1 of 88

2 of 88

Agenda

Hour 1:

  • Welcome
  • Examples of Environmental Literacy Integration
  • Breakouts
  • How to Get There
  • Closing

Hour 2: Networking (optional)

  • Discussion and Application

3 of 88

Welcome

4 of 88

Dealing with Climate Anxiety

What is your favorite “Cli-Fi” or Climate fiction book? Share in the chat.

5 of 88

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.

6 of 88

Pause for gratitude:

What are 5 things in your life that make you happy or you are grateful for? (Write these down)

Share one in the chat.

7 of 88

Examples of Environmental Literacy Integration

8 of 88

Speakers

  • History & Civics – Marika Manos OCDE
  • Computational Thinking – Anthony Quan LACOE
  • ELA – Julie Hilborn SMCOE
  • Elementary – Nate Fairchild Shasta COE

9 of 88

History & Civics

10 of 88

How might educators build environmental literacies in History/Social Science contexts?

  • Environmental Principles and Concepts
    • Inquiry Across the Curriculum
    • Analysis, Research, and Discussion
  • Civic Learning Applications
    • Sustainable Development Goals
    • Areas for Study and Action Connected to Civics
    • Opportunities to Celebrate

11 of 88

How do the Environmental Principles and Concepts Relate to H/SS?

Appendix G of the Framework

  • K- What is our neighborhood like?
  • 2- Why do people move?
  • 4- How does the natural environment affect the type of house you build and how many neighbors you have?
  • 6- What environmental factors helped civilizations grow?
  • 7- What impact did human expansion have on the environment?
  • 10- Why did imperial powers seek to expand their empires? How did colonies respond? What were the legacies of these conquests?

12 of 88

How do the Environmental Principles and Concepts Relate to H/SS?

Appendix B of the Framework

  • Professional Learning that Centers: Collaborative Planning and Lesson Study
  • Student Experiences Centering Opportunities for Inquiry with the H/SS Themes
    • Patterns of Population
    • Uses and Abuses of Power
    • Worlds of Exchange
    • Haves and Have Nots
    • Expressing Identity
    • Science, Technology, & Environment
    • Spiritual Life and Moral Codes

13 of 88

State Seal of Civic Engagement

September 10, 2020, the State Board of Education (SBE) adopted criteria and guidance to award a State Seal of Civic Engagement to California students who demonstrate excellence in civics education and participation, and an understanding of the United States Constitution, the California Constitution, and the democratic system of government.

SSCE Web Page

14 of 88

K-8 Civic Learning Pathways

  1. Certificates of recognition are awarded to students who meet performance outcomes of their designated grade-band (upon the completion of 3rd Grade, upon the completion of elementary school in 5th or 6th Grade, and upon the completion of 8th Grade) as outlined in this document, https://tinyurl.com/K-8CivicLearningPathways
  2. The Civic Learning Pathways document, slide deck and accompanying video HERE explaining how it can be used are found HERE, Google Folder.
  3. K-8 Civic Learning Pathways Interest Form HERE. Please complete the form before February 2, 2024.
  4. Districts will be recognized for offering students K-8 Civic Learning Pathways on April 25, 2024 from 4-6pm.

15 of 88

What Problem Would You Like to Solve?

16 of 88

1 week OR 3-6 weeks OR 9-10 weeks

1. LEARN ABOUT ISSUES FACED IN THEIR COMMUNITY

  • Journaling
  • Content ( units 1-3)
  • Brainstorming

UNIT START (Getting Started)

  • Start with student interests.
  • What are they passionate about? Care about?
  • YPAR Basics (Getting Started)

2. “READ” SOMETHING PROVOCATIVE

  • Current events
  • Documentaries
  • TED Talks
  • Primary/secondary source

4. INVESTIGATE/COALESCE

  • Investigate (YPAR)
  • Read / Watch / Listen
  • Write / Think
  • TalK / Collaborative Conversations
  • Corroborate

5. DECIDE ON AN ACTION

3. DECIDE ON AN ISSUE/TOPIC

  • Define issue (YPAR)
  • Pose & refine questions
  • Framing the Inquiry
  • Inquiry proposal
  • Theory of action... “If I ___, then ____”

6. PARTNER WITH…

  • An organization
  • Mentor
  • Expert
  • Communicate Conclusions

7. DO IT!

  • Act!
  • Write?
  • Creative art?
  • TED Talk?
  • Take informed action (YPAR)

8. PRESENT ON IT

  • Audience?
  • Communicate
  • Take Public / Community Engagement

9. REFLECT

  • Self-assess
  • Provide feedback
  • Journal

UNIT END

CIVIC ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT

Community Engagement Ideas

Raise Awareness

  • Create a PSA and Post Online
  • Create a Social Media Campaign
  • Create and Distribute a Leaflet
  • Start a New Club on this Campus
  • Submit a Letter to the Media
  • Write and Circulate a Press Release

Demonstrate Support

  • Contact an Elected Official
  • Create a Petition
  • Initiate a Policy Proposal to Local Policymaker to Address the Issue
  • Organize a Town Hall Meeting that Includes a Variety Of Stakeholders

Donate to a Cause

  • Apply for a Grant
  • Solicit Funds for a Cause

17 of 88

2-LS2-2. Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.

