Environmental Education

Resources for local teachers

Jay Blazek Crossley, Feb 09, 09.

Tagged with environment, education, tomorrow magazine, teachers, houston region, environmental education

Beginning in February 2009, Houston Tomorrow will be giving free in-services for environmental science educators across the Houston region. The TOMORROW Environmental Education Program, funded by the Brown Foundation, will provide teachers with class sets of our magazine, TOMORROW, along with national standards-based curriculum materials developed by Linda Hatleberg, an educational consultant now working for Houston Tomorrow. Materials will be made available for teachers at in-services as well as online right here.

All interested teachers are encouraged to download the materials and use them in any way that helps bring locally relevant environmental education to their students. Please contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or at 713-523-5757 if you would like to to attend an in-service or set one up for several teachers in your area or to let us know that you are planning on using the material.

If you are using the materials, please make sure to fill out this brief survey, so that we can improve the program over time and be accountable to funding institutions.

Houston 2035

TOMORROW Magazine Issue #1 - Houston 2035 (pdf, 10mb)
The first issue of our magazine TOMORROW is the basis for the curriculum below. Class sets of the magazine will be provided to any teachers in the Houston region in both public and private schools who request them. Feel free to download the pdf instead if you would like to use this curriculum on the computer and save paper, if you would like to print out copies on your own, or simply to review the materials before asking for a class set.

According to forecasts from the Houston-Galveston Area Council, the 8-county region around Houston will grow by 3.5 million people by 2035. The first issue of TOMORROW Magazine considers the implications of this growth and sets the framework for citizens and decision makers to address this growth in positive ways to preserve the economy, community, and environment of the region.

The mission of TOMORROW magazine is to give citizens and decision-makers the information they need to make wise choices about Houston’s future. The magazine is published biannually and each issue focuses on a major theme of importance to the development of the region, including Access & Mobility, Flooding & Water, Food, and Health. TOMORROW Magazine is circulated free of charge to citizens and decision makers.

Houston 2035 - Curriculum Guide pdf
The Curriculum Guide presents the materials that are available for teachers to use in the classroom alongside the class set of the first issues of TOMORROW Magazine, explains how certain parts of the curriculum correspond to TEKS and NAAEE standards, and provides links for further extension activities.

Houston 2035 - Read and Question pdf
The Read and Question worksheet is the basic assignment to give your students along with the magazine. Some questions are meant to support reading comprehension, some involve basic math and science skills, and others are meant to provoke critical thought.

Houston 2035 - Read and Question Key
Teachers: Please contact Jay Blazek Crossley by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or at 713-523-5757 if you would like a copy of the answer key. We hope and assume that your students are quite tech-savvy and could easily find this key if we posted it.

Houston 2035 - Population Age Structure Diagrams pdf
To project population numbers for different areas, demographers look at the profile of the areas residents. Graphs such as these also indicate the impact of events, such as natural disasters, immigration, wars, drought…etc, on populations. The marketing industry uses demographic data to develop strategies for target populations. Students will compare age structure diagrams of Houston, Harris County, Texas, and the country and suggest reasons for differences in the patterns. This exercise gives students a chance to build graphs, compare percentages, and have an introduction to demographics.

Houston 2035 - Population Age Structure Diagrams Key
Teachers: Please contact Jay Blazek Crossley by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or at 713-523-5757 if you would like a copy of the answer key. We hope and assume that your students are quite tech-savvy and could easily find this key if we posted it.

Houston 2035 - Socratic Seminar: General Instructions pdf
Socratic Seminars originated from the teachings of the classical Greek philosopher, Socrates (ca.470-399 B.C.). He believed the best way to attain knowledge was through disciplined conversation. His concept was to examine opinions or ideas logically, using inquiry to determine their validity. The seminar is different from a debate, in which the participants are looking to win an opponent over or prove each other wrong. In this form of dialog, the participants are asked to be open to arguments from both sides, to find common ground, to suspend ones assumptions or beliefs, and to come to a greater understanding. There are other ways to proceed in Socratic questioning but this method is designed to work in, but not limited to, a classroom.

Houston 2035 - Socratic Seminar: Urban Planning Materials pdf
The role of urban planning, land use, and municipal codes is often difficult for students to grasp. They don’t understand the choices local and regional governments make which have direct impact on their quality of life and the environment. This activity is designed to allow students to explore urban planning options and the conflicting opinions supporting them, according to area residents and organizations. The materials include background reading for participants, information about two trends in urban planning, Smart Growth and New Urbanism, and information about organizations involved in Houston’s regional planning. Lastly, articles are provided to present varying points of view on the future of urban planning for the Houston region. Choose those that you find most appropriate for your participant group. You can combine shorter ones to balance reading selections for participant groups. This document is to be used in conjunction with the Socratic Seminar: Guidelines and Worksheets.

Houston 2035 - Presentation 64mb ppt
Houston 2035 - Presentation 8mb pdf
The presentation given at the teacher in-services is intended to both explain the materials to teachers and to be used by teachers in the classroom. Feel free to use particular slides or the entire presentation depending on your needs in the classroom. This is provided as a PowerPoint file, which is a large file, and as a PDF, which is smaller.

Houston 2035: Access and Mobility

TOMORROW Magazine Issue #2 - Houston 2035: Access and Mobility (pdf, 22mb)
Curriculum materials will be available at a later date.

Houston’s Food Supply

TOMORROW Magazine Issue #3 - Houston’s Food Supply (pdf, 8mb)
Curriculum materials will be available at a later date.

Other Resources:
TOMORROW Environmental Education In-service Proposal pdf
This letter is intended for teachers, curriculum directors, and administrators who are interested in attending an in-service or setting one up for teachers in their area.

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