1. Middle Level Education Conference Myrtle Beach Convention Center
PROJECT LEARNING TREE
SC Association for
Middle Level Education Conference
March 4, 2017
Myrtle Beach Convention Center

2. What is Project Learning Tree ?
Project Learning Tree is the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation’s “Center for Environmental Learning”
Founded in 1973, PLT is an award-winning program designed for educators working with students in pre-K through
12th grade.
Activities are used to
supplement the
regular curriculum.
PLT is the oldest Environmental Education curriculums available. Although the program is the oldest, it is also the most up to date as our curriculum is annually evaluated and updated.
PLT Activities are meant to only be a supplement to your regular curriculum, with hands-on activities designed to incorporate the environment into the classroom, using critical thinking and problem solving skills.
PLT TEACHES STUDENTS HOW TO THINK, NOT WHAT TO THINK ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

3. Why should you use PLT materials?
PLT is inexpensive (uses household items)
PLT activities are fun and engaging
PLT WORKS - greater retention, greater involvement, less disciplinary problems & better attitudes
PLT is multi-disciplinary - teaching skills in Science, Math, Language Arts, Social Studies, Visual and Performing Arts.
PLT is correlated to National Standards.
Self explanatory

4. Our Mission
Project Learning Tree advances environmental literacy and promotes stewardship through excellence in environmental education, professional development, and curriculum resources that use trees and forests as windows on the world.
Read mission.

5. PLT uses a Constructivist approach
Constructivist approach and the AKCA model
PLT uses a Constructivist approach
= Awareness: Introduction to an environmental topic, used as an assessment to what the student presently knows and understands.
= Knowledge: The dissemination of content about the topic through investigation and experimental learning.
= Challenge: The students explore viewpoints, challenge ideas and of preconceived viewpoints, and seek consensus.
= Action: Students attempt personal or group action projects based on the knowledge they have gained. A K C
Awareness – the realization and appreciation of an environmental topic. In this phase, student preconceptions may be uncovered and a teacher may be able to assess what students presently know or understand about a concept. Many of the PreK-8 activities in the first of the book are “awareness” activities designed for younger students or introductions to environmental issues.
Knowledge – the dissemination and internalization of information relating to an environmental topic. In this phase, students build conceptual understanding through experimental learning and investigation. Content is important in developing understanding of environmental issues. Without a good scientific or historical understanding of the issue understanding may be bias or skewed.
Challenge – Students work together or independently to develop a consensus and solve the environmental issue. Critical thinking and problem solving skills are used to conclude the investigation.
Action - The entire PLT book and program is designed to lead to student oriented service learning on a personal and community basis. Many of the activities at the end of the book are “action” activities designed to extend into the community the students understanding of local issues.
As part of the PLT program, PLT has “Greenworks!” grants for PLT trained teachers to help with student service learning projects.

6. Who Uses PLT? Classroom Teachers Youth Group Leaders
Nature Center Staff
Museums, Zoos, Parks
Day Care Facilities
Resource Professionals
Government Agencies
Parents
Community Groups
Anyone who teaches youth can use the PreK-8 Activity guide.

7. WE’RE EVERYWHERE! (ALMOST)
Brazil
Canada
China
Finland
Sweden
Slovakia
Japan
Jordan
Mexico
Philippines
All 50 States plus the District of Columbia
All US Trust Territories
We have a long record of quality professional development workshops, training over 17,000 educators since the State Department of Education brought PLT to South Carolina in 1980.
In South Carolina over 20,343 educators have been trained to use PLT materials since 1980

8. Who Sponsors PLT in South Carolina ?
S.C. Forestry Commission – provides day-to-day logistics and coordinator
S.C. Forestry Foundation – non-profit foundation that administers financial matters
S.C. Department of Education – through a MOU, SCDOE provides guidance and membership on the state steering committee
Each state controls how they want to sponsor PLT.

9. PLT 39 Years of History 1976 PLT began in 13 Western states
1980 PLT went International with Canada becoming a partner
1980 PLT brought to S.C. by the State Dept. of Education
1984 SC PLT begins operating as a non-profit consortium
1989 PLT reaches 49 states
1990 PLT begins a multi-year curriculum revision
1993 PLT releases its new revised PreK-8 Activity Guide and Greenworks! service learning grant program
1994 National Field Study of PLT by the Research Commission of the NAAEE
1995 First Secondary Modules released and PLT In The City begins in 5 major Urban areas
2002 PLT releases Energy & Society
2006 PLT releases newly revised PreK-8 Activity Guide
2010 PLT releases Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood
2014 PLT in partnership with PINEMAP release Southeastern Forests and Climate Change
2015 PLT offers the first online workshops!
Bold statements are important.
PLT has been constantly updated and improved, adding additional quality curriculum to high school and special topics in the environment.