Learn

Investigate pollinators at school

Do

Plant flowers in the school garden

Act

Write a class letter asking no pesticides

18 of 88

Goldenview Elementary

Environmental Science Civic Showcase

  1. Grade Level
  2. Science and Civics
  3. Literacy Emphasis
  4. Action Orientated

19 of 88

How might educators celebrate environmental literacy connections?

20 of 88

Computational Thinking

21 of 88

Approaches to Equitable Science through Computational Thinking

- UCLA Science Project

Facilitators:

Justin Betzelberger & Jon Kovach

10/21/2023

22 of 88

Outcomes & Agenda

Outcomes:

  • Shared understanding of computational thinking for equity in science classrooms
  • Opportunities to engage in computational thinking for equity practices through a series of learning experiences
  • Approaches to integrate computational thinking for equity practices into science lesson design

Agenda: 2:30 - 5:30

  • Welcome & Inclusion
  • CT for Equity
  • Shared Learning Experiences
  • Integration of CT for Equity
  • Next Steps

23 of 88

The Goal of the NGSS

“The aim is to prepare all students graduating from high school to be critical consumers of information and capable problem-solvers and to engage in public discussion using evidence-based argumentation across a broad range of topics.”

A Framework for K-12 Science Education

24 of 88

Practicing Science

“Engaging in the practices of science helps students understand how scientific knowledge develops…. The actual doing of science can pique students’ curiosity, capture their interest, and motivate their continued study.”

  • K-12 Science Framework

25 of 88

Computational Thinking - Defined in the Framework

26 of 88

Computational Thinking: What is It?

Computational thinking (CT) has been defined as “breaking down complex problems into more familiar/manageable sub-problems (problem decomposition), using a sequence of steps (algorithms) to solve problems, reviewing how the solution transfers to similar problems (abstraction), and finally determining if a computer can help more efficiently solve those problems (automation)”

(Yadav, Hong, Stephenson, 2016).

Group Processing: What are you noticing about this definition?

27 of 88

Computer Science

Computational thinking (CT) has been defined as “breaking down complex problems into more familiar/manageable sub-problems (problem decomposition), using a sequence of steps (algorithms) to solve problems, reviewing how the solution transfers to similar problems (abstraction), and finally determining if a computer can help more efficiently solve those problems (automation)”

(Yadav, Hong, Stephenson, 2016).

28 of 88

Math lens for CT (algorithm) -

Science lens for CT

All mathematical ideas can be considered in different ways––visually; through touch or movement; through building, modeling, writing and words; through apps, games and other digital interfaces; or through numbers and algorithms.(Chap 1, p8, Line 188)Rather than seeking only to understand whether students can accurately demonstrate algorithmic proficiency on a single problem type, teachers hold a broader view of how students might demonstrate their mathematical knowledge and understanding. If students do not produce an expected algorithmic response, teachers look for the assets underlying their thinking, to build on what they do understand.(Chap 2, p.12 line 237)

Computational thinking is the human thought process used when deciding what aspects of the real world are important to represent in a computer model. Computational thinking also is used when developing algorithms to simulate agent behaviors and analyzing if a computer model is a valid representation of the real world (for the purposes of answering the particular question at hand). Computational thinking can be developed progressively across the grades as students develop algorithms and describe the components necessary to include in their computer models. Understanding that someone has abstracted the real world into a model and has developed instructions to tell the components of the model how to behave is fundamental to understanding what comprises models, what models are good for, and what limitations models may possess. (CA State Science Framework, Appendix 3, pg. 4, 2nd paragraph)

29 of 88

Adult Learner Lens

Image Credit: Saketh Garuda, Unsplash

30 of 88

Port of Los Angeles

31 of 88

Port of Los Angeles

What comes to mind when you see this image?

32 of 88

Port of Los Angeles

What do you think about when you see this?

33 of 88

Our Los Angeles Pollution Blanket

34 of 88

Port of Los Angeles

Port of L.A. Background:

  • The Port of Los Angeles spans 7500 acres, including parts of Wilmington and San Pedro. Together, the Ports of L.A. and Long Beach make up the largest port in the United States.
  • The South Bay Port Complex (Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach) is the single largest fixed-source of air pollution in Southern California.
  • The ports produce 100 tons of smog every day, more than the daily emissions from the 6 million cars in LA County combined.

