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| November 2008 Volume 3, No. 3 |
Articles Featured in This Issue
1. Calendar of Events
2. Our Web Site Picks for November
Special Feature Articles
1. JCVS Students Create Blackacre Activities for Children
2. Pledge for the Polar Bears
3. Students Explore Climate Change at Fall 2008 Environmental Youth Summit
4. Teaching About Climate Change
Environmental Education Articles:
1. 2009 Earth Day Perspectives: An Invitation to Share Your Thoughts
2. JCPS Environmental Studies Magnet Update
3. Farm Animals are Back at Blackacre!
4. Pledge to Reduce Your Energy Use
5. Bernheim's ECO Kids - Every Child Outside!
Multicultural/Diversity Education Articles:
1. Celebrate International Education Week 2008, Nov. 17-21
2. Call For Applications to Teach in China or Vietnam, Summer 2009
3. Cultural Events at Iroquois Library, November and December
4. The English Conversation Club Returns
5. Teacher Resources Available at the Louisville Free Public Library
Calendar of Events
November 9 - "Celebration Dinner for Vietnamese Veterans," sponsored by Crane House. Crane House invites you to say thank you to our veterans, and facilitate opportunities for dialogue and reflection among those individuals who have so much suffering in common. The event will be held at Americana Community Center. For more event information and how to register, please contact Crane House at (502) 635-2240.
November 9-15 - "13th Annual Festival of Faiths," presented by the Center for Interfaith Relations. The Festival theme this year is "Coming of Age Through the Eyes of Faith" and features reknowned speakers.
November 12-16 - "National Association for Multicultural Education's 18th International Conference" in New Orleans, Louisiana. For additional information, please visit www.nameorg.org.
November 17-21 - "International Education Week 2008." For more information, visit the official IEW 2008 Web site.
November 22, 12 to 4 p.m. - "Thanksgiving Harvest Festival," at the Frazier International History Museum. Giving thanks for the harvest is universal and dates back to ancient times. Celebrate Thanksgiving by exploring harvest festivals around the world. Grab your passport! Your destinations include:
China: Discover the Mid-Autumn Festival. Hear traditional stories about the moon and taste a tidbit of moon cake.
India: Explore the Rice Harvest Festival. Create a pretty kolam and taste a bit of pongal.
Nigeria: Learn about the New Yam Festival as you make a harvest mask and listen to African drummers.
Europe: Explore Martinmas, a harvest day in Europe dating back to medieval times. Play medieval games and sample a tasty little meat dish fit for a King.
Colonial America: Travel back in time to the 1621 harvest feast shared between the Wampanoag Indians and the English Colonists.
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Our Web Site Picks For November
Global Ecovillage Network
http://gen.ecovillage.org
This Web site provides access to the thinking and strategies of communities around the world that are taking environmental issues seriously. They define an EcoVillage as "Urban or rural communities of people who strive to integrate social environment with a low-impact way of life. To achieve this, they integrate various aspects of ecological design, permaculture, ecological building, green production, alternative energy, community building practices, and much more." The Web site recently added an assessement called "How Sustainable is Your Community." The assessment provides an excellent comprehensive overview of a community. Consider making the assessment an assignment for your class. It will spark many discussions.
Smithsonian Institute's "Bibliography of North American Indians, For K-12"
http://anthropology.si.edu/outreach/Indbibl
The Anthropology Outreach Office at the Smithsonian Institute has compiled an online list of K-12 books about Native American cultures. Teachers can select any region of North America and view a list of book titles that reflect the cultural traditions, folklore, history and daily lives of Native Americans in that particular area of the continent. The Web site explains that children's books, films and music often contain common stereotypes about Native Americans. Teachers can find materials on the Smithsonian site that are culturally informed and accurate. The books can be ordered at local bookstores.