10. NATIONAL ASSOCIATE SPONSORS
PLT has a wide range of national partnering organizations, some of which include:
The national sponsors show the diversity of the environmental community that supports PLT program.

11. 2016 S.C. Contributors Georgia-Pacific, LLC
Norbord South Carolina, Inc.
SC Tree Farm Committee
SFI-Implementation Committee
Sonoco Products Co.
SC Forestry Foundation
United Way of Atlanta
WestRock
South Carolina is one of only a few states that do not charge participants for attendance in professional development workshops, thanks to the generous donations of corporations in the state that contribute. This state is rich in natural resources and these companies are willing to finance your learning about it.

12. Richland Co. Conservation District Congaree National Park
Supporters - Provide indirect contributions by sponsoring workshops, contributing materials, etc.
Richland Co. Conservation District
Congaree National Park
Clemson University
Riverbanks Zoo
Lander University
Museum of York County
S.C. Botanical Garden
Benedict College
…And many more…
Supporters don’t contribute directly financially but instead sponsor workshops and provide assistance, often spending more than if they simply wrote a check.

13. What does PLT provide for educators ?
Early Childhood module
PreK - 8 module.
Energy and Society
Secondary modules
Focus on Forests
Municipal Solid Waste
Environmental Risk
Places We Live
Forest of the World
Biodiversity (online)
Biotechnology (online)
Southeastern Forests
and Climate Change
PLT has a whole line of Secondary modules for the High School and middle school programs.

14. Specific Topic and Advanced Workshops
SC’s Sustainable Forestry Teachers’ Tour
5-Day tour of forestry with an Advanced PLT Environmental Education Workshop
3 hours of non-degree graduate credit for $150
All lodging, meals, & tour transportation are FREE!!!
For more information contact Janet Steele at
Special topics such as the Energy and Society kits can be purchased on line at our website or given free if you attend an E&S workshop. E&S uses visual and performing arts (song, dance, posters, activities) to incorporate energy topics into the curriculum.
“Burning Issues” is a CD based program where students learn about fire dependent ecosystems in the US, including the use of prescribed fire in the Southeastern longleaf pine forest. Students simulate a prescribed fire after learning about and gathering a week of data on computer simulation.
The SC Teachers Tour is available as a 3-hour graduate course the last two weeks of June each year for those who want to learn more about the forest ecology of South Carolina. Teachers learn about the social, ecological, and economics of forestry in our state.

15. community service projects Up to $1000 Application deadline
Grants available for PLT trained educators!
GREENWORKS grants for
community service projects
Up to $1000
Application deadline
Sept. 30th each year
All PLT trained participants can apply for GreenWorks service learning grants. So hold on to your certificates for proof you are PLT trained.

16. National PLT Outstanding Educator of the Year Award –
Rewards for Educators
S.C. PLT Outstanding Educator of the Year Award – awarded annually by nomination
2016 Winner:
Chanda Cooper
Richland Soil & Water Conservation District
National PLT Outstanding Educator of the Year Award –
SC has won 11 National educator awards since 1998
PLT also recognizes outstanding educators and rewards their accomplishments.
In the last 10 years we have had 8 of our SC PLT Outstanding Educators win NATIONAL PLT Outstanding Educator awards.

17. And MORE!
Correlations to national curriculum standards in science, social studies, math and language arts
Common Core, FOSS, Head Start, NAEYC, NAAEE, national science and social studies, Girl Scout and Boy Scout correlations, too!
Networking with other schools around the world through our “Environmental Exchange Box”
The BRANCH newsletter (on line)
May want to show correlations now or wait to later in the workshop. (Make sure hyperlink works before using)

18. www.plt.org But wait, there’s more!!!! Resources through our website:
Self explanatory (check hyperlink to website)

19. Vision
Project Learning Tree is committed to creating a future where the next generation values the natural world and has the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed decisions and take responsible actions to sustain forests and the broader environment.
TEACHING STUDENTS HOW TO THINK, NOT WHAT TO THINK ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

20. Activity 27: Every Tree for Itself
PLT in ACTION!!!
Activity 27: Every Tree for Itself
Try this active simulation to give your students an understanding of the conditions that trees need to live and grow and to help your students learn that trees often must compete for their needs.
Skills: Determining Causes and Effects, Identifying Relationships and Patterns, Predicting, Interpreting
Preparation: 15 minutes
Activity: 50 minutes
Materials: Poker Chips & Tree Cookie

