Highlights

Morning Sessions
Each session will have an equal and limited number of participants. Session choices will be granted on a first come, first serve basis so arrive early to maximize your options.

1. Quality Resources: Creating the Foundation of Your Environmental Science Course
Sunshine Buchholz, Wisconsin Environmental Science Teacher Network Coordinator & Mary Hamel, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Explore an array of resources that support environmental science courses. This session is ideal if you are developing a new course or would like to enhance an existing course. We’ll begin by highlighting an array of textbooks, print materials, online course materials, and programs that provide background information and support materials. Following will be examples of print and online resources available from the Wisconsin DNR.

2. Addressing Environmental Issues: Developing Student Action Projects
Kris Stepenuck, Water Action Volunteers Program Coordinator & Joe Riederer, Wisconsin Rapids Middle School Science Teacher

Student action projects are a powerful educational tool when done correctly. However, it can be intimidating and demanding to facilitate these projects. This session will provide basics of developing student action projects including selecting appropriate projects, designing projects, example project ideas, and people and programs that can provide assistance. Case studies of student projects will be provided as examples of what students can accomplish.

3. Teaching Current Issues: Climate Change
Robert Bohanan, Center for Biology Education, UW-Madison

Current issues provide the opportunity to grab students’ attention and to make learning relevant. However, issues-based education needs to be done in a way that is balanced and allows students to form their own opinions and actions. This session will present a climate change education project as an example of effective issues-based environmental education. Background on how the climate change project was developed, how it is delivered, and the resources that are utilized will be discussed. Ideas will be shared on maintaining balance, ensuring accuracy of information presented, and accessing community resources.

4. Stepping beyond Ecological Footprint: Addressing Sustainability throughout Environmental Science
Jeremy Solin, LEAF, Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education

This session will provide ideas and tools to incorporate systems thinking and sustainability in all areas of your environmental science course. The Natural Step Framework provides easily understood, science-based principles for sustainability. These principles can be applied to all areas of human effort to assess their sustainability. The session will provide an overview of The Natural Step Framework and explore ways that it can enhance the sustainability discussion in your course.
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Lunch Presentation You'll enjoy highlights from Wisconsin's environmental science community. You just may see your name in lights. .

Afternoon Sessions - Environmental Science Resources Exchange We all enjoy discovering new ideas and resources to enhance our courses. We all have great materials that others can benefit from using. The afternoon sessions will provide an environment for exchanging resource suggestions and ideas for use in environmental science courses. Seven topics will be highlighted: - ecological principles - human systems - energy - air - land - water - living resources/biodiversity Come prepared to share your favorite environmental science teaching resources. These may include activity ideas, effective labs, field trips and guest speakers, web sites, videos, books, assessment strategies, and techniques you use to engage students. In addition to sharing these ideas during the session, you’ll also learn how to locate resources and share your activities using a new online tool for environmental science teachers. Fellow environmental science teachers will host these sessions. The seven topical sessions will be repeated so participants can attend two. .

Win A trip to South Africa!
We will be giving away great environmental science resources...and...one lucky Summit participant will win a three-week, professional development experience in South Africa in the summer of 2009. The trip participants will work and travel with leading educators in South Africa and will examine how they incorporate sustainability education in to existing curriculum. The human dimension of environmental issues will be a focus of this program and will be explored through studies at Addo Elephant Park, Rhodes University in Grahamstown, Western Cape University in Cape Town, nature centers, parks and other environmental education centers. This prize is valued at approximately $6,000.  

This experience is sponsored by GET – the Global Environmental Teachings Program at UW-Stevens Point. More information: http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/wcee/get/southafrica.asp  
FLYER

Fine Print

• This award covers all travel expenses and graduate credit costs for the 2009 South Africa trip through GET. Should the trip be cancelled for any reason the award is not transferable to another GET trip.
• The cost of three graduate credits through UWSP are covered and include 1 credit for a pre-travel online course and 2 credits for the travel portion of the experience.
• The winner must participate in both the online pre-travel portion of the experience and the travel portion of the experience.
• Eligibility is limited to currently practicing classroom teachers.
• Eligibility is limited to Wisconsin teachers.
• If the winner is not able to go on the 2009 South Africa trip he or she may find a replacement teacher from Wisconsin to take his/her place. This prize is only for the 2009 South Africa trip and is not transferable to another GET trip.