FieldSTEM in Action 

HIFEs Help Teachers Add Depth and Meaning to Field Experiences
 

Robert More’s 6th-grade students had questions. 
 
Who made the bat havens? 
What connections are there between the factories next door and Steigerwald?
What even is a wetland? 
How does the restoration impact the Columbia River/greater ecosystem?
Why geese? 
 
Their Odyssey Middle School class was visiting Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge, but this was not a field trip. It was a ‘High Impact Field Experience’ or HIFE. HIFEs are designed to maximize the positive impact of field experiences by incorporating learning goals, locations and community partners. More and his colleague, 6^th-grade science teacher Karen Motsinger, were two of 63 teachers who attended PEI’s two-part HIFE workshop in October. Odyssey Middle School is a project-based campus in Camus, Washington. 

Read More

PEI History

PEI’s Origins Connect Forestry and Education

PEI was born amid the confluence of two complementary circumstances: the need for locally relevant environmental education resources for K-12 teachers throughout Washington State and a strong desire within the timber industry and state agencies to help the public understand the ecological considerations – and benefits – embedded in their work. 
 
In 2003, the good news was that the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction had an environmental education department. The department, however, had few resources and little manpower. “There was one dedicated person,” says PEI co-founder Lynne Ferguson. “It was a programmatic approach that reached only people where he lived, and there didn’t seem to be any real statewide plan for environmental education.” 

Read More

Special Event

Environmental & Sustainability Literacy Student Summit  

Tools & Tips for Teachers

Winter-Themed STEM Activities

Students are often fascinated with the drastic environmental changes throughout the seasons, especially if you live in a place where it snows during the winter. We often associate winter with dark nights, freezing temperatures, snow, and ice. In polar and temperate zones in the northern hemisphere, the winter season lasts from December through February. Parts of the U.S. with subtropical or tropical climates may also experience temperature differences during these months, but they may only have two seasons of “wet” and “dry” or “summer” and “winter.”

No matter what kind of weather you experience during the next couple months, consider adding these STEM activities to your winter-themed lesson plans.

Source: Project Learning Tree

Read More

Upcoming Events 

  With Gratitude

Thank you to December's donors and funders!