What do you think are the major contributors to all the smog produced each day in the port?

35 of 88

Portside Communities

  • The Port of Los Angeles spans 7500 acres, including parts of Wilmington and San Pedro.
  • Over 130,000 people reside in these communities; 36,000 under the age of 18. Over 70% of these residents are people of color.

36 of 88

Port Communities of Los Angeles

37 of 88

Port Communities of Los Angeles

Image Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

38 of 88

Driving Question

The Port of Los Angeles benefits the economy of Los Angeles and Southern California. Let’s consider what other impacts, whether good or bad, the Port might have on the region. Together, we are going to explore our driving question:��In what ways does the South Bay Port Complex impact the health and livelihood of the people in the surrounding communities?

39 of 88

In what ways does the South Bay Port Complex impact the health and livelihood of the people in the surrounding communities?

Decomposing the system & impacts of the Port of LA

Connection

Connection

Connection

Types of Pollution

South Bay Port Complex: �System & Impacts

Connection

Connection

40 of 88

In what ways does the South Bay Port Complex impact the health and livelihood of the people in the surrounding communities?

Decomposition → Critical Questions

Connection

Connection

Connection

Types of Pollution

South Bay Port Complex: �System & Impacts

Connection

Connection

As we break down a complex problem into smaller chunks, it often leads us to think critically about an issue.

What questions came up for you as you decomposed the problem and driving question?

41 of 88

Integrating Environmental Literacy into English Language Arts (ELA)

42 of 88

ELA Integration of Environmental Concepts

43 of 88

Soutionary and Environmental Book Examples

Organized by theme and grade level:

  • Solutionary action
  • General environmental topics
  • Specific topics: Energy, water, waste, etc.
  • Systems thinking books
  • Environmental justice
  • Climate change

44 of 88

A Few Favorites…

45 of 88

Nature Journaling

  • John Muir Laws
  • Focuses attention, crystalizes thoughts, experiences, and observations
  • Helps students discover, think, incorporate and remember new information
  • Connects multiple subject areas with critical thinking and mindfulness
  • Can be used year-long for longitudinal observations
  • Guide to Nature Journaling

46 of 88

High School ELA Curriculum Integration

  • Sustainability and Steinbeck: Of Mice and Men
  • Great Gatsby: themes include consumption, socioeconomic divisions, racial and ethnic discrimination
  • Earth Abides:
    • identify four concerns of Ish and relate them to sustainability
  • Short story unit
    • connecting ideas to environmental, social, or economic sustainability.
    • include an element of sustainability in students’ own original stories.
  • 12th Grade Expository and Descriptive writing lesson plan

47 of 88

Kat Kid Adventure Short Story Challenge

  • Encourages students to write their own story with a climate change or environmental theme
  • San Mateo County Office of Sustainability provided prizes: $150, $100 and $75
  • Winners were announced Feb. 1
  • Kat Kid Adventure mission: to raise a generation of eco heroes

48 of 88

San Mateo County Reads 2023

49 of 88

Silicon Valley Reads 2024

50 of 88

Ten Strands National Poetry Month Event

  • How has nature been a teacher to you?
  • Collective poem of 1-2 lines
  • Will be compiled into a poem of multiple contributors
  • Submissions can be in any language
  • All ages invited to contribute
  • Teachers are also encouraged to submit lines on behalf of their classes
  • Submission deadline: February 29, 2024
  • Link to submit

April

51 of 88

Thank you!

Julie Hilborn

Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Coordinator

San Mateo County Office of Education

jhilborn@smcoe.org

650-802-5406

52 of 88

Elementary

53 of 88

Nature Enhanced Elementary School

Nate Fairchild (He/Him) Why I list my pronouns

Director of Science and Charter School Authorization

Shasta County Office of Education

530.225.0214 (w)

530.339.5374 (c)

nfairchild@shastacoe.org

W

With appreciate to CAELI and CREEC for their support and contributions to these slides

54 of 88

Imagine STudents

that will

  • Feel safe, comfortable, and positive
  • Express themselves
  • Problem solve
  • Tear down mental silos and connect ideas
  • Revel in Nature

Play!

55 of 88

Our Focus

EL → ELA → EL

  • Integrate Env Lit with Science and ELA
  • Science Notebooks
  • Peer-to-Peer Discourse
  • Nature Journals
  • Connect to standards

Play!

56 of 88

It’s Everywhere!

57 of 88

Practices Venn Diagram

The “Practice”standards, across content areas, are what we can help students practice and use to show us their understanding!

