Guideline 6.1: Clarity and logic.

The overall structure (purpose, direction, and logic of presentation) should be clear to educators and learners.

What to look for:

• Materials are clearly and engagingly written. Main concepts are well articulated. Examples in the text are appropriate to the content and easily understood.
  
• Instructions for educators are clear and concise.
  
• The following information is included in a straight forward manner.

Intended audience/grade level;
Instructional setting and optimal number of learners;
Disciplines and concepts covered;
Intended learner outcomes;
Process skills addressed (i.e., observing, communicating, comparing, ordering, categorizing, relating, inferring, applying)
Equipment needed;
Safety precautions and clean up if appropriate;
Time needed for activity;
Brief overview of the activity;
Instructions for conducting the activity;
Suggestions for assessing the activity; and
Pre- and post-activities, such as suggestions for enrichment activities, if appropriate.

• Background information for the educator is adequate and accurate, and there is a listing of additional resources.
• Resources are organized sequentially and in an easy-to-use fashion.
• Lab and field work, and other activities, are clearly linked to related content material.

Guideline 6.2: Easy to use.

Resources should be inviting and easy to use.

What to look for:

• The layout of materials is interesting and appealing for educators and learners.
  
• Illustrations, photographs, maps, graphs, and charts are useful, clear, and easy to read.
  
• The resource is easy for educators to access, keep and use (8.5x 11", 3-hole punched, able to lie flat on desk).
  
• Masters for student handouts and overhead transparencies are easily duplicated.
  
• Copyright is spelled out or permission to copy is granted.
  
• Where appropriate, materials are available in electronic form such as computer file, CDROM, or over the Internet.

Guideline 6.3: Long-lived.

Resources should have a life span that extends beyond one use.

What to look for:

• Resources include information on where replacements, updates, equipment, and special supplies can be obtained.
  
• Equipment and materials are listed, reasonably accessible, inexpensive, and simple to use.
  
• Student materials are sufficiently supplied. Consumable instructional materials are of good quality and sufficient quantity to support the objectives.
  
• Nonconsumable materials can be reused by another educator.

Guideline 6.4: Adaptable.

Resources should be adaptable to a range of learning situations.

What to look for:

• Suggestions are provided for adapting lessons and activities for learners from particular ethnic or cultural backgrounds.
  
• Resources are available in more than one language, if appropriate.
  
• Where appropriate, the resources suggest easy adaptations for different environments, such as indoor and outdoor environments, formal and informal settings, large and small classes, mixed-level classes, or rural, suburban, and urban settings.
  
• There are suggestions for finding low-cost or no-cost alternatives for the equipment and materials needed.
  
• Resources provide suggestions for adaptations for students with special learning needs, language needs, and physical needs.
  Resources offer ideas for adapting to different grade levels.

Guideline 6.5: Accompanied by instruction and support.

Additional support and instruction should be provided to meet educators' needs.

What to look for:

• Professional development programs are accessible to educators in your area.
  
• Continuing technical support for educators is provided (for example, a toll-free telephone number or a list of local or regional points of contact for questions about the resources).
  
• Instructional programs provide follow-up activities or evaluations and help develop a network of practitioners.
  
• Resources include lists of essential resource and supporting materials, such as agency contacts, references to videos, information on computer databases, etc.

Guideline 6.6: Make substantiated claims.

Resources should accomplish what they claim to accomplish.

What to look for:

• Claims of learning outcomes are substantiated by systematic evaluation rather than merely by letters of endorsement and anecdotal comments from users.
  
• The resources were field tested under conditions similar to their intended use and evaluated in terms of stated goals and objectives prior to wide scale implementation.
  
• If resources are part of a larger program, the resource provides for continuous feedback and modification to help determine: areas of strength and potential gaps; how work has impacted the community; what to do to function more effectively.
  
• Educators who work in the settings in which the resource is intended to be used participated on the development team or reviewed drafts of materials.
  
• Experts in learning theory, evaluation, and other appropriate educational disciplines were involved on the development team or reviewed drafts of resources.

Guideline 6.7: Fit with national, state, or local requirements.

Environmental education resources should should fit within national, state, or local standards or curricula. (Also see guideline #5.5 for other ideas about fitting with local curricula.)

What to look for:

• Resources are correlated with national, state, or local requirements or learning objectives.
  
• Resources can be readily integrated into established curricula.