Informed Practices

• Identify why people are focused on SEL and TIP and where are natural entry points for environment
• Integrate into Come All and custom District Professional Learning
• Integrate into Student Services related communities of practice

Trauma and the Environmental and Climate Crisis - Resources for SEL and Trauma Informed Practices

SMCOE Story Telling: COVID-19 and Outdoor Learning

COVID-19 brought an increased enthusiasm for being outdoors - this is an opportunity for short and long-term mindset shifts

SMCOE framing has been inclusive for all subject areas and activities

1. Learning and playing within the outdoors - meaning the focus is not on the environment, and the outdoors is just where the learning and play takes place.
2. Learning and playing from or with the outdoors - meaning the focus is about the environment, and the outdoors is a part of the lesson and play.

Awards and Recognition

• Announced in Fall 2011
• Recognizes whole school sustainability and environmental literacy achievement

• Launched March 2014
• Aligned with ED-GRS
• Removes barriers to entry
• Provides feedback
• Encourages re-application

Aims to inspire school communities to strive for 21st-century excellence by highlighting promising school sustainability practices such as:

• Reducing environmental impact and costs in facilities and operations
• Improving the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff
• Providing effective environmental and sustainability education

Oak Park Unified: Green Ribbon District Green Ribbon Schools - Pillars 1 and 3

“The Campus is a Classroom”

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Additional Opportunities: Expanded Learning and Early Learning

Systems Analysis Processing

Breakout Room Discussions

• Content/subject area coordinators?
• Convening District Curriculum and Instruction people?
• What programs do you run at the COE that anyone in the county can attend? PL workshops? Catch All. Y’all Come. Communities of Practice.
• Customized PD for the districts
• Textbook Adoption
• Cross Department or Division collaboration?

Curriculum and Instruction Considerations

Systems Analysis

Using the spreadsheet please add your responses.

Consider the following Questions:

1. What are your current systems in place for Curriculum and Instruction in your COE?
2. Which leverage points are the right fit for your county?
3. What support might you need to be successful?
4. What successes do you have to share regarding environmental literacy in curriculum or professional learning?

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Region or COE Breakouts

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• Choose someone to be the notetaker on spreadsheet.
• Go to the 2nd tab labeled “COP 3 Dec 2021”
• Discuss the questions from the prior slide with your Region or COEs.

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Breakout Rooms

• Please join a breakout room by region - or if there are lots from your COE - you will have your own room.

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• If you would like another room configuration please let us know in the chat or come back to the main room.

Curriculum and Instruction and Leverage Points

• Standards, Frameworks, and Instructional Materials
• Shared Educational Philosophy and Internal Capacity Building for Content Coordinators
• Professional Learning & Instructional Shifts: Content and Pedagogy
• Awards and Recognition
• Expanded Learning and Early Learning

Teacher Call to Action Toolkit Sneak Preview

Part 1 - The Imperative

The Moral Imperative for Environmental Literacy

Environmental degradation and the climate crisis disproportionately affect the health, economic opportunity, and fundamental rights of children and youth. This makes taking environmental action a generational justice and equity issue. Educators and School Boards are uniquely positioned to address this environmental injustice as they are responsible for the well-being and education of children and youth. Furthermore, they are charged with preparing future leaders and decision makers, who are stepping into an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world.

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Curriculum Mandates and Expectations

College and Career Readiness

Connections to CA MTSS

Part 2 - Voices from the Field

Case Studies in Environmental Literacy

Part 3 - Roadmap

Identify Your Comfort Zone

Identify Connections and Get Inspired

Identify Partnerships

Check with Your Local County Office of Education for More Partners!

Identify Trauma Informed Practices and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

Grow Outside Framework Adaptation of CASEL

Identify the Campus as a Laboratory for Learning

Identify Ways to Get Involved Beyond the Classroom

Closing

Upcoming Opportunities

1. Invitation: Convening for COEs leading or launching Community Based Partner Networks using our toolkit

January 27 9-10am

RSVP in today’s exit survey

• Funding Opportunity: Bay-Watershed Training (B-WET) Grants

January 13 webinar

What

California B-WET funds locally relevant, authentic experiential learning for K-12 audiences through Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs). MWEEs involve learning both outdoors and in the classroom and advance the Next Generation Science Standards, the California Environmental Literacy Standards and Concepts, and the Ocean and Climate Literacy Essential Principles.

Priorities

1) Systemic Implementation in School Districts (Professional development for teachers AND student experiences)

2) Teacher Professional Development for Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences

3) Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences for Students

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Funding is now available to the following counties:

Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Solano, San Francisco, Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Mateo, Alameda, San Joaquin, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Monterey, San Benito, Merced, Madera, Fresno, San Luis Obispo, Kern, Kings, Tulare, Santa Barbara, Ventura

Funding Amount and Duration: Up to $100,000 per year for 3 years

Eligible Applicants: Districts, County of Offices of Education, Schools

Due Date for Application: TBA (last year was in February)

Informational Meeting: January 13 Webinar; information will be posted at CA B-WET website

Contact: seaberry.nachbar@noaa.gov

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Closing

We are listening!

Feedback & Interest Survey

Thank You from the COE Innovation Hub

Amity Sandage, Environmental Literacy Coordinator, Santa Cruz County Office of Education

Amy Frame, K-12 Program Manager, Ten Strands

Andra Yeghoian, Environmental Literacy Coordinator, San Mateo County Office of Education

Olivia Kernan, Environmental Literacy Coordinator, Humboldt County Office of Education

Nathan Inouye, Environmental Literacy Coordinator, Ventura County Office of Education

Kate Bilse, Americorps VISTA Maker Fellow, Ventura County Office of Education

Will Franzell,Educational Administrator, Science/STEAM, Monterey County Office of Education

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Tamara Basepayne, Coordinator Outdoor Education and Environmental Literacy, Durham Ferry STEM Programs, San Joaquin County Office of Education

Jennifer Mutch, Science Coordinator, Santa Clara County Office of Education

Katie Beck, STEM Coordinator, Educational Services Orange County Department of Education

Lori Kiesser, Coordinator, Development & Funding, Inside the Outdoors, Orange County Department of Education

Crystal Howe, Environmental Literacy Coordinator, San Diego County Office of Education

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Community of Practice Meetings

• Meeting 1: August 26, 2021 - COEs as Leaders in Systemic Change
• Meeting 2: Oct 14, 2021 - Facilitating a Community-Based Partner Network
• Meeting 3: December 9, 2021 - Curriculum and Professional Learning
• Meeting 4: February 3, 2022 - Sustainable Facilities, Climate Resilient Campuses, and Outdoor Learning
• Meeting 5: April 7, 2022 - Funding Environmental Literacy Programs
• Meeting 6: June 9, 2022 - Youth and Parent Engagement

Please register here for all meetings!

Automatic registration was not available! Calendar holds are not registrations.

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