Teaching Green, The Elementary Years: Hands-On Learning in Grades K-5

713 Children, Youth and Environments Vol. 17 No. 2 (2007) ISSN: 1546-2250 Teaching Green, The Elementary Years: Hands-On Learning in Grades K-5 Tim, Grant and Gail, Littlejohn (2005). Gabriola Island, BC, Canada: New Society Publishers; 256 pages. $22.95. ISBN 0865715343. Editors Tim Grant and Gail Littlejohn began Green Teachermagazine in 1991 as a resource for people wishing to introduce environmental education into their schools, youth programs and family life. In the last few years, they have culled some of the best articles from 15 years of publications, with up-to-date revisions by the original authors, to publish books for the same audience. The first,Teaching Green, the Middle Years, contains 238 pages of case studies and lessons from Canada, the United Statesand Scotland. The most recent, Teaching Green, The Elementary Years: Hands-On Learning in Grades K-5, features more than 60 authors from three countries: theUnited States, Canada and Australia. This international approach to environmental education reflects the global nature of the subject matter and introduces readers to more ideas than they would find in a book covering approaches from only a single country. These easyto -use books will serve people working with youth to become aware of their local environment, learn about it intimately and develop the capacity to take what they know and act on it in daily life with young people as companions and partners. Grant and Littlejohn begin each book with an introduction to what “teaching green” means. Their 10 points offer a philosophical and practical outline for environmental education with students of any age. From the first suggestion, “Students should have opportunities to develop a personal connection with nature,” to the last, “Teachers should be facilitators and co-learners,” the editors suggest an approach that is holistic and systematic, and that acknowledges the development of students as responsive and responsible people who understand the value of traditional knowledge as well as they understand media and the natural world around them. 714 The Elementary Years has seven sections, each of which includes lesson plans: Approaches to Learning; Exploring Nature around Us; Plants and Animals; Environmental Issues; Building Community; Global Awareness; and Imagination and Celebration. Each lesson plan comes from an actual experience with children and offers a philosophical framework with activities aimed towards children in grades kindergarten to eighth grade. The lessons range from specific observations of phenomena that can be explored on almost any school ground to extensive activities in local watersheds and forests. Many of the writers have won national awards for their teaching and have moved from public elementary schools to teaching in universities. Those parents or teachers who want to take on a whole-school approach to environmental education should consult the article in The Elementary Years titled, “Guiding Your School toward Environmental Literacy.” In it, Jeff Reading, a specialist in outdoor education, clearly outlines a process used by many schools in Calgary, Alberta, to help teachers collaboratively develop a way of determining the approach a school will take to integrating environmental education into all aspects of learning. While this article focuses on a path for staff development, others highlight lesson plans that can be done with children. The Middle Years has five sections: Learning about Ecosystems; Sustaining Ecosystems; Living Sustainably; Examining Values; and Making Interdisciplinary Connections. Since the audience here is middle school students and the adults who work with them, the case studies report more complex projects than those in the elementary book. “A Constructed Wetland: From Monitoring to Action” reports on how a group of 12- to 14-year-olds decided to monitor aColorado mountain stream because the rusty color perturbed them. They had discovered effluent from an old gold mine; their measurements of heavy metals in the water through the River Watch program, sponsored by the Colorado Division of Wildlife, led them to consult the Colorado School of Mines and employ a new process of using limestone in constructed wetlands to remove heavy metals from stream water. This project lasted nine years, involved two universities, the Division of Wildlife, the Division 715 of Minerals and Geology, the Logan School for Creative Learning, a dedicated teacher, an environmental laboratory, a myriad of experts...

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