Harvard Forest Schoolyard Teachers, Emilie Cushing and Jana Matthei were honored at this State House ceremony last week. To see the wide range of ways they achieved excellence read the summaries below.
Glen Urquhart School Teacher, Emilie Cushing, shows the rest of us what is like to put
one’s beliefs into action and to back it up with science. She doesn’t just like
to tell her students or peers about the importance of understanding and protecting
the environment. She shows them how to get boots on the ground in the schoolyard
and the local community measuring, observing, recording data, interpreting GIS
maps, etc. Her audience is not only her
science students at Glen Urquhart School in Beverly but also teachers from the
North Shore, Massachusetts, and throughout New England.
Here are some examples of how Emilie uses local resources
and partnership to engage both students and other teachers in active citizen
science projects.
Birds in Our Backyard... Emilie leads her students in monitoring
2 areas of their choosing around campus...one they feel is good habitat for
either food, water, or shelter for birds, and one they feel is poor. They
document the number of birds seen in each area every week, and the species
seen. They started in January, and will continue for the rest of the
year. Emilie hopes to tie this into a recent report done by Mass
Audubon documenting bird species projected to be impacted by climate change (one
being the chickadee, which they see and hear a lot of!)
Salt Sleuths... Emilie designed this investigation to determine
if salt levels in the small pond (that's close to the road) behind their school
go up after a rainy winter storm (when roads have been salted). They did
an initial survey, looking at macroinvertebrates living in the pond, as well as
determining salt level using a refractometer, and dissolved oxygen
content. They measured levels after the first rainy storm, and will do
one more measurement. They hope to tie into what Beverly could do to
reduce the amount of salt used, or any alternatives.
MITS- North Shore Region One-Week Institute for Grades 3-8 Educators;
Investigating Ecosystems and Assessing Human Impact
Emilie is cohosting this 1 week Summer Institute through the
Museum Institute for Teaching Science (MITS) with Liz Duff of Mass. Audubon.
Collaborators: Mass
Audubon’s Endicott Sanctuary; Glen Urqhart School ; Plum Island Ecosystems LTER;
Harvard Forest LTER. They invite
teachers to join them to learn: How are humans helping or harming local
habitats? Explore ways to investigate this question in your own schoolyard, and
in the world around you. Support your students’ active involvement in achieving
a positive impact through citizen-science projects that will have them
collecting real, local data that can be used by scientists.
Our Changing Forests: Harvard
Forest Schoolyard Ecology, Harvard University
Emilie’s work leading the Our Changing Forests
project was featured in an article in North Shore Magazine, highlighting the
wonderful Schoolyard Ecology work we’ve made possible at a middle school in
Beverly, Mass.: http://www.nshoremag.com/September-2016/student-scientists/. Emilie has also presented
at 2 of Harvard Forest Spring Workshops for Teachers in order to teach other
teachers how to best integrate environmental projects into Middle School
curriculum. See some of what she has shared on the web below. Currently Emilie is one of 3 teachers participating in a mini
grant through Harvard Forest to develop a curriculum unit using a series of GIS
maps of her schoolyard and the town of Beverly to understand how land in Beverly
has changed over time. The intention of
this work is to get students to see how past choices humans have made in how
they use land has impacted the way that the town looks and functions now. They
will place a strong focus on how forest cover has changed on these maps and
discuss what choices the town can make currently and in the future for the
greatest good. In this way, students
will be able to make the conceptual link from a 10x10 meter ecology plot study
to the civic responsibility of how we manage the environment around us at the
town scale.
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Notre Dame Academy High School Science Teacher, Jana
Matthei, is recognized for her outstanding work both in the
classroom and as a mentor for other teachers who strive to provide their
students with opportunities to delve deeply into thinking and acting in ways
that will improve our natural environment; This is especially important for
High School students as they prepare to become decision makers and steward
Massachusetts’ earth, sky and waters.
Jana has creatively pulled together a rich mix of active learning
experiences for her students. These experiences allow students to be active in
planning for energy efficiency and sustainability; being citizen scientists;
and performing civic duties. She has gone on to share some of this work with
other teachers at teacher workshops, on the internet, and as a MAST Conference
Presenter. In this way she is able to reach her science students every year as
well as over 100 teachers who in turn can provide similar experiences for
hundreds of other students each year.
