so they can spend their time planning how best to support the needs of their specific students. They need encouragement and an opportunity to remember why they chose a career in science education in the first place. Supported teachers will be significantly more prepared to motivate students towards readiness for future learning and provide them an understanding of the natural world that will remain relevant through their lives. A Wealth of Vetted Lesson Planning Resources : Teachers will receive hands-on training in the 3 “Projects”: Project WET, Project WILD, and Project Learning Tree. These are all national, high-quality, time-tested, standards-aligned lesson planning guides. The guides provide dozens of lesson plans and guidance in the areas of water resources, habitat and wildlife principles, and forest resources with an emphasis on career connections and local learning. Providing these resources will be extremely helpful, and there are few educators who have access to them all at once—but this is not the innovative part. Bringing the field trip to the schoolyard : We will offer the entire suite of Project materials at the schools of the teachers. Most teachers do not have an Arboretum on their campus, but every teacher has something of the natural world where they are. We will demonstrate the hands-on lessons outside in the school’s landscape, whatever it is, so teachers can see how to interpret their own campus to their students. Extending the Learning Beyond the Classroom: Building their own knowledge bases and seeing the impact of environmental concepts in our community is key for building motivation and competency. We will take the teachers on some meaningful field excursions, such as a guided tour of the wastewater treatment plant, and a short river trip punctuated with science lessons to make this experience unique. Cohort-model for professional learning : We will use a cohort format with follow-up and follow-through built in to help them develop supportive professional collaborations, troubleshoot their implementation of the resources, and celebrate their successes. Through 3 days in the summer and two in-service days the following school year, we will emphasize building relationships among participants, presenters, and community members so that they can become a mutually reinforcing reflective community of support. Participants will reflect on the ways materials need to be adapted to their specific classroom needs and campuses, have opportunities to learn from one another, and may opt-in to assisting with district-level curriculum development. Connecting to community experts and resources: We will draw upon our “Arboretum at JMU” network to bring in relevant subject-matter experts from the local community. Hearing from local public works staff, a city council member, stormwater coordinators, master naturalists, or the Department of Environmental Quality will deepen teachers’ understanding of environmental science concepts and local policy in action. These experts become connections to resources teachers can use to support their work.
Multiple ways to connect: Teachers will learn nature journaling, in which people
Madison Trust 2026 Project Proposal
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