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Special Feature Articles
JCVS Students Create Blackacre Activities for Children
By Catherine Collesano, Editor, Global Connections
and Ray Hurley, Career Planner, JCPS Virtual School
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| Bryan Thompson works with JCVS students at Blackacre Nature Preserve as part of a service-learning project. | |
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| JCVS students begin their work on a service-learning project at Blackacre Nature Preserve. | |
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| JCVS students begin their work on a service-learning project at Blackacre Nature Preserve. |
Initially, the students divided into four teams to take digital photos of Blackacre's animals, buildings, nature and tools, which will be used as the basis for the Web activities. Debbie Schweitzer, the School Technology Coordinator at JCVS, is leading 90 minute after-school technology workshops so the students can learn the computer applications that are necessary to create the activities. In the process, the students are learning to create, edit, and download digital and video photography, and write text to accompany the photos. The activities are currently a work in progress, but they will include a Jeopardy game, Seek & Find, a scavenger hunt, photo stories, a podcast, a vodcast, a photo match, Discovery Kids, and a crossword puzzle, which can be used either before or after a visit to Blackacre.
Linda Witt, the Director of the Louisville Education & Employment Partnership (LEEP), was instrumental in initiating the Blackacre Nature Preserve Service Learning Project at Jefferson County Valley Virtual School. Ms. Witt said "The LEEP program believes that if we ask students to be involved in important issues, they will come up with effective solutions. Valley Virtual students made a commitment to participate [in a service-learning project] and chose environmental issues after attending a field trip to Blackacre. Through participation in the service-learning activity the Valley Virtual students developed a sense of pride in belonging to school and community. My hope for the students in this project is for them to increase their knowledge in science, stimulate their interest in technology and make a lasting impact on the importance of the environment in their lives." Witt also noted that the project at Blackacre helped the students to recognize qualities in their classmates that had never surfaced in the classroom environment.
For more information about the Blackacre Nature Preserve Service Learning Project, please contact Ray Hurley, Career Planner at JCPS Virtual School, at (502) 485-7210. Or contact Bryan Thompson at (502) 485-3295. Visit the Blackacre Conservancy Web site at www.blackacreconservancy.org. Visit the JCPS Virtual School Web site at http://jcps.jefferson.k12.ky.us/jcvs
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| Atherton High School senior Emily Goldstein. (Photo by Kara Bussabarger, The Louisville Zoo; all permissions received for use of photo) | |
By Emily Goldstein, Senior, Atherton High School
Hi! I’m Emily Goldstein, a senior at Atherton High School, and I need your help! I’m asking you to go online to a new Web site and make a pledge to reduce energy usage. As the Louisville Zoo’s first Arctic Ambassador, I visited Churchill, Canada last year and learned first-hand how climate change is affecting the tundra. Polar bears and other creatures are dying, and the people who live there are losing their way of life. After returning home, I started doing everything that I could to teach people about climate change and what they can do to halt it.
I have now teamed up with my friend, Brandie Farkas from Ballard High School, and the Louisville Zoo to launch this new Web site. It has tons of information about polar bears, climate change, and what you can do to stop it. You can make a free pledge to reduce your carbon footprint, via any of five options that are easy to do. You’ll be saving money and saving the planet – it’s a win-win situation!
In December, I’ll be taking the pledges to Congress to show that we are serious in Kentucky about stopping climate change. Please visit our Web site and make your pledge at:
www.louisvillezoo.org/projectpolarbear
And then ask everyone you know to make their pledge – together we can make a difference!
