Hubbard Brook’s Environmental Literacy Program (ELP) uses the research activities and findings of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study to support the teaching of science inquiry skills to middle and high school students. Our goal is to provide teachers with resources and training to utilize data generated by Hubbard Brook scientists in the classroom, as well as to work closely with interested local schools in supporting their science education efforts.
Classroom resources are developed by or in close cooperation with teachers, and are chosen with an eye towards classroom relevance as well as to represent the variety of aspects of ecosystem research conducted at Hubbard Brook. Some are designed to resemble the inquiry portion of the regional, New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) exams, while others retain the inquiry-focus of the exams but are designed to supplement existing classroom curricula. In all cases our goal is to put the research at Hubbard Brook into a format useful to classroom teachers.
Teacher training efforts occur throughout the year in a variety of formats. We are active participants with the New Hampshire Science Teacher’s Association, partners with the New Hampshire Education and Environment Team, and host selected teachers for a summer Research Experience for Teachers program.
In addition to the above, we maintain school partnerships with local teachers and schools in order to brainstorm, develop, and test new materials to aid in their science instruction. In some cases this leads to new products, such as our NECAP practice exams, which were catalyzed by conversations with the Littleton High School Science Department. In other cases new materials are pilot-tested and refined.
The Environmental Literacy Program is generously supported by our partners at the USDA-Forest Service/Northern Research Station, as well as the Long-Term Ecological Research Network’s Schoolyard Program.
More from our partners:
The New Hampshire Education and Environment Team (NHEET) has additional data activities designed to support Science Inquiry hosted on New Hampshire Project Learning Tree’s website.
The USDA-Forest Service has a Conservation Education web site that offers a variety of resources to both formal and non-formal educators:.
The Long-Term Ecological Research Network’s Schoolyard program uses the uniqueness of the LTER Network to promote learning about long-term ecological processes and the earth’s ecosystems.