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Educator Workshops
Hands-on interdisciplinary workshops are available for K-12 teachers. Most workshops are held at no cost to the teacher. The District can hold open workshops for teachers from the region to attend. Currently, most workshops are associated with partner organizations such as NEOEA, CRCST and other agencies. Sessions being held with partner organizations as well as other environmental based workshops will be listed in "upcoming workshops and presentations" section below.
The District would prefer to facilitate workshops and training sessions for your school or school district as an in-service day or early release training. Workshops can be tailored to interests of school based on available time. There is no expense for workshop materials, trainer's time and some of the workshop guidebooks. Inservices can be workshop offerings below or focus on a topic area such as household hazardous waste, recycling, natural resources, energy and many more.
- CSI: Compost Science Investigation, Grades K-3
- Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood, Grade PreK-3
- Food, Land and People, Grades PreK-12
- Growing Up WILD, Grades PreK-3
- Leopold Education Project, Grades 6-12
- Make the Connection to Climate Change, Grades 6-8
- Population Connection, Grades K-12
- Project WET (Water Education for Teachers), Grades K-12
- Project WILD, Grades K-12
- Science and Civics, Grades 9-12
- Talkin’ Trash with Aluminum Beverage Cans, Grades 6-9
- Windows On Waste (WOW), Grades 3-6
- Workshop on Wheels, Grades K-12
Upcoming Workshops & Presentations
None scheduled at this time. See other workshop offerings below.
Educator Workshops
CSI: Compost Science Investigation
Grades K-3 Minimum hours: 1.5 hours
The Compost Science Investigation is a series of activities where student’s observe and experiment to learn about the process of composting. The five lessons can be used together or separately to compliment current classroom activities. The lessons meet science and social science indicators. The workshop can be done for a half or whole day depending if a tour is involved.
Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood
Grade PreK-3 Minimum hours: 3.0
This is Project Learning Tree's early education activity book for educators who work with children ages 3 to 6. It offers over 130 experiences that engage children in outdoor play and exploration. Topics include exploring nature with five senses, meeting neighborhood trees, and experiencing trees through the seasons. An accompanying CD features music from children's musician Billy B. Brennan that encourages children to sing, dance, and move.
Food, Land & People
Grades PreK-12 Minimum hours: 6 hours
FLP is an interdisciplinary, supplementary education program with 55 lessons for educators and students to better understand the interrelationships among agriculture, the environmental and the people of the world. The lessons contain enough background information, teaching aids and methodology to be taught without the need for additional support. Teachers are trying out the two different activities in the guidebook.
FLP is an interdisciplinary, supplementary education program with 55 lessons for educators and students to better understand the interrelationships among agriculture, the environmental and the people of the world. The lessons contain enough background information, teaching aids and methodology to be taught without the need for additional support. Teachers are trying out the two different activities in the guidebook.
Growing Up WILD
Grades PreK-3 Minimum hours: 3 hours
This is the Project WILD's early childhood education activity guide. It builds on the learning styles and interests of young children to foster an interest and appreciation of wildlife and the natural world around them. A variety of activities build positive impressions of nature while aiding children's cognitive growth and development. It is correlated to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Standards and the Head Start Domains. $12 for the book with no additional fees for supplies and support materials.
Leopold Education Project
Grades 5-12 Minimum hours: 4
The Leopold Education Project (LEP) is an interdisciplinary, critical thinking, conservation and environmental education guidebook. LEP is designed to compliment the Sand County Almanac Essays, a famous literary work by Aldo Leopold. It contains 22 activities based on essays from Part I, the "Almanac." The activities connect students to the environment and develop responsible environmental values; thus, improving their decisions that impact the earth.
Make the Connection to Climate Change
Grades 6-8
Expand your teaching to take care of our earth. Educators will gain knowledge and learn activities that will provide insight to climate change and lead students to live more sustainable lifestyles. Activities deal with energy, carbon cycle, carbon footprint, solutions, etc... We will be using Facing the Future's Climate Change: Connections and Solutions, which provides a two-week interdisciplinary unit for middle school. This session offers information, resources and hands-on activities.
Population Connection
Grades K-12
Learn more about www.populationeducation.org and contact 1-800-POP-1956 to set up a workshop.
Expand your teaching to take care of our earth. Educators will gain knowledge and learn activities that will provide insight to climate change and lead students to live more sustainable lifestyles. Activities deal with energy, carbon cycle, carbon footprint, solutions, etc... We will be using Facing the Future's Climate Change: Connections and Solutions, which provides a two-week interdisciplinary unit for middle school. This session offers information, resources and hands-on activities. Learn more about and contact 1-800-POP-1956 to set up a workshop.
Project WET (Water Education for Teachers)
Grades K-12 Minimum hours: 6
Project WET is an international, interdisciplinary, water education program with over 90 indoor and outdoor activities covering the broad range of water issues. All Project WET and WILD lessons correlate to Ohio Education indicators. Teachers learn about watersheds inside and outside of the classroom.
Project WILD
Science and Civics
Grades 9-12 Minimum 3 hours
This is a Project WILD program and is project based. The guide helps teens and young adults make decisions so people, wildlife and the community benefit. A science and social studies teacher can team up to conduct the activities, which prepare the students to organize and implement a local environmental project.
Talkin’ Trash With ABCs
Grades 6-9 No minimum hours
Talkin' Trash With Aluminum Beverage Cans is a middle school environmental activity guidebook from the Can Manufacturing Institute. It contains ten hands-on activities that help present and future generations approach environmental and scientific dilemmas and social concerns creatively and proactively. Activities will develop critical-thinking skills while addressing science, social studies, math and language arts indicators. Students demonstrate the can swat game.