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Students Explore Climate Change at Fall 2008 Environmental Youth Summit
By Teddie Phillipson Mower
Co-Director, U of L Center for Environmental Education
Co-Facilitator, Environmental Education Committee of Partnership for a Green City
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| Bryan Thompson, JCPS Center for Environmental Education, and George Perkins, Air Pollution Control, assist students with an activity at the 2008 Environmental Youth Summit. (photo by Aukram Burton) | |
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| Students measure a tree for a carbon sequestration activity at the 2008 Environmental Youth Summit. (photo by Aukram Burton) | |
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| Russell Barnett, of the Kentucky Institute for the Environment and Sustainable Development, speaks with Metro Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson at the 2008 Environmental Youth Summit. (photo by Aukram Burton) |
The goal of this Youth Summit was to develop student skills and knowledge to take action at their schools. As part of the supportive framework for the program, Kentucky Green and Healthy Schools (KGHS) and Earth Force initiatives play a part. The KGHS program (www.greenschools.ky.gov) empowers students to conduct community inventories at their schools by asking a variety of questions of adults and monitoring/observing what is happening on their campus. From the inventories, students identify a problem and develop an action project around this. Earth Force Community Action and Problem Solving steps to action guide students in learning how to navigate through the process of an action project. Seven JCPS teachers, Emily Conn (Olmsted South Middle School), Shannon Meredith (Moore High School), Andrew Gray (Fairdale High School), Molly Woofter (Fairdale High School), Jerry Durall (Lassiter Middle School), Rachel Davis (Lassiter Middle School), and Angela Page (Male High School) attended Earth Force training last spring through the KEEC PRIDE grant given to the UofL Center for Environmental Education. These exceptional teachers shared their training with 17 additional teachers during a professional development workshop prior to the Youth Summit.
Community members who volunteered to act as mentors for the program attended a training session of their own. These remarkable individuals helped conduct the breakouts at the Youth Summit and will go to the schools to support their efforts in completing the inventories and implementing the action plans. We are all looking forward to the Spring 2009 Youth Summit when students will show us how they have implemented what they learned through this remarkable experience.
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Teaching About Climate Change
By Aukram Burton, Specialist
JCPS Department of Diversity, Equity and Poverty Programs
For more than two decades, the Lincoln Foundation has sponsored the Summer Math/Science Program, which offers a unique educational experience where high school students are engaged in challenging math concepts and scientific inquiry. The program provides a curriculum of hands on experience; field trips; and rigorous study of science, mathematics, and engineering to prepare JCPS students who have their sights set on higher education.
The 2008 Summer Math/Science Program gave birth to a new service-learning curriculum. Students in the program learned to apply math and science principles to investigate and explore the impact of global climate change. The program curriculum was redesigned through a partnership between the Lincoln Foundation; the JCPS Center for Environmental Education; the JCPS Department of Diversity, Equity and Poverty Programs; U of L Honors Program, and the U of L Kentucky Institute for the Environment and Natural Resources. Funding to support the program was provided by the JCPS School to Career office. The new curriculum incorporates mentoring and service-learning components and allows honors students at U of L to work with high school students who are participating in the Summer Math/Science Program.
Click here to continue reading the article.
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Updates from the Center for Environmental Education
2009 Earth Day Perspectives: An Invitation to Share Your Thoughts
By Dr. David Wicks, Coordinator, JCPS Center for Environmental Education
Catherine Collesano, Editor, Global Connections
The Partnership for a Green City and the editors of Global Connections are planning for the 2nd annual "Earth Day Perspectives" essay project. Last school year, over 50 community leaders and educators made their voices heard on environmental issues when we published the "Earth Day Perspectives" project for the very first time. Click here to read their ideas and words.
“Kentucky’s Energy Future” is the theme of the 2009 Earth Day Perspectives. Though you may write anything you choose for submission, we are asking for energy saving ideas; thoughts on conservation; suggestions for renewable energy; thoughts on clean coal or on a life that is not dependent on fossil fuels. Focus on short term ideas, on future visions, on what individuals can do or on the big societal or governmental changes and ideas for our energy future. Feel free to address what our children should know and be able to do in order to ensure that future generations are not “addicted to energy.”
