Elm Fork Education Center 2008
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Transcript of Elm Fork Education Center 2008
• 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 [email protected]
P.O. Box 310559 Denton, TX 76203-0559940-565-2694 fax 940-565-4297