Project Learning Tree workshop coming
The Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) and the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) are teaming up to host a Project Learning Tree Teacher Workshop at AMC’s Little Lyford Lodge on Friday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 24th. Facilitators from the award-winning Maine Project Learning Tree program will present this overnight session to Maine educators and cover a wide range of curriculum adaptable to grades K-12.
Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an incredible resource for educators. In Maine, we are surrounded by nature and this program provides the tools to easily incorporate outdoor learning into curriculum planning and practice by enhancing connections between students and their environment. This training will provide educators with a chance to explore this hands-on and low cost natural resource curriculum, earn contact hours and connect with natural resource professionals
PLT professional development offers ideas and lessons that can be easily adapted to all grades. Throughout the training, facilitators will lead sessions on topics such as identifying and measuring trees, establishing a Forest Inventory Growth (FIG) plot and run through several lesson plans. Patricia Maloney of Maine Project Learning Tree, a program of the Maine TREE Foundation, notes that the “FIG plots will be particularly interesting as they are easy to establish, yet they offer opportunities for long term forestry studies and science inquiry.” Additionally, facilitators will provide curriculum training for early childhood educators, including hands-on experiences for children ages 3-6. The early childhood guide integrates nature investigations with art, literature, math, music and movement.
Included in this exceptional training, each participant will be provided with PLT guides relevant to their grade level. These guides contain in-depth, ready-to-use interdisciplinary lessons each with background and science content, literature connections, correlations to state and national standards, cooperative learning and differentiated instruction. The lessons in the guides challenge students to explore the complexity of real-life and place based environmental decisions. An educator who recently participated in a workshop said that “the session was very engaging and informative. The activity guides are so user-friendly and will be a great resource.”
Participants will enjoy delicious meals, lodging and accommodations at beautiful Little Lyford Lodge. The registration fee is for educators who serve Piscataquis County youth and another rate for all others. To register, please call AMC Reservations at (603) 466-2727 and inquire about the Project Learning Tree Teacher Workshop at AMC’s Little Lyford Lodge. The registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 16 and the cancellation deadline is Friday, Oct. 9.
For more information, please visit the Maine Project Learning Tree website http://www.mainetreefoundation.org/programs/plt-index.html or contact the PCSWCD at 564-2321 ext. 3, info@piscataquisswcd.org or www.facebook.com/PCSWCD.