K - 12 Education
The NatureMapping Program

Environmental education is a part of the K-12 curriculum. Many teachers, however, are searching for programs to incorporate into their environmental education curriculum. NatureMapping is a program, not a curriculum. NatureMapping is appealing because it can reach all grades and subject levels. Math and science are the two major subject levels. Art, history, language arts, geography, computer technology and real life field work are components of NatureMapping.

The Monitoring Guidelines, video, website and workshops provide the opportunity for teachers to decide how to incorporate the program into their curriculum. The entry level workshop, Wildlife and Habitat Data Collection, focuses on habitat and wildlife identification, mapping using topographical maps and data collection methodology. The What To Do With Your Data workshops will give participants an opportunity to see how NatureMapping has been using their data and how they can use their data in school and community projects. The NatureMapping database, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Internet workshops will focus on the tools that can be used for data analysis and communication.

High school students are tired of collecting fake data. They need to be prepared for college and employment within their communities. NatureMapping can facilitate linking high school students with researchers and natural resource agencies for school and community projects, as mentors for lower grade levels, and to work with college students through NatureMapping's large cooperator network.

Teacher comments:
"This is a real-life application for the students."

"The workshop has increased my knowledge about actual environmental conditions. Now, maybe I can do something to help." "It is wonderful to find a project that enables and provides me the outlet to express how I envision life science."

"I am interested in involving Advanced Marine Science high school students in this project. For me, it's an opportunity to get students out in the field, observing the environment, FOR A REAL PROJECT. I would like the students to learn some natural history, practice data collection and practice contributing to real world efforts in our communities."

"I can easily imagine how this data can be integrated in an elementary school curriculum. This is wonderful. I can easily see NatureMapping as a central unifying activity for the entire curriculum."

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Last Modified: 10/27/97