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ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM for Lee County
Schools
The purpose of the Lee
County Conservation Board’s environmental education program is to:
- Increase awareness of natural resources in the
county
- Foster positive attitudes toward the natural
environment
- Increase understanding of the foundations of
ecology
- Promote the reduction of personal impacts and
the improvement of the quality of natural environments
FIELD
DAYS
Field Days generally
involve a visit by one or more classes to a designated county or state park.
In order to more efficiently reach our goals, we have developed standardized
Field Days for each grade level. These Field Days explore general themes
through a variety of activities. Ideally, each Field Day starts with an
Opening Session that is fast-paced and fun, includes all students, and
introduces the day’s theme. Students then break into small groups for two to
three lesson plans, and regroup at the end of the day for a Closing Session. Teachers are required to help teach one
lesson along with the naturalists teaching the opening session, closing
session, and two lessons.
SCHEDULING
With Field Days
becoming more and more popular, and in order to implement the goals that we
have set for the LCCB Environmental Education program, certain priorities
will be presented as follows:
September All 4th,
Parochial, Central Lee 3rd, 5th, 6th
October-All 4th,
Parochial, C. Lee 3rd, 5th, 6th
November-Open
April-3rd, 1st, 6th,
2nd, 5th, H.S.
May-3rd, 1st, 6th, 2nd,
5th, H.S.
This schedule should be
used as a guide only. For example, it
does not mean that we will refuse to schedule a 4th grade field day in the
spring. If we have an opening, we will try to schedule you for the day. The LCCB strives to fit everyone into the
schedule. Please call the naturalist for field day dates. All remaining openings for fall or spring
field days will be filled on a first come first served basis. Its
important to register early and no rain dates will be scheduled in order to
open more days.
THEMES,
TIME FRAMES, AND LOCATIONS MAY BE FLEXIBLE. PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE TO DISCUSS
DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES.
WHAT’S EXPECTED FROM THE
TEACHERS
To begin planning your
field trip, contact Karen Johlas-Szalkowski at the LCCB office at
319-463-7673. You will be able to select possible dates for your field trip.
If on the day of the
scheduled field trip the weather is questionable, it is the responsibility of
both the naturalist and the teacher to communicate with each other as to
whether or not the field day will continue.
Meet the naturalist(s)
to plan activities, scheduling, and to discuss the naturalists’ and teachers’
responsibilities. Some of the teachers’ responsibilities include: arranging
transportation, organizing students into assigned groups, making copies of
worksheets (when required), informing the naturalist which students require
special attention, reinforcing the behavior guidelines as outlined on the
Student Preparation Sheet and participating in the activities with the
students. Every teacher should be prepared to teach one lesson.
Send out permission
slips, if required, and include a note requesting adult volunteers.
Select adult volunteers
for the field day. There must be one adult per group. The ideal ratios are one adult for five
younger students, and one adult for ten older students. Adult volunteers must understand that they
are responsible for discipline, and that they must take part in the
activities.
Divide the students
into groups using colors, numbers, or special codes. Make out the students’ nametags. Assign
adult helpers or teachers to each group. The ideal size is 8-15 students per
group.
Discuss safety and
conduct rules (“It’s still a school day.”) with the students and stress proper
clothing (layers).
Sack lunches are the
easiest. When the lunches are divided into group boxes in the morning,
lunchtime can be relatively hassle-free.
You might want to ask
your local newspaper to cover your field day.
The naturalists at the LCCB
offer a wide variety of programs and activities for field days. We can tailor
your classes or groups field trip to meet your needs and interests.
Winter programs are in-class programs that are
presented by the LCCB naturalists and are designed to supplement science and
natural history curriculums. Teachers may choose from different topics for
each grade level (K-12). Winter
programs are usually scheduled from November through March. Each program
typically last from 45 minutes to 1 hour.
A detailed list of available topics is now available on our website or
can be mailed by contacting our office.
In addition to this list LCCB would be willing to develop new lessons
based on requested topics.
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