21. Grade Seven: Science & Engineering
What Standards?
Grade Seven: Science & Engineering
Standard 7.S.1: The student will use the science and engineering practices, including the processes and skills of scientific inquiry, to develop understandings of science content.
7.S.1A. Conceptual Understanding: The practices of science and engineering support the development of science concepts, develop the habits of mind that are necessary for scientific thinking, and allow students to engage in science in ways that are similar to those used by scientists and engineers.
Performance Indicators: Students who demonstrate this understanding can:
7.S.1A.1 Ask questions to (1) generate hypotheses for scientific investigations, (2) refine models, explanations, or designs, or (3) extend the results of investigations or challenge claims.
7.S.1A.2 Develop, use, and refine models to (1) understand or represent phenomena, processes, and relationships, (2) test devices or solutions, or (3) communicate ideas to others.
7.S.1A.3 Plan and conduct controlled scientific investigation to answer questions, test hypotheses, and develop explanations: (1) formulate scientific questions and testable hypotheses, (2) identify materials, procedures, and variables, (3) select and use appropriate tools or instruments to collect qualitative and quantitative data, and (4) record and represent data in an appropriate form. Use appropriate safety procedures.
7.S.1A.4. Analyze and interpret data from informational texts, observations, measurements, or investigations using a range of methods (such as tabulation, graphing, or statistical analysis) to (1) reveal patterns and construct meaning or (2) support hypotheses, explanations, claims, or designs.

22. Grade Seven: Science & Engineering
What Standards?
Grade Seven: Science & Engineering
7.S.1A.5 Use mathematical and computational thinking to (1) use and manipulate appropriate metric units, (2) collect and analyze data, (3) express relationships between variables for models and investigations, or (4) use grade-level appropriate statistics to analyze data.
7.S.1A.6 Construct explanations of phenomena using (1) primary or secondary scientific evidence and models, (2) conclusions from scientific investigations, (3) predictions based on observations and measurements, or (4) data communicated in graphs, tables, or diagrams.
7.S.1A.7 Construct and analyze scientific arguments to support claims, explanations, or designs using evidence from observations, data, or informational texts.
7.S.1A.8 Obtain and evaluate scientific information to (1) answer questions, (2) explain or describe phenomena, (3) develop models, (4) evaluate hypotheses, explanations, claims, or designs or (5) identify and/or fill gaps in knowledge. Communicate using the conventions and expectations of scientific writing or oral presentations by (1) evaluating grade-appropriate primary or secondary scientific literature, or (2) reporting the results of student experimental investigations.
7.S.1B. Conceptual Understanding: Technology is any modification to the natural world created to fulfill the wants and needs of humans. The engineering design process involves a series of iterative steps used to solve a problem and often leads to the development of a new or improved technology.
Performance Indicators: Students who demonstrate this understanding can:
7.S.1B.1 Construct devices or design solutions using scientific knowledge to solve specific problems or needs: (1) ask questions to identify problems or needs, (2) ask questions about the criteria and constraints of the device or solutions, (3) generate and communicate ideas for possible devices or solutions, (4) build and test devices or solutions, (5) determine if the devices or solutions solved the problem and refine the design if needed, and (6) communicate the results.

23. What Standards? Grade Seven: Ecology
Standard 7.EC.5: The student will demonstrate an understanding of how organisms interact with and respond to the biotic and abiotic components of their environments.
7.EC.5A. Conceptual Understanding: In all ecosystems, organisms and populations of organisms depend on their environmental interactions with other living things (biotic factors) and with physical (abiotic) factors (such as light, temperature, water, or soil quality). Disruptions to any component of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in its diversity and abundance of populations.
Performance Indicators: Students who demonstrate this understanding can:
7.EC.5A.1 Develop and use models to describe the characteristics of the levels of organization within ecosystems (including species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes).
7.EC.5A.2 Construct explanations of how soil quality (including composition, texture, particle size, permeability, and pH) affects the characteristics of an ecosystem using evidence from soil profiles.
7.EC.5A.3 Analyze and interpret data to predict changes in the number of organisms within a population when certain changes occur to the physical environment (such as changes due to natural hazards or limiting factors).

24. What Standards? Grade Seven: Ecology
7.EC.5B. Conceptual Understanding: Organisms in all ecosystems interact with and depend upon each other. Organisms with similar needs compete for limited resources. Food webs and energy pyramids are models that demonstrate how energy is transferred within an ecosystem.
Performance Indicators: Students who demonstrate this understanding can:
7.EC.5B.1 Develop and use models to explain how organisms interact in a competitive or mutually beneficial relationship for food, shelter, or space (including competition, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, and predator-prey relationships).
7.EC.5B.2 Develop and use models (food webs and energy pyramids) to exemplify how the transfer of energy in an ecosystem supports the concept that energy is conserved.
7.EC.5B.3 Analyze and interpret data to predict how changes in the number of organisms of one species affects the balance of an ecosystem.
7.EC.5B.4 Define problems caused by the introduction of a new species in an environment and design devices or solutions to minimize the impact(s) to the balance of an ecosystem.

25. Contact Matt Schnabel Environmental Education Coordinator
SC Forestry Commission
SC Project Learning Tree Coordinator
(office)