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Did you know?
Earth Day and the Environmental Protection Agency, the government agency that leads the nation's environmental science, research, education, and assessment efforts, were both established in 1970. Earth Day was founded by Gaylord Nelson, who also served as governor of Wisconsin and in the U.S. Senate
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Environmental Protection Agency |
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As you celebrate World Water Day on March 22 and Earth Day on April 22, Coverdell World Wise Schools provides you with resources that demonstrate action on behalf of our environment. Peace Corps Volunteers lead grassroots efforts around the world in environmental education, forestry, natural parks, wildlife conservation, and water resources engineering. They protect the environment through establishing forest conservation plans; developing fuel alternatives; collaborating on recycling, wildlife protection, and park management projects; and providing potable water to rural and urban communties.
Check out how World Wise Schools captures these experiences on our new Global Issues page, designed to bring you the best of our resources in a format that illustrates how these challenges affect whole regions of the world. Enjoy select lesson plans from our Water in Africa unit, which brings an on-the-ground perspective to water use on that continent. Finally, view our new video about volunteer efforts to assist their Cape Verdean community in developing a sustainable freshwater supply.
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Global Issues Landing Page:
At each stop on this interactive map, students can learn about how volunteers assist communities in addressing critical global issues. |
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| Correspondence Match Tip of the Month |
A tip to enhance communication between volunteers and schools is to use online chat in the classroom. My daughter, who is a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador, chats with my class this way. They ask her questions and get answers right away. I print out the questions and answers and pin them to our Ecuador bulletin board. Another way to communicate is through Skype or another Internet phone provider. It's free through the computer, while mail is expensive and takes forever.
I have been using your advice about how students learn best through storytelling. I have been trying to weave every lesson into a story. In California our curriculum is very intense and fast-moving, even in second grade. I've found that my students buy in when I present it through storytelling. So thanks for that tip!
Natalie Jackson, Redwood Elementary School, Fort Bragg, CA, mother of Shelley Jackson, Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador
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Q: What would you like students in the United States to know about the environmental issues impacting your country of service?
A: Everything is dry. And it shouldn't be. Or at least it wasn't. Not fifty years ago. Not even twenty years ago. In the Sahel, the terrain is golden and brown and dusty and dry, and every year it gets a little worse and a little worse. Men and women work hard to plant trees, trying to push the desert back, away from their fields. But this is not easy; nothing worth doing ever is.
—Jonathan Dick, Agriculture Extension Peace Corps Volunteer, The Gambia
More Peace Corps Volunteer responses from around the world  |
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Water in Africa: Lesson plans for geography, math, language arts, science, and more, all through the lens of Peace Corps Volunteer observations of water usage in Africa.
TeachUNICEF, Water and Sanitation for All: Bringing the Issue Home: Students in grades 3 – 12 will benefit from these lesson plans that show how water usage affects children across the globe and in their own communities.
World Water Day
Learn about the past and present of this event, as well as ways to get involved. |
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