History and Development of the Get Outside Workshops In early 2012, the California State Board of Education was on the brink of adopting the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)—standards that would radically change how teachers would approach teaching science to their students. Anticipating the need for teacher support while transitioning to NGSS (which was adopted […]
Nearly every day we hear news that pertains to the environment, whether it’s a local, state, national, or global issue. Of course, this news is not isolated to a single moment in time, but is connected to a wide variety of choices made in the past, some of which were grounded in economics, others in […]
On July 29, 2015, Ten Strands’ Founder Will Parish published a persuasive blog entitled A Goldilocks Moment for Environmental Literacy. With Trump’s upcoming inauguration, I returned to Will’s piece with a sense of urgency to evaluate whether we indeed still have the right mix of conditions to successfully bring environmental literacy to California’s 6.2 million […]
It’s almost the end of the year—and what an exciting one it has been for Ten Strands and our partners! Teachers are embracing environmental literacy in thousands of schools throughout California, and the momentum continues. Environmental literacy is being infused into the core subjects of science, history-social science, and English language arts. Students taught these […]
When I teach environmental literacy in my class I feel like I am opening a door for students to walk through. This door opens to empowerment, knowledge, and stewardship. Children want to be big thinkers. The more I challenge them with big ideas the more they rise to the occasion, and learning about the environment […]
Today my team at Ten Strands and I were pondering the bubble we live in here in the Bay Area. In general, everyone we talk to and work with seems to understand that climate change is a pressing issue that impacts us now and will impact future generations even more severely. It got me wondering […]
literate (adj.) “educated, instructed,” early 15c., from Latin literatus/litteratus “educated, learned,” literally “one who knows the letters,” formed in imitation of Greek grammatikos from Latin littera/litera “letter” Literacy, as traditionally defined, describes the ability to use written language actively and passively; to read, write, spell, listen, and speak with some degree of proficiency. However, as we move further into the 21st century […]
Stargazing on an exceptionally clear night. Looking up at a ginormous redwood tree. Walking up to the Grand Canyon for the very first time. No matter your age or interests, there is nothing like experiencing awe. The best interjections for awe—“ooh”, “ah”, and “oh”—are probably most often heard out of the mouths of babes, but […]