PENFIELD – Parker Dam State Park has scheduled two Act 48-approved teacher workshops at the park in 2017.
The first workshop, Project Learning Tree – Focus on Maple Sugaring, will be Saturday, Feb. 25, from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
The second workshop, featuring the Project WILD curriculum, will be Saturday, April 8 from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Both workshops are approved by the state Department of Education for participants to receive Act 48 professional development credit hours, and both workshops require pre-registration and pre-payment ($10 registration fee) with the park.
Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an award-winning environmental education program designed for educators working with students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade.
Through hands-on, phenomena-based and cross-cutting activities, PLT helps young people learn how to think – not what to think – about complex environmental issues.
PLT can help address state and national standards. It provides the tools educators need to bring the environment into their classrooms and the students into the environment.
This hands-on workshop (6.5 Act 48 hours available), featuring a functional maple sugaring operation, will also provide educators with the resources necessary to teach the processes and skills of maple sugaring to students at many levels.
During the workshop, participants will be offered a variety of options for implementing lessons into their curriculum.
There will also be a variety of take-home items, including the PLT Activity Guide for participants to begin implementing PLT and the maple sugaring process into their curriculum. A new distance learning program will also be detailed in this workshop.
Parker Dam State Park is now equipped to provide video chat opportunities in the classroom to students for whom it may not be possible to schedule a Field Learning Experience at the park and its maple sugaring operation.
Educators can be sent a Maple Sugar Learning Kit (including taste samples) for use before, during or after the virtual session. Students can have an interactive interpretive experience to learn about all aspects of maple sugar, without leaving the classroom.
Project WILD, a wildlife-focused conservation education program, is one of the most widely-used conservation and environmental education curriculum among educators of students in kindergarten through high school. It is based on the premise that young people and educators have a vital interest in learning about our natural world.
The activities found in Project WILD instructional materials are intended for use in both classroom and informal settings and are designed to support state and national academic standards appropriate for grades K-12.
The activities can easily be adapted to meet the learning requirements for academic disciplines ranging from science and environmental education to social studies, math and language arts.
Through the use of balanced curriculum materials and professionally trained facilitators, Project WILD accomplishes its goal of developing awareness, knowledge, skills and commitment. This results in the making of informed decisions, responsible behavior and constructive action concerning wildlife and the environment.
In this hands-on workshop (7.5 Act 48 hours available) participants will be introduced to the curriculum, guided in its use and shown the resources available through Project WILD and the Bureau of State Parks to help implement it in their classrooms.
Educators will also be given the Project WILD Activity Guide. During the workshop, participants will be offered a variety of options for implementing lessons into their curriculum while participating in several model activities and lessons from Project WILD.
To register for either of these workshops, or to get more information, please contact the Park Office at 814-765-0630, or parkerdamsp@pa.gov. The deadline for registering for Project Learning Tree – Focus on Maple Sugaring is Friday, Feb. 17.
The deadline for the Project WILD workshop registration is Friday, March 31. Please be prepared to pay the registration fee ($10) when you register.
Payment can be made by cash (in person at the Park Office), by check (in person or by mail: Parker Dam State Park, 28 Fairview Rd., Penfield, PA 15849) or by credit card or PA State Parks gift card (in person or by phone: 814-765-0630).