Below is a brief description of the many ways
that Jana weaves together these learning experiences, often leveraging local
community resources as an avenue for promoting the program and/or educating
students about energy and the environment.
Ms. Matthei’s environmental science classes study
energy efficiency and renewable and
nonrenewable energy sources. Students complete a multidimensional project
about green buildings and sustainable architecture. The students research
a green building (LEED certified or living building certified), write a long
group paper about the heating systems, water systems, and other "green
aspects" of the building, and then build a 3D model of the building.
The honors class does a similar project, but apply it to their own home so they
have to research a bit about their own house and how energy efficient it is
now, and then how they could remodel or upgrade it to be greener.
See an excerpt from the assignment below to get
a better sense of what this project involves:
CP
Environmental Science Energy Project
Description:
For this project, you will work with one or
two partners. You have to pick a partner that it will be easy to work with
outside of class for some time (at home or after school at school).
Part 1:
Study a LEED Platinum certified building or a Net Zero or Living Building with
a partner. Read through the information about the building, focusing especially
on how the building is energy efficient. You will create a thorough report
explaining the building overall with pictures, diagrams, and information in
some detail on the “complicated systems” it uses to be so green.
Part 2:
Imagine that you are a rich land owner with a bit of an architecture background
and are interested in building a green building right here in our area. You
build a 3D model of a building design INSPIRED by your case study that you
would like to pitch to a local building developer. You can study a house, a
commercial building, a school, there are many different kinds of energy
efficient buildings. The model should look professional and come with a quick
brochure explaining its features (some figures and facts can be borrowed from
the original case study report).
Honors Energy Project
Description:
There are 2 project options. Choose one.
Option 1: In this scenario a terrible hurricane came through your area and
your house, along with a few others in the neighborhood, was destroyed. (note
this is VERY unlikely – just need to set the stage for designing a new house).
Your parents had insured the house in case of floods and have a decent amount
of money from the insurance company. They want to rebuild a house on the same
property. Draw up 2 “greener” proposals for them for a new house plan that
involves more renewable energy while still being affordable. Each plan should
include a plan for electricity, heating and cooling, and hot water. You can
consider energy sources and house design based on energy conservation. You can
also consider water conservation in the design and other fun green elements.
One plan should be more affordable (conservative amount of change) and the
other plan should be more expensive, more of a reach, but more green. For both,
explain how this new house will be better than your old house (cheaper in the
long run and/or better for the environment) and explain some basic information
about differences in costs between the 2 new proposals.
Basically
required for each proposal (2 total):
*New house
design* (can include some pre-made inspirations but should include your own
final draft – it can be hand drawn) FOCUS CONTENT VISUALLY
Electricity, heating and cooling, and hot water plans (include energy sources
and infrastructure)
One should
be “safer” with lower initial costs and “less green”
One should
be “edgier” with higher initial costs and VERY GREEN
Final
comparison: *Weigh the
pros and cons between the 2 options, consider cost and impact an
*New
house design* (can include some pre-made inspirations but should include your
own final draft – it can be hand drawn) FOCUS CONTENT VISUALLY
Electricity, heating and cooling, and hot water plans (include energy sources
and infrastructure)
One should
be “safer” with lower initial costs and “less green”
One should
be “edgier” with higher initial costs and VERY GREEN
Final
comparison: *Weigh the
pros and cons between the 2 options, consider cost and impact and in general
how either is “better” than the old house* FOCUS CONTENT in SUMMARY TABLE(S)
Formatting: include text, tables, and pictures in your final format. Include a
diagram of the house for each.
Option 2: In this scenario your house is intact and well, but you are
looking to make some green updates. Your parents have some money to invest but
they want to see a return on investment at some point (make their invested money back in energy savings). In order to do this, you
really need to understand how your house uses energy currently. Research this and begin the report with the current state of
things at your house. Draw up a “greener” proposal for them for housing
renovations that involves more renewable energy while still being affordable.
Consider electricity, heating and cooling, and hot water. You can also consider
water conservation in this design and other fun green elements. You should not
be destroying a lot of your house for this proposal, but you can alter it,
replace utility appliances, or add to the house. Explain how this modified
house will be better than your old house (cheaper in the long run and/or better
for the environment) using clear numbers to explain the current costs for
electricity, heat, and hot water and comparing them to the future costs.
