Spring 2019
K-12 technology use survey
 
Please help the Oregon Forest Resources Institute learn more about the technology practices and needs of K-12 teachers by taking this short survey.

Thank you.
Register now for fall and spring programs

Sign up now for the Natural Resources Education Program, held in OFRI's 15-acre Rediscovery Forest inside The Oregon Garden in Silverton. This is a perfect setting to learn about forests and other natural resources. The program uses learning stations and hands-on activities to teach fourth- through sixth-grade students why forests are important. The topics covered in program lessons include plant and animal adaptation, forest food webs, healthy forests and wildlife habitat. The curriculum is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and the Oregon Forest Literacy Plan. This field program lasts about four hours. The cost is $3 per student, but scholarships are available.

"The program offers a bunch of hands-on learning you just can't get in a classroom," says OFRI Environmental Educator Rikki Heath. "We have a lot of fun out here, and it's an easy way to get students out into the forest to learn about Oregon's natural resources." 

More information and registration are available at LearnForests.org
Professional development opportunities for educators

A Watershed Approach to Extending Outdoor School Learning

Date: April 2, 2019
Time: 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Audience: Fifth- and sixth-grade Outdoor School educators, formal and non-formal
Location: Klamath Falls

Description: We all live in a watershed, and watershed and water-related concepts are an integral part of what is taught in Oregon's Outdoor School (ODS) programs. Therefore, no matter where your students attend ODS, classroom units with a watershed focus will help prepare students for ODS and reinforce and extend their ODS learning. This workshop will provide fifth- and sixth-grade teachers with hands-on strategies, lessons and materials for units that are standards-aligned and designed to support your students' ODS experience. Participants will receive Project Learning Tree and Aquatic WILD activity guides, plus other supporting materials.

Registration


WILD about Outdoor School Northeast

Date: April 5, 2019
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Audience: Fifth- and sixth-grade Outdoor School educators, formal and non-formal
Location: Ontario

Description: This workshop is targeted for fifth- and sixth-grade teachers who participate in or work with Outdoor School. This hands-on, one-day workshop will provide curriculum to enhance students' Outdoor School experience. Educators will participate in activities that will prepare and extend their knowledge during the lead-up to and return from Outdoor School. Come learn about best practices and tools for taking students on overnight and/or consecutive-day trips in the outdoors. Participants will receive Project Learning Tree and Aquatic WILD activity guides, plus other supporting materials.

Registration


Field-based Science Inquiry at Opal Creek

Date: August 13-15, 2019
Audience: K-12 teachers
Location: Opal Creek

Description: This three-day workshop will provide hands-on opportunities in the field as well as classroom time to develop curriculum tools and strategies that promote student-driven, field-based science inquiry projects. Attending teachers can also apply for a $2,000 grant ($6,000 if you work collaboratively with at least two other teachers) for classroom equipment and resources for field-based inquiry investigations, from the Diack Ecology Education Program. This free training is sponsored by the Diack Ecology Education Program of the Oregon Science Teachers Association and the Jane Goodall Environmental Middle School (JGEMS), a public charter school in Salem focusing on field-based environmental science. Lodging and food are provided.

For more information and to register: contact Mike Weddle at mkweddle@comcast.net.

In This Issue

Resources

 




The Oregon Legislature created the Oregon Forest Resources Institute in 1991 to advance public understanding of how forest stewardship meets the social, environmental and economic needs of both present and future generations. OFRI works closely with the scientific, academic and educational communities at Oregon State University, the Oregon Department of Forestry and other agencies to ensure its K-12 resources are accurate and objective.


For more information about OFRI's educational programs, contact:

Norie Dimeo-Ediger
Director of K-12 Education Programs
971-673-2956
dimeo-ediger@ofri.org

Julie Woodward
Senior Manager, Forestry Education 
503-807-1614 
woodward@ofri.org 

Rikki Heath
Environmental Educator
503-799-4792

Click here to add or remove an email address or give us your comments.

 

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Oregon Forest Resources Institute

All rights reserved