The Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Sequential Grades Two through Seven Environmental Education Enrichment Summer School Program in the Wausau School District
File(s)
Date
1996-07Author
Birkholz, Linda S.
Piotraschke, Jodie L.
Woller, Debra A.
Publisher
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, College of Natural Resources
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
In the Wausau School District (WSD ), teachers were provided with an
environmental education (EE) curriculum guide, multiple EE resources, and
inservicing at some grade levels. With the knowledge that all teachers were not
utilizing these resources, this research project was designed to go beyond the regular
classroom environment with the intent to reach WSD students entering grades two
through seven and positively influence their environmental awareness, knowledge, and
behavior through participation in a summer camp setting.
Research suggested that camp settings and direct experiences with nature
contributes to the development of students' environmental awareness, knowledge, and
behavior. This research was used to justify the implementation and funding . of a
sequential environmental education enrichment summer school program as a benefit to
the Wausau community. The Director of Elementary Curriculum authorized funding
through the summer school budget. Three sequential one-week camps were developed,
one each for grades two and three, four and five, and six and seven. The middle school
camp utilized Horace Mann Middle School's multimedia technology, the Wausau
School Forest, the Wisconsin Valley Improvement Environmental Science Laboratory,
and Blue Gill Bay Park. The intermediate camp was held at the Wausau School Forest
and included field trips to Industrial Recyclers and County Market Foods. The primary
camp was conducted at the Wausau School Forest.
All students completed pre and post-evaluations to provide data used to
determine if the camps positively influenced their environmental awareness,
knowledge, and behavior. Middle school and intermediate evaluation results indicated
a significant increase in student performance which was directly related to instruction
received in the camps. Scores on the primary students' pre-evaluations were high,
therefore there was not room for significant increases to occur on the post-evaluations.
Results were used to develop recommendations to be implemented in future camp
programming.