To participate, submit your essay, 500 words or less, along with a digital photograph of yourself by March 1, 2009 to: Catherine Collesano, Editor, Global Connections, at catherine.collesano@jefferson.kyschools.us
Entries will be posted on in the April edition of Global Connections and selected pieces will be printed in an earth day booklet. For more information or suggestions, please contact the following individuals:
Dr. David Wicks, Coordinator, JCPS Center for Environmental Education
David.wicks@jefferson.kyschools.us or (502) 485-3295
Catherine Collesano, Editor, Global Connections
catherine.collesano@jefferson.kyschools.us or (502) 485-7075
Aukram Burton, Specialist, JCPS Department of Diversity, Equity and Poverty Programs
Aukram.burton@jefferson.kyschools.us or 502-485-7075
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Farm Animals are Back at Blackacre!
By Donna Griffin, Resource Teacher
JCPS Center for Environmental Education
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The Appalachian style double crib log barn built about 1790 adjoins a pasture in which students can see cows, horses, goats, and donkeys. Farmer Larry Sorrels volunteers his time (and animals) to make the visit to a pioneer farm more meaningful for students.
After schools leave the site Monday through Friday, the public is invited on to the preserve. During the week, public visitation is from 3:00 p.m. to dusk, and from dawn to dusk on Saturday and Sunday. For a close up look at the animals, we encourage families to come visit Saturday mornings when they are being fed their breakfast.
While at Blackacre take the time to explore the many trails. If you are lucky you may see wild turkeys, quail, or the elusive fox spotted by observant students recently. For more information call the JCPS Center for Environmental Education at (502) 485-3295 and ask for Donna Griffin or Bryan Thompson.
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JCPS Environmental Studies Magnet Update
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| At left, Dr. David Wicks, coordinator of the JCPS Center for Environmental Education, and Cane Run Elementary Principal Gwen Goffner, third from right, met with U.S. and Chinese environmental education experts. |
In addition, both schools are looking at participating in a national grant that would combine the use of Foss Science Modules with outdoor activities from the Boston Schoolyard and the Outdoor Biology Instructional Strategies Curriculum.
The development of the Environmental Science Magnet Programs at Cane Run and Portland Elementary are going very well. The adopted theme for the magnet programs is "Explore, Think, Serve, Wonder, Achieve: Teaching with the Future in Mind." The posters from the schools' programs were unveiled at the JCPS Showcase of Schools. Click on the names of the schools to download a PDF of the Cane Run poster or the Portland poster. Stay tuned! Exciting things are happening at Cane Run Elementary and Portland Elementary.
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By Dr. David Wicks, Coordinator
JCPS Center for Environmental Education
Each month, Jefferson County Public Schools, Louisville Metro Government, and the University of Louisville spend millions of dollars on energy to power their buildings and vehicle fleets. In addition to the economic cost, energy use, which is powered by fossil fuels, has environmental and public health impacts. Working together, we can reduce energy use by changing how we use energy while we are at school, work or at home. As the largest public entities in Kentucky, we can be good stewards of the taxpayer's money and good stewards of the environment. While these may seem simple, energy conservation opportunities can have a huge impact at school, at work and at home. We urge you to pledge to reduce your energy use.
To take the pledge at your school or workplace, simply click on http://www.partnershipforagreencity.org. Have students, staff and faculty sign their pledge online, or you could print off the pledges and send them in to the person indicated at the end of the form.
All students and teachers who pledge will be entered into a drawing for sustainable door prizes. The drawing will be held on December 8, 2008, so make sure you pledge to reduce your energy use by December 7th. In addition, each elementary, middle and high school and central office facility with the highest percentage of students and staff participating will receive a plaque to proudly display in their lobby.
Help us save energy and the environment....conservation is the new energy. Make the pledge and encourage your students to do the same.
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Environmental News and Resources
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Provided by Joe Yurt
Youth and Public Programs Educator
Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
In November and December, Bernheim Forest's ECO Kids program will offer learning and personal development opportunities to children, parents and teachers that relate to nature study and environmental sustainability.
ECO Kids First Saturday Nature Discovery Day
Winter Paths
Saturday, December 6 - ECO: NDI, Nature Discovery Investigators take a winter walk and investigate winter animal signs.
