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As part of our work with the Climate Change and Environmental Justice Program (CCEJP) led by Ten Strands and financed by the San Mateo County Office of Education and the California DOE, CELF recently completed an initial pilot of our K-2 anchor lessons with a cohort of nine classroom teachers and science specialists to help our team understand how the lessons we are designing help motivate student curiosity and drive student inquiry. One of our pilot teachers, Celia De La Loza, had this to say about her pilot experience-
"The CCEJP units are anchored in local phenomena and inquiry based which drives learning and makes the material relevant. The lessons are culturally and linguistically responsive in order to leverage students' prior knowledge and facilitate sense-making. Valencia Academy of the Arts takes pride in laying a foundation about climate justice. As the pilot teacher, I had the pleasure of witnessing our youngest scientists and engineers experience revelations that undoubtedly elicited more curiosity about climate change as well as an eagerness to be a part of the solution."
To gather input from communities being directly impacted by the environmental justice issues being explored in our units, Kirsty led a session during the first edition of the Rising Voices Conference held in Ontario, CA June 5-7, organized by the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ). To learn more about how CCAEJ and others are working to advocate for improved air quality in their region, check out their Region in Crisis report.
A huge thank you to Celia and our talented pilot teachers and workshop participants for your invaluable insights into the development of our units. We look forward to our continued collaboration as we progress in this initiative!
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