Talkin' Trash With Aluminum Beverage Cans is a middle school environmental activity guidebook from the Can Manufacturing Institute. It contains ten hands-on activities that help present and future generations approach environmental and scientific dilemmas and social concerns creatively and proactively. Activities will develop critical-thinking skills while addressing science, social studies, math and language arts indicators. Students demonstrate the can swat game.
Windows On Waste (WOW)
Grades 3-6 Minimum hours: 2
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) guidebook provides 36 activities organized in fourteen units on solid waste and environmental issues. Activities pertain to real world environmental issues that the student can participate in solving. Each activity includes background information, objectives, learner centered inquiry approaches, procedures, assessments, extensions and student worksheets. The activities meet indicators for science, math, social studies and language arts. Free guidebook. As an icebreaker, teachers are guessing which compost critter they have on their back. The facilitator is explaining that trash causes problems for the environment during a WOW workshop. A landfill can be good to eat if its out of food. Here a teacher adds the methane pipe to her almost complete landfill. Teachers are finding green recipes instead of using chemicals to clean the house.
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Workshop on Wheels
Grades K-12 Hours vary based on field trips
This is a workshop on the move, so teachers watch a landfill, material recovery facility, compost facility or paper factory in operation. Teachers will learn where garbage and recyclables go. A chartered bus will take teachers to field trip sites. Activities and videos are incorporated during travel to be used in classroom. Tours can include a variety of recycling businesses and green buildings. This recycling road trip traveled to a recycle center and compost site to see recycling in action.
Instructor Biography
Kathleen M. Rocco has been known as a camp counselor, riding instructor, camp director, environmental educator and mentor to children and adults for more than twenty years. Indirect titles given in the above jobs include fire starter, storyteller, toilet cleaner, dish washer, table mover, finder of lost items, flagger, greeter, cook, peace maker, salary calculator, nurse, tree hugger and motivator. For five summer seasons and four years, Kathleen worked for YMCAs in Ohio, Michigan, New York and Delaware building children's self esteem and their knowledge about the outdoors and the environment.
Kathleen has completed a Masters of Environmental Studies through The Institute of Environmental Sciences from Miami University and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Dayton. Her favorite courses during college and graduate school were hands-on learning experiences studying ecology in the Florida Keys, Sapelo Island Georgia, Lake Erie, Smokey Mountains and Costa Rica, and a year long public service project on preserving green space along the Four Mile Creek Corridor. As a teaching intern for Sterling College's Southwest Field Program, Kathleen learned first hand about how experiential education deepens learning for adults through taste, touch, smell, sight, hearing and sweat. The group traveled for ten weeks camping and learning about Southwest ecology and culture and water and land management in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.
Since October of 2000, Kathleen has been the Education Specialist for the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District, where she teaches students and the general public about recycling and environment. She has visited thousands of classrooms and groups sharing an environmental message with students and adults. As a teacher trainer, Kathleen has conducted many teacher workshops and presentations reaching hundreds of teachers. "Start Students Recycling" was her first publication for the District, but she has composed many more. She contributes stories to a newsletter called Trash Talk, which reaches 6,500 students in 30 schools across Cuyahoga County. Also, Kathleen contributes her time and expertise on projects with Ohio Association of Litter Prevention and Recycling, Northeast Ohio Education Association, Cleveland Regional Council of Science Teachers and Green Schools Committee of Northeast Ohio United States Green Building Council.
Kathleen practices what she preaches through composting and recycling at home and now collecting rainwater in several rainbarrels.
Other Environmental Educator Workshop Offerings
Free Project WILD Workshop For K-12 Educators
February 25, 2012
Workshop to be held at Wildlife District Three in Akron
AKRON, OH – Educators who want to teach wildlife-related conservation concepts through interactive learning are encouraged to attend a free Project WILD workshop in Akron. Growing Up WILD (for ages 3-7 years) and traditional Project WILD (K-12) guidebooks will both be provided at no charge (Aquatic WILD guidebook will also be included). All participants must stay for the duration of the program which is 9am-4pm on Saturday, February 25th. The workshop will take place at the Division of Wildlife District Three office, 912 Portage Lakes Drive, Akron, OH 44319.
Growing Up WILD is an early childhood education program that builds on children’s senses of wonder about nature and invites them to explore wildlife and the world around them. Workshop participants will take home an easy-to-use book containing nearly 30 field-tested activities focusing on wildlife and nature. These activities blend social, emotional, physical, language, and cognitive skills to help foster learning and are correlated to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Standards and the Head Start Domains.
Project WILD involves young people and wildlife, a proven formula for generating interest and participation. Project WILD is a supplementary education program emphasizing awareness, appreciation, and understanding of wildlife and natural resources. Attractive and easy to use, Project WILD is an ideal way to supplement your curriculum and fire the imagination of your students. All activities are correlated to Ohio’s K-12 Science and Social Studies Academic Content Standards.
The Project WILD and Aquatic WILD books can only be obtained by attending a workshop. Growing Up WILD can only be obtained for free by attending this workshop as well.
There is no workshop fee but pre-registration is required by calling Jamey Graham, Division of Wildlife at (330) 245-3020. Spaces are limited. Lunch will not be provided; brown bag lunches are recommended but local fast-food options are available.
Project WET Workshop
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History led by Martin Calabrese from the CMNH is holding a teacher workshop on April 14, 2012. For more information and to register, contact the CMNH's Science Resource Center 216-231-2075 or Martin at mcalabrese@cmnh.org.