Dragonfly gazette, Winter 2016

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Winter 2016
Greetings from your Georgia Project WET Coordinators Jo and Monica!
IN THIS ISSUE:
ESSA
Petey Giroux Dragonfly Grants Nominate a deserving water educator or organization
Next WET Workshops
River of Words
Standards Database
More Exciting Opportunities
Visit GAProjectWET.org

Environmental Literacy and the Every Student Succeeds Act
It's About Time!
At last! The US Senate has just passed the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaces No Child Left Behind, as the education bill for the nation. This bill includes language that, for the first time ever, supports opportunities to provide students with environmental education and handson, fieldbased learning experiences. Hurray!
What's so exciting about ESSA?
Under Title IV of the new bill, environmental education and environmental literacy programs can be eligible for funding through grants to states for "programs and activities that support access to a wellrounded education." This bill also supports handson, fieldbased, or service learning to enhance understanding of STEM subjects giving a big step up for environmental science education programs!

Many of you followed the yearslong work of the champions of the No Child Left Inside (NCLI) Act, named after the phrase in Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods. The ESSA is a direct result of this movement and we are grateful to those who sought to secure federal dollars to support states' efforts to implement environmental literacy plans in K12 public schools.
What is Environmental Literacy?
1. An understanding of the Earth's systems locally and globally as well as the role humans and their societies play within these systems.
2. A familiarity with some basic modes of inquiry, critical and creative thinking skills, and an ability to interpret and synthesize information.
3. An understanding of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in order to participate in resolving issues at both the local and global levels.
4. Motivation and empowerment to act, understanding that the choices humans make, including as consumers, can help or harm the environment.
Who is Environmentally Literate?
An environmentally literate citizen has the knowledge, tools and balanced perspective to weigh various sides of environmental issues to make responsible decisions as individuals and as members of their community.

To find Project WET workshops visit EEinGeorgia.org
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One of those tools could be Project WET!
So now what?
It is now time for the environmental education community to help Georgia's educators become aware of what it means to be environmentally literate.
And the Good News is . . .
Georgia Project WET has compiled a document we call "Environmental Literacy Guidelines in Georgia" that should help you spread the word. Here you will find concepts, skills and experiences educators can use to guide students in understanding the environment and their role in it, based on the EE strands developed by NAAEE.
FYI: The State Science Standards are changing
Here is your chance to stay informed since the public comment period has started for the science standards. https://www.georgiastandards.org/Pages/ProposedRevisionstoScience andSocialStudiesStandards.aspx

Project WET activities you might use to enhance Environmental Literacy:
Strand 1: QUESTIONING, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION How to ask questions, analyze information, and interpret scientific data Pass the Jug Common Water 841, One for All Poison Pump Seeing Watersheds Sum of the Parts A Grave Mistake
Strand 2: KNOWLEDGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS What we need to know about how the environment works Blue Planet The Incredible Journey Macroinvertebrate Mayhem Ocean Habitats Super Sleuths

Wetland Soils in Living Color Invaders!
Strand 3: SKILLS FOR UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Skills that we need in order to understand and solve environmental issues Amazeing Water Nature Rules! A Drop in the Bucket The Pucker Effect Reaching Your Limits
STRAND 4: PERSONAL AND COMMUNITY ACTION Our role in the environment, personally and as a citizen There is No Away! Water Audit RainyDay Hike My Water Footprint Humpty Dumpty My Water AddressTake Action!
For more Environmental Literacy connections to Project WET activities, use the crossreference charts on pages 559561 in the back of the Project WET 2.0 Curriculum & Activity Guide.
Visit DiscoverWater.org to create clean water campaign posters and engage students in ACTION EDUCATION!
River of Words Environmental Art and Poetry Project! Georgia students have entered in droves into the National River of Words competition again this year. With a December 1, 2015 deadline, we are now awaiting the results. When the pieces are sent back to us from California, Georgia will select its state winners. Each of the selected students and their teachers will be honored at the 2016 Georgia River of Words Ceremony at the Decatur library. Good Luck to all of the entries in this year's contest!

To find Project WET workshops visit EEinGeorgia.org
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See 2015 winning entries here.
Get your students involved next year! The deadline for ROW entries is December 1. Use GAProjectWET.org/River of Words for all the rules and forms you will need.