Time: Come anytime between 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Place: Visitor Center
Fee: Free - advance registration not required
Bernheim at Night
Our night programs are timed to start near sunset. They cover open territory but not necessarily established trails. Please dress for the weather and don’t forget to call between 3:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on the day of the program to find out about last minute changes due to the weather. Cloud cover will not cancel night programs but severe rain might!
Full "Frost" Moon Night Hike
Wednesday, November 12 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Place: Meet at the Visitor Center
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Fee: $7 members; $10 non-members; advance registration required
Forgotten Treasures: 19th and Early 20th Century Nature Study Books
Saturday, November 22
Less than one hundred years ago, the notion that an educated person should have a basic acquaintance with the natural world was widely held and practiced. The nature study movement of that period inspired a wealth of books that still remain essential to “nature literacy” today. Joe Yurt, Bernheim’s Youth and Public Program Manager, has selected some of the best of these old, out of print books for an informal “book browse” at the Research Center Reading Room. Selections include teacher’s guides and nature study books that still offer inspirational and engaging nature study activities for current students and teachers.
Time: Come anytime between 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Place: Research Center Library
Fee: Free – advance registration not required
Bernheim Featured Field Trip for November - Word for the Day: Sustainability
Sustainable thinking is becoming an increasingly common strategy for people to improve their lives. Early proponents of this thought process included environmentalists and architects. Bernheim’s award winning Visitor Center is a model for sustainable design and the concept of “green” architecture. Was I.W. Bernheim, our founder, “thinking sustainably” when he established Bernheim Forest?
What participants will learn includes:
-- How sustainable thinking is like a game.
-- The five keys to sustainable thinking.
-- How is a building like a tree?
-- The sustainable attributes of Bernheim’s Visitor Center.
-- How you can begin to think sustainably today.
Unless otherwise noted, all programs require advance registration and payment. You may register for programs daily, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., in person at the Education Center or by calling (502) 955-8512. For more information, contact Joe Yurt at jyurt@bernheim.org.
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Updates from the Multicultural Education Office
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International Education Week 2008 will take place November 17-21. What is International Education Week? IEW is an annual event jointly sponsored by the U.S. Departments of State and Education and it takes place during the WEEK BEFORE Thanksgiving. The event is an opportunity for educators, businesses and community organizations to explore the benefits of international education and cultural exchange.
Schools can create a variety of IEW activities that range from simple to elaborate and that allow students and their parents to participate. Examples of IEW activities include inviting Peace Corps members to your school; creating international cafes; having "international dress" days; initiating a pen-pal program with a school in another country; showing students photographs of other nations and comparing and contasting various cultures; having students write essays about their lives in the United States and sending them to students in other nations; and having students and teachers greet one another in a different language every day during the week.
Click here to visit the IEW Web site for more information. The site offers suggested activities and provides descriptions of activities in schools around the world. You can also view videos and photos of IEW events.
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Cultural Diversity News and Resources
Call For Applications to Teach in China or Vietnam, Summer 2009
Provided by Lillian Hwang Peiper, Director of Education
Crane House, The Asia Institute, Inc.
Crane House, The Asia Institute, Inc., announces its "21st Summer Teaching in Asia Program" from July 8 through July 31, 2009, and invites your application. Teachers who are selected will conduct a short-term, intensive, English-training program for teachers and/or students in China or Vietnam. Host teaching sites provide free rooming, meals, and short day-trips.
A cost is associated with the program, but generous subsidies, provided by The Freeman Foundation, are available to teachers who qualify. Classroom teaching experience is required. Both practicing and retired teachers in any discipline and from K through collegiate levels are encouraged to apply. Crane House conducts orientation sessions between February and June 2009. Crane House provides all required teaching materials and its shipping to Asia, training sessions, and coordinates all travel arrangements (flights, visa, passport, etc.).
