Design, Delivery, Success Green Woods EIC Model

Environment and Ecology concepts have driven both the development and delivery of our curriculum and instruction since Jean Wallace was hired as Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction in 2004. The success of the curriculum development and integration process has been a complete team effort and is due to the guidance and mentorship of Dr. Patricia Vathis of the PA Department of Education’s Office of Environment and Ecology and the intense and ongoing involvement of the teachers themselves.

Every day, Green Woods teachers provide students with dynamic learning experiences that focus on the relationship between humans and the natural world. Since Green Woods is located on the grounds of the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, its teachers are blessed with local ponds, streams, forests, and fields – and they utilize these assets as a "learning laboratory" for exploration and discovery.

Green Woods’ approach to curriculum and instruction involves teachers working together to map out the entire learning process for grades K through 8. Working from the academic standards, the team develops an alignment matrix that delineates when each key concept is to be introduced to students and at what stage they shall be proficient.  The matrix for Standard 3.1 Unifying Themeslooks like this:

									.
3.1 Unifying Themes
3.1.4A  Know that natural and human-made objects are made up of parts.			I	I	P
3.1.4B  Know models as useful simplifications of objects or processes.			I	I	P
3.1.4C  Illustrate patterns that regularly occur and reoccur in nature.	I	I	I	P
3.1.4D Know that scale is an important attribute of natural and human made objects, events and phenomena.		I	I	P
3.1.4E  Recognize change in natural and physical systems.	I	I	P
3.1.7A  Explain the parts of a simple system and their relationship to each other.							I	P
3.1.7B  Describe the use of models as an application of scientific or technological concepts.								IP
3.1.7C  Identify patterns as repeated processes or recurring elements in science and technology.					I	I	IP	IP
3.1.7D  Explain scale as a way of relating concepts and ideas to on another by some measure.					I	IP	IP
3.1.7E  Identify change as a variable in describing natural and physical systems.							IP
3.1.10A  Discriminate among concepts of systems, subsystems, feedback and control in solving technological problems.									I
3.1.10B  Describe concepts of models as a way to predict and understand science and technology.									I
3.1.10C  Apply patterns as repeated processes or recurring elements in science and technology.									I
3.1.10D.  Apply scale as a way of relating concepts and ideas to one another by some measure.									I
3.1.10E  Describe patterns of change in nature, physical, and man-made systems.									I

Starting in kindergarten, Green Woods students are introduced to the interactions that take place in the natural world and how they fit into “the environment.” As their learning evolves, they come to understand the larger implications of the choices they make. By the 8th grade, they are equipped to look at the big idea of “sustainability” and apply the ideas of interconnectedness to issues they encounter in everyday life: food, transportation, water, land, and energy use.

Using the Curriculum Alignment Matrix as a guide, the team develops yearly curriculum maps for each grade to ensure that this progressive learning takes place. These annual plans focus on the main themes to be taught under each core subject area throughout the year. “Zooming in” to subsequent levels of detail, the team develops integrated curriculum maps at the grade, unit, and lesson levels.

The following example looks at the 2007-2008 Curriculum Map for the Fourth Grade. As you mouse over the Environment & Ecology section of the curriculum map that contains more information, it will be highlighted. By clicking on the highlighted areas, you will be able to “zoom” in to the next level of detail. Give it a try.