Calculate the return on investment in new water boilers, furnaces, or
electricity generating investments (plan to install at least one major
investment and describe how long it will take to pay back the investments based
on energy savings – and when you will start to actually make money).
Basically
required for the proposal:
BASELINE -
The current state of electricity, heating and cooling, and hot water generation
at your house. Include what energy sources you use and how new the utility
appliances are.
PLAN -
Explain the new electricity, heating and cooling, and hot water plans (include
energy sources and infrastructure) in comparison to the old ones. OLD/NEW
COMPARISON USE A SUMMARY TABLE. Include at least 2 new boiler, furnace, or
other large investment plans (include a picture and hyperlink to an actual
model on the market right now)
Include
return on investment (ROI) analysis (or analyses you can break it up by
investment) that clearly compares costs to current costs at your house,
describing the initial costs for at least 2 large investments in the green
plan, and then overall how long it will take to pay them off and start making
money compared to before. FOCUS ON DETAILED ROI for 2 INVESTMENTS USING
TABLE(S).
Students in Jana’s classes participate in a Vernal Pool Project each spring
combining field study and civic action.
Students visit a vernal pool 2-4 times over the course of the spring
(March - May) and observe and collect data ; Activities include: measuring the
pool, mapping it, looking for biological evidence that would help officially
certify it through the state of Massachusetts. They usually use the
obligate species method to certify pools that are not yet protected (potential
vernal pools). This means they are looking for breeding evidence of
species that only breed in vernal pools (spotted salamanders, wood frogs)
or any evidence of fairy shrimp, who only live in vernal pools. They also
make sure there is no permanent inlet or outlet, and that the pool dries up
over time (ensuring that there are no fish, and it truly is vernal).
Students present their research as a class in a presentation to the town
conservation commission for the town where the pool is located (Norwell or
Hingham). The class submits all of their evidence to the state to apply
for official certification of the pool. Typically in Massachusetts this
means it gets protected for an extra 50 feet out from its edges compared to
other wetland areas (wetlands - 50 feet of protection buffer; vernal pools -
100 feet of protection buffer). In Jana’s 5 year tenure at Notre
Dame Academy (NDA), they have officially certified 6 pools (3 are in process,
being reviewed by the state). This
project does not require funding.
Ms. Matthei’s students participate in the Buds, Leaves and Global Warming field
science project in collaboration with Harvard Forest, Harvard
University. Students observe and measure
tree buds and leaves in order to track the length of the growing season for
trees in their Schoolyard. Students collect
data each spring and fall. Jana contributes project data each season to the
region-wide study involving over 1,000 students each year. Harvard manages the database for the network
of over 50 schools and regularly hosts teacher workshops which bring together
scientists and teachers to enhance professional development and support
teachers in continuing to build depth and breadth to the learning experiences
for students in the Schoolyard and classroom.
Jana has contributed 8 years of data to the online database and has
shared her work with a broader audience at the Mass. Assoc. of Science Teachers
(MAST) conference. Given that this
program is a long term project run through Harvard Forest, this will expect to
continue indefinitely.
All of these educational experiences nurture civic
responsibility. Students get to practice
making decisions on what features contribute to sustainable design of homes and
public buildings which give them a foundation for making decisions about what
kind of home to build or purchase and what kind of public buildings are
suitable for their local communities and beyond. Students become directly part of local and
state government in pursuing certification of a vernal pool. This experience will undoubtedly empower them
to be active agents in civic activity in the future. The Buds and Leaves project allows students
to understand what role Carbon plays in Global Warming and how that impacts our
trees locally. Students can then better
understand how decisions about whether to plant trees or keep forests intact in
their local landscape impact air quality and overall sustainability which will presumably
impact personal and civic actions they will take as adults.
Links to teacher resources contributed by Emilie and Jana
Cushing. 2018. Broadening Student Understanding of Forest Change From Plot Level to Town Landscape Scale.
Blewitt,M. and Cushing, E. 2017. Why do Teachers Engage in Citizen Science? Oral Presentation.
Matthei. 2016. Tree Identification.
Matthei. 2016. MAST Presentation.
Matthei. 2016. MAST Student Data Worksheet.
Matthei. 2016. Student Phenology Report Sample 1
Matthei. 2016. Student Phenology Report Sample 2