For a "Teaching in Asia" application or more detailed information, please see www.cranehouse.org, Teach in Asia page. For additional information, call Lillian Hwang Peiper, Crane House's Director of Education, at (502) 635-2240, or email cranehouse-ed@juno.com
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Cultural Events at Iroquois Library, November and December
The Iroquois Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library has a number of cultural events coming up this November and December. Some of the events include:
English Conversation Club
Every Saturday in November at 3 p.m.
Each session will have a theme with supplemental tutoring material provided. No long-term commitment is required.
League of Women Voters Film: "Iron Jawed Angels"
Thursday, November 13 at 6 p.m.
"Ironed Jawed Angels" tells the story of Women's Right to Vote. The film will be followed by a lecture.
Click here to download flyer
Cultural Showcase: Bosnia-Hercegovina
Saturday, November 15 at 1pm
Click here to download flyer
Cultural Showcase: Iraq
Saturday, December 20 at 12 p.m.
This event will feature two documentaries followed by discussion and a chance to meet and greet our new Iraqi neighbors. The documentary "A Song for Daniel" follows the routine day of two nine-year old boys - one living in Baghdad and the other, born and raised in New York City. "My Country, My Country" is an unforgettable journey into the heart of war-ravaged Iraq in the months leading up to the January 2005 elections.
Click here to download flyer
Bollywood Dance Party
Wednesday, December 3 at 6 p.m.
Click here to download flyer
Declaration of Human Rights
Thursday, December 11 at 6 p.m.
This event is presented by the Matt Hanka from the UN Chapter of Kentucky.
The Iroquois Library is located at 601 W. Woodlawn Avenue. For more information, please contact Sophie Maier at (502) 574-1701 or email sophie@lfpl.org
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The English Conversation Club Returns
The English Conversation Club will meet on Saturdays in November at 3 p.m. at the Iroquois Library, located at 601 West Woodlawn Avenue. Come speak one-on-one with a fluent English speaker on subjects such as job hunting, helping children in school, going to the doctor, and exploring Louisville. Students should have a basic understanding of English. Each session will have a theme, but students will be allowed to discuss any issues they may be having with language learning. Come join us for fun and English, English, English!
To sign up, please call Sophie Maier at (502) 574-1701, or email sophie@LFPL.org.
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Teacher Resources Available at the Louisville Free Public Library
The Louisville Free Public Library offers several free resources - including research guides and pre-assembled activities designed to enhance reading skills - for teachers. Here are a few to consider:
Teacher Collections: K-12 grade teachers can request up to 30 books to enhance lessons. Books are available on a wide variety of subjects ranging from environmental science to cultural traditions. Collections can be fiction or nonfiction, focused on a certain subject/theme, written by a specific author or any combination of these. The Library makes it easy for teachers to obtain these collections because members of the staff compile the books and they are delivered to the nearest Library branch. Teachers can submit requests for collections online at www.lfpl.org.
Book Discussion Kits: Kits designed to encourage conversation among students of all ages are available to teachers. The kits feature a range of genres and literary styles, and will expose students to a variety of issues designed to promote thought and discussion. Each kit contains a set of 30 identical books for use in the classroom. The kits are accompanied by a book discussion guide. An example of one of our Book Discussion Kits is Hoot by Carl Hiaasen.
Magazine Articles: The library offers access to millions of full-text magazine articles. These are available to any teacher who has a library card and internet access.
CQ Researcher: This constantly-updated, in-depth report discusses the pros and cons of today's current events and news, several of which focus on the global economy and environment.
These are just a few of the many benefits the Louisville Free Public Library provides to support teachers in the classroom. For more information, please visit www.lfpl.org or call Lisa Sizemore at (502) 574-1680.
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Global Connections: Staying in Touch with Culture and Environment is a monthly publication of the JCPS Office of Equity, Diversity and Multicultural Education and the JCPS Center for Environmental Education. All submissions to the newsletter must be sent to Catherine Collesano, Editor, at catherine.collesano@jefferson.kyschools.us or fax (502) 485-3762 the Monday before the publication date. If you are interested in becoming a subscriber or a contributor to Global Connections, please contact the editor at the above email address.
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