58 of 88

English & Science

Practices

The sweet spot in

the center says it all!

59 of 88

Chapter 1

60 of 88

Chapter 1 page 20 - 21

Students need agency in the science notebooks so they are meaningful tools for their use for investigations. They learn the value of written notes.

Science Notebooks should not be used by the teacher for summative assessment, nor should they be a graded product. This creates freedom in writing.

Science Notebooks are tools to inform the teacher and student if they are meeting predetermined goals and if more instruction is needed.

What can you do to encourage students to use their notebooks?

61 of 88

Conversations need frequent teacher intervention

Turns build on previous turns to build up an idea

Turns focus on content or skills related to the lesson objectives

Students carry the conversations themselves.

Student discussion has limited detail associated with a problem, question or topic.

Students have strategies for demonstrating content knowledge; when they are given feedback they apply it to their learning.

Student use productive dialogue,

purposeful reading and meaningful writing to share information using evidence from their own learning and others.

Teacher is primary questioner.

Students give short answers and respond only to the teacher.

Teacher asks “how” questions and sometimes “why”.

Students ask questions of one another with prompting from the teacher.

Teacher provides minimal intervention or direction to students.

Students ask each other probing questions, make claims, challenge claims or evidence. Minimal prompting from the teacher.

Comments

Student discussion responses are one-or-two word statements. Discussion is IRF (initiation - response - feedback) with teacher - student - teacher format.

Student responses are in short phrases or single sentence. Most discussion is teacher - student - teacher.

Most students’ responses are elaborate, using complex and multiple sentences. Most of discussion is student to student

Turn Taking

Level of Response

Questioning

Content

Discourse Observation Tool

DISCOURSE CONTINUUM

H2

62 of 88

Nature Journaling

California Academy of Sciences

63 of 88

SEL and Grow Outside

64 of 88

Webinar 2

Social & Emotional Learning in Environmental Literacy

65 of 88

66 of 88

67 of 88

68 of 88

69 of 88

70 of 88

Breakouts

71 of 88

Choose a Room for A Deeper Chat

  • History & Civics
  • Computational Thinking
  • English Language Arts
  • Elementary

Use the note catcher to share your discussion.

72 of 88

Tools and Resources

73 of 88

Tools and Resources

74 of 88

Our model for professional learning

Learning and skill-building

Coaching

Action-based project or plan

Accountability and reflection

Cohort and network

Other considerations for scaling up:

  • Outreach and publicity
  • Innovators and early adopters vs. late majority
  • Diversity and representation
  • LMS and organizing the learning program
  • In person vs. virtual

75 of 88

Next hour Breakout Rooms

Drop in the Chat the topic / subject area/ tool you want to discuss.

76 of 88

Gots & Needs

Optional Hour 2

Lets us know what you learned and what you still need in the chat.

Networking time to build on your learning.

If you would like to stay on and have a custom breakout room, that works too!

77 of 88

K-12 Bilingual Educational Materials

Tailored, approachable, and customizable for use in a variety of classroom settings designed to meet:

Prepared for all 10 hydrologic regions in the state

SGM TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR TRIBES, UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES AND SMALL FARMERS

SGM TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR TRIBES, UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES AND SMALL FARMERS

78 of 88

Using the Materials

Each lesson includes

    • teacher’s guide
    • definition of terms
    • learning objectives
    • pre-lesson overview
    • main lesson
    • lesson graphics
    • activity
    • discussion questions
    • sources

SGM TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR TRIBES, UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES AND SMALL FARMERS

79 of 88

SGM TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR TRIBES, UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES AND SMALL FARMERS

80 of 88

  • Break -

Back at 10:13

81 of 88

Networking Time

82 of 88

Share Out

In the chat, share a takeaway from your breakout room discussion.

83 of 88

Closing

84 of 88

COES, let us know if you’d like a free micro-site!

aframe@tenstrands.org

85 of 88

Please register here for all 2023-2024 meetings!

See flier here for topics.

86 of 88

87 of 88

Thank You COE Innovation Hub

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

Amy Frame, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Ten Strands

Julie Hilborn, Environmental Literacy Coordinator, San Mateo County Office of Education

Nathan Fairchild, Director of Science, Shasta County Office of Education

Anthony Quan, STEM Coordinator, Los Angeles County Office of Education

Maia Steward, Continuous Improvement Specialist, Mendocino County Office of Education

Summer Belloni, Environmental Literacy Program Manager, Solano County Office of Education

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, Orange County Department of Education

Olivia Kernen, Coordinator, Humboldt County Office of Education

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

88 of 88

Sign up for the newsletter at ca-eli.org