Saturday, October 14, is Teacher Day at the NAAEE Annual Conference.  Teachers get the best of both worlds, a taste of the regular NAAEE conference and teacher-focused breakouts designed specifically for their needs.  Regardless of profession, all conference attendees are welcome!

Start with breakfast in the Exhibit Fair to get your hands on resources and meet with lots of EE providers. With all these offerings, you’ll walk away from this day with new contacts, information, and materials to help your students learn about the environment in exciting new ways. Our special guest speaker is Will Steger, who will join us in the afternoon for a presentation on “Global Warming 101” and will sign and sell his publications immediately following his remarks.

Schedule:

7:30-8:30  Check-in and continental breakfast
8:30-10:45  Exhibit hall open
9-10:45  Attend NAAEE conference sessions
11-11:45  Teacher Day welcome and kickoff session in Crowne Plaza Hotel/Kellogg I
11:45-1  Lunch on your own
1-1:45  Teacher Day concurrent session I
2-3:15  Plenary session: Will Steger
3:30-4:15  Teacher Day concurrent session II
4:15-4:30  Closing remarks in Crowne Plaza Hotel/Kellogg I

Session 1

1:00 pm - 1:45 pm

Take the Minnesota Environmental Literacy Scope and Sequence Off the Shelf and Use It!
Su Beran (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency)

Room: Crowne Plaza Hotel/Kellogg II
Grades K-12

This session will lead you through the process of using the materials found in Minnesota's Environmental Literacy Scope and Sequence (ELSS). Ever wonder how natural and social systems intersect? Do you try to use concepts to integrate learning and make it relevant to your students? Using natural and social system concepts, begin to use the ELSS to build lessons for authentic understanding that results in a comprehensive learning experience.

Getting in Touch with Nature
Steve Maanum (Minnesota Environmental Education Council)

Room: Crowne Plaza Hotel /Wabasha I
Grades K-12

Wanted: Educators interested in teaching about the environment through the lens of a camera.
Help design a nature photography curriculum and learn how to use it in conjunction with classroom studies.  Join us for this informative hands-on session.

Everything is Connected: Using Environmental Education to Make Learning Interdisciplinary
Kevin Zak (Department of Education, University of Minnesota Duluth)

Room: Crowne Plaza Hotel /Kellogg III
Grades K-8

This session will share practical strategies used by teachers and discuss approaches for making learning and teaching interdisciplinary through the use of environmental education both in and out of the classroom.

An Introduction to Education for Sustainable Development
Rosalyn McKeown (University of Tennessee)

Room: Crowne Plaza Hotel /Wabasha II
Grades 6-12

In this session participants will learn basic concepts associated with sustainable development and engage in two hands-on, minds-on activities.

Session 2

3:30-4:15 PM

Culturally Responsive Mathematics: Innovative Instruction
Runninghorse Livingston (Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa)

Room: Crowne Plaza Hotel /Wabasha II
Grades K-12

This session will focus on the analysis, observation, and discussion of effective mathematics instruction. Culturally Responsive Mathematics encompasses teaching strategies that strengthen and foster the intrinsic cognitive processes in K-12 students. The approach is founded on current research and compliments a variety of problem-based, ethnomath curriculums that exist today.

The Eagle's Return: Turning Science into Tellable Tales
Kevin Strauss (Tales with Tails Storytelling Programs)

Room: Crowne Plaza Hotel /Kellogg III
Grades K-12

Learn how to turn science into stories for listeners of all ages. Discover "what makes a good story," how to craft original science stories and how to use narrative techniques to engage listeners, focus attention and teach lessons.

Teaching Green in Middle Schools
Tim Grant (Green Teacher Magazine)

Room: Crowne Plaza Hotel /Kellogg II
Grades 6-8

Eight guiding principles for reforming education are introduced, along with learning activities that variously explore food systems, calculate ecological footprints, differentiate between needs and wants, and demonstrate interconnectedness.

Using Biodiversity and Invasive Species for Integrated, Field Based Instruction
Craig Johnson (School of Environmental Studies), Brad Johnson (School of Environmental Studies), Steve Hage (School of Environmental Studies)

Room: Crowne Plaza Hotel /Wabasha I
Grades 9-12

This hands-on session outlines a program designed to help high school students build an understanding of biodiversity and invasive species in the field.  Curricular considerations, field research experiences, project partners, GPS and GIS technology applications, and a student-conducted census are described.