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PROJECT LEARNING TREE GUIDES
Project Learning Tree is the nation’s oldest EE program designed for supplemental use in classrooms, youth group settings, and with nature study settings. The materials are appropriate for all age levels and split between a large activity guide and topic-related modules.
The Pre K-8 PLT Activity Guide includes over 90 activities plus variations and extensions designed to stimulate critical thinking and decision making. They are organized around five major themes: Diversity, Interrelationships, Systems, Structure and Scale, and Patterns of Change. Each theme is built into a conceptual framework, referenced for each activity. These materials were revised in 2006 to incorporate learning through technology, differentiated learning opportunities and updated activities.
Activities range from looking at shapes in the natural world to conducting schoolyard site inventories to exploring cultural changes in your community. The guides are indexed by subject, age/grade, skill, and time considerations to make it easy to incorporate into the curricula. The guides contain an extensive bibliography and glossary, as well as teaching tips and activity extensions.
The secondary materials are designed for students in grades seven through high school. Instead of being one guide built around themes, the secondary level materials are discrete modules concentrating on one general topic area. Each module’s title starts with “Exploring Environmental Issues.” The modules offer plenty of ideas for research and students projects on a variety of topics.
Focus on Forests looks at issues such as old growth forests, land ownership, and land use decision-making.
The Changing Forest: Forest Ecology explores forest changes over time and due to other phenomena in the environment. The module encourages students to learn to measure change and understand how it affects them and other organisms.
Municipal Solid Waste isn’t offered in Vermont at this time. It examines the elements involved in solid waste collection, processing and source reduction.
Focus on Risk defines environmental risk and how it is assessed, evaluated and communicated. It outlines the differences between how experts and the public view risks and how tools and models are used to understand them. It discussed mitigation methods and uses real-life examples to illustrate them.
PLT also has a learning kit entitled “Energy and Society” that explores energy issues through song, music, posters and activities. These kits are available only by special arrangement in Vermont. Contact ginger.anderson@state.vt.us for more information.
Project Learning Tree also sponsors a program entitled Greenworks! to help plan and fund community action and service learning projects by schools and youth groups. Greenworks! information is available upon request, but grants through Greenworks! are only available to participants who have completed a PLT workshop.
Correlations to VT Standards and GE’s for Grades Pre K-8.
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![Vermont Division of Forestry [photo]](../img/top_banner.jpg)
