Green Teacher 56, Fall 1998

Features

A Breakthrough for Environmental Education by Tim Grant
The newly-released US report, Closing the Achievement Gap, demonstrates that when the environment is the integrating context for learning, students in these programs learn the traditional subjects better than those in traditional classroom programs.

The Ugliest Schoolyard in Town by Tim Grant and Gail Littlejohn
A recent contest in Ottawa that selected the most desolate schoolyard for a make-over, might just be the catalyst for ensuring the participation of schools that most need to green their schoolyards.

Year of the Ocean by Rick Kool and Gail Littlejohn
Officially designated by the United Nations as the International Year of the Ocean, 1998 is a good time to focus on oceans and ocean issues with young people.

Declining Fish Stocks: The Pieces of the Puzzle by Jeanette Winsor
The case of the North Atlantic cod provides a framework for examining the interrelated factors that are endangering fish stocks around the world.

Fishy Things to Do in Your Classroom by Jeanette Winsor
Eight classroom activities related to fisheries management, marine science and codfish.

Investigating Ocean Pollution by Sue LeBeau
Plastic is forever and oil is slick: Here are some experiments for grades 4-9 classes that prove it.

One Fish Two Fish by Michele Hoffman
An activity that builds analytical skills while introducing students – from the very young through high school – to concepts of resource management.

The Steveston Fish Hatchery by Bob Carkner and Barry Barnes
Building and operating a fish hatchery is an ambitious but rewarding project that links high school students to the fate of the world’s fish stocks.

Protected Areas: the arks of the 21st Century by Sue Staniforth
The designation of protected areas may be our last chance to rescue many species from extinction. Whether we are willing to make this sacrifice is all a question of values. Several activities for exploring “”protection”” in the classroom are suggested.

Parks or Prisons? by Gareth Thomson
Many, if not most, of our national parks may be too small to support stable populations of large mammals. In the Bears of Banff simulation, students learn how difficult it can be to maintain a healthy gene pool.

Agricultural Biodiversity by Jim Postance
For educators who want to help students understand the importance of genetic diversity to all life on Earth, there is no more universal yet personal context than the food we eat. The following activities explore this theme: Learning about biodiversity (grades K-3), Biodiversity among animals (grades K-6), and Heirloom plants (grades K-12).

Reflections of a Hopeful Cynic by Twila Konyenbelt
A commentary from a teacher suffering from compassion fatigue.

Inside the Internet: Exploring the Science of the Ozone Layer by Angus Fergusson

Green Lit: What does it mean to be human? by Elaine Schwartz
This is the first edition of a column exploring green adolescent fiction.

And as always, over 20 new educational resources are profiled and evaluated in this issue of Green Teacher.

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