Teacher tools for creating deep and meaningful place-based inquiry and learning
Teacher Support Packet (Partnership grants)
Below you will find four resources that will help you complete the planning request for support online. The SEMIS EcoJustice Partnership Request for Support Guidance Packet will help you prepare your response before you begin the survey. You will find a Place-based Education Unit Template that was adapted for place-based stewardship education planning. There are two Photo release forms, for yourself and your students. These will need to be turned in to SEMIS Coalition staff once your project begins. These documents can also be found in the support packet. Please contact us if you plan on submitting a partnership grant. These requests for support are intended to be for Coalition members and those doing active place-based inquiry projects for the 2016-17 school year. You can find the SEMIS EcoJustice Partnership Request for Support online application here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/semisrequest.
- SEMIS EcoJustice Partnership Request for Support Guidance Packet for printing 2016-17: ecojustice-partnership-application-guidance-packet-16-17_for-printing
- Place-based Education Unit Template: pbe-unit-plan-template
- Photo release adult: photo-release-2016-17
- Photo release student: photo-release-2016-17-student
Tools for Teachers
Planning Resources
- Designing Sustained PBE (Place-based Education), created by SEMIS Coalition Program Director, Rebecca Nielsen: designing-sustained-pbe-2016
- Backward Design: Backwards Mapping – SEMIS planning updated
- Questions that Deepen Discussion: Questions that Deepen Discussion_SEMIS
- Challenge Letters Check out our blog on Challenge Letters!
- Concepts & Topics: Getting-the-Big-Idea-Handout
- Community Mapping exercise: community mapping exercise_semis
- Make sure to check out our Blog for additional materials, oiginal articles, guest bloggers, reading lists, and great conversation!
NOAA Assets
- NOAA Assets Document, compiled by Laura Florence: noaa-great-lakes-education-resources-and-links
- Bay Watersheds Education & Training Program, Meaninful Watershed Education Experiences (MWEE): http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/bwet/docs/meaningful_definition.pdf
Earth Force Community Action and Problem Solving Process
- The Six Step Model: https://earthforce.org/community-action-and-problem-solving-process/
- Youtube Channel for the Earth Force Six Step Process: CommunityActionProblemSolvingProcess
Example Lessons, Units, Agendas, and materials created with Semis Coalition members and used in the classroom
- Can a river be a teacher? Visual Arts lesson: can-a-river-be-a-teacher_lesson-one
- Eco-Justice and Visual Arts, MS and HS slide show: eco-justice-and-art-education-slide-show
- A Walk in the Park materials, a year-long 9th grade project with SEMIS Coalition and Detroit Institute of Technology at Cody HS, Check out the blog post!
- Water quality information sheet created by Laura Florence for a High School Science Unit: semis-water quality info sheet
Unit Examples from the College of Education at Eastern Michigan University pre-service teacher education students. SEMIS Coalition Director, Professor Ethan Lowenstein, teaches curriculum and practicum (field) courses at EMU each fall and uses a Place-based Education framework and pedagogy in this work. Each term students are both challenged and transformed with the power of PBE! Here are a few examples of the great curriculum Ethan’s students create:
- American Water, High school Social Studies Unit by Kevin Doby: american-water_kevin-doby
- Characteristics of Sustainable Communities, High School ELA Unit by Meredith White: characteristics-of-sustainable-communities_meredith-white
- The Distribution of Growth: Monitoring the Inhabitants at the Rouge River, 9th Grade Math Unit by Jada Rachal: the-distribution-of-growth_jada-rachel