	September	October	November	December	January	February	March	April	May	June
	Unit 1- Naming and Constructing Geometric Figures Unit 2- Using Numbers & Organizing Data	Unit2- Using Numbers & Organizing Data Unit 3- Multiplication and Division	Unit 3- Multiplication and Division Unit 4- Decimals and their uses	Unit 4- Decimals and their uses Unit 5- Big Numbers, Estimation, and Computation	Unit 5- Big Numbers, Estimation, and Computation Unit 6- Division, Map References, and Measures of Angles	Unit 6- Division, Map References, and Measures of Angles Unit 7- Fractions and Probability	Unit 7- Fractions and Probability Unit 8- Perimeter and Area	Unit 8- Perimeter and Area Unit 9- Percents	Unit 9- Percents Unit 10- Reflections and Symmetry	Unit 10- Reflections and Symmetry Unit 11- 3-D Shapes, Weight, and Volume
	Theme: Friendship Focus Skill: Writing Process, Writing Traits, Locating the Main Idea, Story Components ( setting, characters, etc.) Vocabulary- synonyms/antonyms, Homonyms, prefixes/suffixes, Compound Words, Contractions Writing: Writing Process, Writing Components	Theme: Friendship Con’t Focus Skills:  Review of Vocabulary Components  Introduction of sentences (types, subjects, predicates, simple vs compound, combining sentences) Context Clues and Visualizing   Writing: Expository and Friendly Letter	Theme: Journeys Focus Skills:Grammar and Usage (Proper and Common Nouns, Singular and Plural Nouns, Possessive Nouns) Comprehension Skill- Inference Writing: Descriptive Writing	Theme: Imagination Focus Skills: Grammar and Usage – Verbs (Action, Linking, Helping, Regular vs. Irregular, Subject and Verb agreement) Comprehension Skill: Compare/Contrast and Dialogue Writing: Responding to literature Persuasive Writing	Theme: Imagination and Nature Focus Skills: Grammar and Usage Pronouns ( Subject Pronouns, Object Pronouns) Adjectives And Adverbs Comprehension Skills: Cause/ Effect and Making Predictions Writing: Writing Reports and Writing to show cause and effect	Theme: Heroes Focus Skill: Capitalization and Punctuation Capitalizing ( People’s names, places, and things, titles, abbreviations, parts of a letter) Punctuating: ( Commas in a sentence, Commas in letters, Quotation Marks, Apostrophes) Comprehension Skill: Parts of a Book Sequence, Fact vs. Opinion Writing: Research Report	Theme: Heroes and American Stories Focus Skills: Writing Sentences, Time Order Words, Components of an outline Comprehension Skills: Drawing Conclusions and Text Connections Writing: Response to Literature, Personal Narratives	Theme: Poetry Focus Skills: Dictionary and Thesaurus Usage Review of  phonics and basic grammar Comprehension Skills: Author’s Purpose, Graphs and Charts, Plot Writing: Poetry	Theme: Our World Focus Skills Character Analysis Fiction Vs. Nonfiction Making Predictions Writing: Skits/ Plays Biography
	What are the social sciences?	Geography of the United States & Exploring the regions of the United States	Exploring the Northeastern and Southeastern regions of the United States	Midwestern and Western regions of the United States including the agricultural changes	Native Americans and their land & Native American cultural regions	The People of the United States & Why Europeans left for the New World	Routes of Exploration to the New World & Black History Month Project	Early English settlements and comparing colonies. Introduction to the Declaration of Independence	Pennsylvania History- Researching the states geography, economy, history, and government	Pennsylvania History Con’t
	Introduction to the Water Cycle, physical properties of water, and the watershed.	Performing and interpreting water quality tests. Identify macro-invertebrates living in our watershed.	Water quality, the impact water quality has on people and the environment. Types of pollution	Importance of laws and regulations surrounding water use and water quality.	Native Americans and the environment. The many uses of water and the  impact of physical systems on people and the environment.	Exploring the wetlands	Horseshoe crabs, understanding the watershed and the many water sources	Horseshoe crabs, the watershed, and introduction into shorebirds	Endangered species. The   study of fish     and their local habitat	Continuation of inheritance and air pollution/ water pollution
	Outward Bound Trip				Black History Month research project	Complete and Present Black History Month project

Any school wishing to facilitate change in curriculum purpose, content, organization, and format should keep in mind that successful change will be based on teachers changing their conceptions of curriculum and their level of involvement in curriculum development.  Research shows that teachers will implement curriculum successfully only if they have been involved in its development and can adapt it to their specific classroom and school situation.

The Green Woods experience reinforces this fact. Green Woods teachers are encouraged to exercise their own judgment in selecting curriculum materials and adapting them to local conditions and classroom needs. As a result, our team exhibits a deep sense of personal engagement—and has the ability to make a far stronger connection for their students.

Better standardized test scores have been the result.
Click here to see the comparison results.

Developing the EIC curriculum is a constant process for the teaching team—and involves equal measures of fine tuning, frustration, and joy. For our students, the success is measured not only in knowledge and skills, but also in their desire to be active stewards of our environment. For a look at how it plays out in the real world, watch our 4th graders in their outdoor classroom:

Here are a few more samples of Green Woods’ EIC maps:

If you have any questions or would like advice on how to incorporate EIC into your school, feel free to contact us:

Jean Wallace, Academic Director and CEO
Green Woods Charter School
8480 Hagy's Mill Road
Philadelphia, PA 19128
(215) 482-6337
 jwallace@greenwoodscharter.org