We are now taking nominations for our GA Project WET Awards: 1. 2016 Georgia Project WET School/Organization of the Year 2. 2016 Georgia Project WET Educator of the Year These very special people will be honored at the EEA Conference in March.
Nominate someone you believe in by February 15: Nomination (pdf form)

Here is news of an exciting new addition to the Project WET store. The Healthy Water Healthy People Educators and Field Monitoring guides are now available on the store in eBook versions, for significantly less than the hardcover versions.
HWHP http://store.projectwet.org/educatorsguides/waterquality educatorsguidedownload.html
Field Guide http://store.projectwet.org/educatorsguides/waterqualityfield monitoringeducatorsguidedownload.html?options=cart
In the past Project WET offered PDF versions of some of the titles, so these are the first titles available as EPUB and MOBI downloads (Mobis work on Kindles or Kindle Apps, Epubs work on any device). We hope this is a helpful tool, and the national WET office welcomes any feedback you have about it! info@projectwet.org
Petey Giroux Dragonfly Grants for EE and the Arts
The Environmental Education Alliance is pleased to offer minigrants to current members for up to $1,000 for environmental education/performing and visual arts projects in honor of environmental educator, Petey Giroux (19452008). Any Georgia educator of K12th grade students, including those in public and private schools, home schools, scout troops, religious groups, community organizations, 4H Clubs, etc., is eligible to apply. Proposals are due by January 22, 2016. Recipients will be announced at the EEA Annual Conference in March. For more information, please visit EEA's grant page.
Water We Singing About?
Our colleague, the New Jersey Project WET coordinator, Kevin Kopp was able to gather enough money through his Kickstarter Campaign to produce a

CD of water education, kidfriendly songs and each song is connected to a Project WET activity! Thanks to all of you who contributed to this effort. Join Kevin and us for our session at the EEA Conference March 4!
EEA Conference registration now open!
Join educators from around the state at the annual Environmental Education Alliance Conference March 45, 2016 at the Environmental and Heritage Center in Buford. This year's conference theme is "Growing Green with the Next Generation." Registration information: http://www.eealliance.org
Project WET Facilitators, please plan to attend the Facilitators' Council meeting at the conference on Friday during the afternoon break. Bring your questions, ideas, and concerns. See you there!
Nominate a Teacher for a Presidential Award!
Do you know a K6 grade teacher who provides excellent mathematics or science instruction to his or her students? Then please consider nominating him or her for one of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Anyone--researchers, parents or members of the general public--may nominate a K6 grade teacher by completing the nomination form available on the PAEMST website (www.paemst.org). To submit a nomination by April 1, you only need the teacher's contact information.
Have you seen our searchable database for Standards?
With the standards database, all of the correlations are easy to access for WET 2.0 activities covering Georgia and National subject area standards. Try it out!
Shop at Kroger, Earn Money for EEA
Our professional organization Environmental Education Alliance (EEA) is a member of the Kroger Community Rewards Program. You can now support EEA just by shopping at Kroger and using your Kroger Plus Card. They can

earn up to $8000 per quarter! Learn how to register your card for EEA.
Use AmazonSmile to Donate to EEA
Did you know that you can use AmazonSmile to donate to EEA while you shop? Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to EEA. Select EEA as your charitable organization. Search for "Environmental Educational Alliance Inc."
Find more workshops on EE in Georgia!
Triple Facilitator Workshop! Projects WET, WILD and Learning Tree
Certify to be a Georgia Environmental Education Trainer and hold your own Educator Workshops! March 1415, 2016
Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center / Conference Center Mansfield, GA (south of I20, east of Atlanta)
Registration includes all curriculum and materials: Registration and more Information.
Triple Educator Workshop! Projects WET, WILD and Learning Tree
November 78, 2016 Get all three curricula to use with students!
Fortson 4H Center 999 Fortson Rd.
Hampton, GA 30228 Contact Allen Nasworthy for registration information
anaswort@uga.edu

7709463276 Full registration (includes all meals and 2 nights lodging): $145
One night registration: $130 Days only registration: $115
Your Georgia Project WET Coordinators: Jo Adang
Monica Kilpatrick
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