Information about the new Project Learning Tree Curriculum, Southeastern Forests and Climate Change

1. Climate Change and Southern Forests
The PLT & PINEMAP Partnership
Renee Strnad
NC PLT State Coordinator
NC State University

2. Project Learning Tree
• A program of the American
Forest Foundation, a nonprofit
organization that works for:
– Healthy forests
– Quality environmental education
– Informed decision-making about our communities
and our world

3. Project Learning Tree
• In North Carolina, PLT is sponsored by:
– NC Cooperative Extension
– NC Forestry Association
– NC Forest Service

4. A Comprehensive EE Program
– High quality, PreK-12 EE
curriculum materials
– Diverse, international
network of partners
– Implementation via a
successful delivery system of
professional development
Project Learning Tree

5. PLT’s Mission
PLT uses the forest as a “window on the world” to:
– Increase students understanding of our complex
environment
– Stimulate critical and
creative thinking
– Develop the ability to
make informed decisions
on environmental issues
– Instill the confidence
and commitment to take
responsible action

6. Project Learning Tree History
• Early 1970’s: Partnership between education, resource
agencies, and businesses
– started Project Learning Tree to teach young people about the
environment
• 1976: PLT materials first implemented in 13 western states
– PreK-6 and 7-12 Environmental Education Guides
• 1990: PLT materials revamped into PreK-8 and Secondary
Modules
• 2006: Major revisions to the PLT PreK-8 Guide and
continued development of Secondary Modules
• PLT was so effective it inspired other EE programs based
on the PLT model
– Project WILD in 1983
– Project WET in 1992

7. PLT’s Environmental Goals
Awareness
Knowledge
Challenge
Responsible
Action
“Teaching students how to
think, not what to think about
complex environmental issues”
-Rudy Schafer, Founder of PLT

8. PLT Curriculum
• PLT for PreK-8
– Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood
– PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide
– Energy and Society
• 5 GreenSchools! Investigations
• PLT for Secondary
– 5 printed modules
– 2 online modules

9. PreK-8 Environmental Education
Activity Guide
Features:
– Reading Connections
– Technology Connections
– Differentiated Instruction
– New Design
Aligned to National and State Standards
Classroom Friendly
– 96 hands-on, interdisciplinary activities
– Indoor and outdoor activities

10. PLT GreenSchools! Investigations
• School Site
• Energy
• Waste & Recycling
• Water
• Environmental Quality
All available online:
www.plt.org/greenschools

11. Secondary Modules
(Grades 9-12)
• Focus on Forests
• Forests of the World
• Places We Live
• Municipal Solid Waste
• Focus on Risk
• Biotechnology (Online)
• Biodiversity (Online)

12. Introducing….
• Southeastern Forests and Climate Change
– A unique PLT Secondary Module developed as
part of the PINEMAP (Pine Integrated Network:
Education, Mitigation, and Adaptation Project)

13. PINEMAP
• Combines Research, Extension, and Education
11 Universities
8 Research Co-ops
SE Climate
Consortium
Southern Regional
Ext. Forestry
USFS
Many others….

14. PINEMAP
• PINEMAP integrates research, extension, and
education to:
– Enable landowners to manage forests to increase
carbon sequestration
– Increase efficiency of nitrogen and other fertilizer
inputs
– Adapt forest management approaches to increase
forest resilience and sustainability under variable
climates

15. PINEMAP: Why the Southeast?
• Southeastern forests provide critical economic
and ecological services to U.S. citizens.
– 1/3 of the contiguous U.S. forest carbon
– 5.5% of the jobs, and 7.5% of the industrial economic
activity of the region
– backbone of an industry that supplies 16% of global
industrial wood
• Focus on loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) which
accounts for 80% of the planted forests in the
region

16. Why SE Forests & Climate Change?
• Climate change has been identified as the
single biggest challenge that faces society
today, but not everyone agrees
• The potential impacts of climate change on
southeastern forests could be significant
• Climate change is more meaningful to
students when examples of impacts are local
and they are empowered to participate in
creating solutions

17. PINEMAP & PLT
• PINEMAP is designed to promote scientist and
citizen understanding of future risks to pine
forests and opportunities to address them
– Important educational outreach component
– Activities echo dimensions of PINEMAP research
– Intensive curriculum writing/pilot testing led by a
team from the University of Florida

18. SEFCC Curriculum
• The activities draw on a variety of learning
theories and teaching strategies to help
educators actively engage students in learning
about a controversial, social, and scientific issue.
• The process of addressing climate change will not
lead to a single best answer, but requires that
people use skills of systems thinking, critical
thinking, and group process as they work
together towards solutions

20. SEFCC Curriculum
• This module can assist you in helping students
understand the following:
– Why a variety of perspectives of climate change exist
– How to build consensus with people who represent a
variety of perspectives
– How to explore underlying beliefs and address missing
information
– How to respect differences of opinion
– How to find common ground of agreement
– The scientific evidence for climate change

21. SEFCC Curriculum
• Potential impacts of climate
change on ecosystems
• The limitations and purpose
of climate models &
projections
• The nature of science
• How data are analyzed
& used for inferences
• Why policy recommendations
can be sources of controversy
• Where to find accurate answers to questions about
climate change