• Public education branch of the University of North Texas’s Environmental Programs

Environmental Education Science & Technology Building

Founding Partners

• University of North Texas

• Denton ISD

• Lewisville ISD

• RSVP

• EPA

• Ft. Worth Museum of Science History

“The mission of the Elm Fork Education Center is to develop and implement premiere environmental education programs. These programs will provide investigative encounters that engage students of all ages in field activities and discovery experiences.

These opportunities are designed to encourage sound environmental decision making and responsible environmental citizenship.”

• Identified partners with common goals

• Established an inclusive culture

• Invited creative “buy in” from all levels

• Cooperatively developed a mission statement and vision for the partnership

• Program development limiting factors

– time 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

– transportation

– $

Creating the Center

Environmental Discovery and Adventure (EDA) Program

• The EDA Program is a 4-hour, hands-on, inquiry based integrated adventure. It is unique in that it offers opportunities for students, teachers, and chaperones to participate in both formal and informal experiences within the same thematic adventure.

• Environment as an Integrated Context (EIC) for learning.

• Archaeology 45 minutes• Aquatic Studies 45 minutes• SkyTheater Show 45 minutes• Crow Creek Quest 30 minutes• Exhibit Hall 30 minutes• Lunch 20 minutes

Environmental Discovery and Adventure (EDA) Program

consists of

indirect

direct

informal formal

Crow Creek Quest Exhibit Hall

Archaeology Aquatic Studies

Traditional Classroom

Sky Theater

EDA in the Educational Continuum

Traditional Science Center

• Formal curriculum, including Pre-Visit and Post-Visit lessons for teachers, is used for teaching the lessons in archaeology and aquatic studies. This curriculum is differentiated and spiraled K-8 and is aligned with the state mandated Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

• TAAS and TAKS aligned.

Environmental Discovery and Adventure (EDA) Program

• Archaeology and Aquatics were the most convenient tools for us to use to teach science process skills.

• They are locally relevant issues that can be linked to learning objectives at every grade level.

• As thematic tools they allow us to teach social studies, language arts, math, and science.

Academic Year

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Annual totals

1998-1999 8,087 375 21.57 950 8.51 9,4121999-2000 14,185 677 20.95 2,222 6.38 17,0842000-2001 13,489 740 18.23 2,286 5.90 16,5152001-2002 13,843 743 18.63 2,527 5.48 17,1132002-2003 14,282 773 18.48 2,541 5.62 17,5962003-2004 12,241 655 18.69 2,127 5.76 15,0232004-2005 14,200 766 18.54 2,341 6.07 17,3072005-2006 15,715 758 20.73 2,217 7.09 18,6902006-2007 15,192 768 19.78 2,152 7.06 18,1122007-2008 13,339 725 18.40 2,017 6.61 16,081

Program Totals 134,573 6,980 19.28 21,380 6.29 162,933

Environmental Discovery & Adventure Program

Family Fun Science Saturdays

• Environmental Crime Scene Investigators• The Forces with You• Artifact Rock and Fossil Show

Elm Fork Explorers Summer Camp

• Circle of Life• Neighborhood Naturalist• Just Beneath the Surface• Ex-Stream Adventure• Extreme Sports• Journey to the Center of the Earth

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1999 59 3 19.67 1 75 78.67%2000 102 9 11.33 6 240 42.50%2001 156 11 14.18 8 315 49.52%2002 142 11 12.91 9 315 45.08%2003 139 12 11.58 9 315 44.13%2004 139 12 11.58 8 315 44.13%2005 153 11 13.91 9 315 48.57%2006 275 16 17.19 16 415 66.27%2007 277 16 17.31 16 400 69.25%2008 297 16 18.56 16 400 74.25%

Elm Fork Explorer's Camp

Community Resources

Municipal or Private Utilities can be a great resource:

•Drinking Water•Storm Water•Waste Water•Watershed Protection•Electricity•Recycling•Solid Waste

Dallas Museum of Art

For More Information Contact

Brian Wheeler, Assistant Director

940-565-4912 btw@unt.edu

P.O. Box 310559 Denton, TX 76203-0559940-565-2694 fax 940-565-4297