Classroom Earth Success Stories

Educator Gabriel Benn, also known as the hip-hop artist Asheru, has been with the District of Columbia Public School District for over 13 years as both a teacher and administrator. He founded the Hip-Hop Educational Literacy Program (H.E.L.P.), which uses hip-hop songs to create culturally relevant lesson plans, covering topics from music history to environmental conservation, for inner-cty youth.

After teaching my applied ecology students about forestry management methods we toured several regions of our campus. At each place we discussed logging history and indicators of the forest health. To test them on the material the students had to identify which of the forests most needed management. They then had to devise a management plan.

How to integrate environmental education with photography and technology

Scott Olson, a 12-year teacher in the Tonasket School District in Tonasket, Wash., developed a photo point monitoring project for his high school students after being inspired by a wildlife manager from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Photo point monitoring is a tool used to quickly and effectively document changes in vegetation, soil and other landscape features by periodically photographing the landscape. The wildlife manager, who regularly visited Olson’s classroom, came upon historic photographs of local landscapes and suggested Olson use the photographs to conduct photo point monitoring.

Olson ran with it and soon had his students engaged in an exciting learning experience that allowed them to incorporate numerous subject areas and learn in an outdoor setting.

Every year for the past six years, the 2,300 students at La Mirada High School in Los Angeles County, Calif. celebrate an energy-themed National Environmental Education Week and Earth Day event. Science students display renewable energy and environmental projects while state agencies, including the California Coastal Commission. The school choir and jazz band perform and students play a variety of eco-themed games.

La Mirada Spanish teacher Norma Williamson coordinates the event. She is passionate about environmental education and uses it to help her students understand the environment through hands-on learning.