Global Leadership Initiative (GLI) Oral Presentations: UC North Ballroom
Milltown State Park Education Project
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Josh Slotnick
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Water scarcity is a defining issue that has shaped the American West, and despite its increasing importance with climate change it is an issue that is seldom thought about. The first step to better dealing with this crisis is through education in local places such as the site of the Milltown Dam Removal. In the Milltown State Park Education Project, we are working to create a science and history curriculum for 3rd and 4th graders to integrate classroom and outdoor learning at the Milltown State Park within a place-based context. We are partnering with staff from Milltown State park and faculty and students from Sussex school to implement this project. There are five key components to this project. The first is to use the study of water to introduce students to the scientific process. The next three components build on this base and cover other aspects of the Milltown park through in-class lessons and activities. Students will consider the story behind a place through Native American histories and oral traditions, the ecology of a place through in-class trout rearing, and how to thoughtfully communicate about a place through nature journaling. The final section of the project ties each of the five components together in a day-long field trip to the Milltown State Park. There, children will participate in hands-on activities designed to illustrate ideas introduced in classroom lessons. To measure the success of our project, faculty at Sussex School will administer pre- and post-curriculum assessments gauging the students’ concept of Milltown State Park. The long-term goal for this project is to build a curriculum, which can be implemented and adapted at Milltown State Park, in collaboration with any and all schools in the Missoula area.
Category
Interdisciplinary (GLI)
Milltown State Park Education Project
Water scarcity is a defining issue that has shaped the American West, and despite its increasing importance with climate change it is an issue that is seldom thought about. The first step to better dealing with this crisis is through education in local places such as the site of the Milltown Dam Removal. In the Milltown State Park Education Project, we are working to create a science and history curriculum for 3rd and 4th graders to integrate classroom and outdoor learning at the Milltown State Park within a place-based context. We are partnering with staff from Milltown State park and faculty and students from Sussex school to implement this project. There are five key components to this project. The first is to use the study of water to introduce students to the scientific process. The next three components build on this base and cover other aspects of the Milltown park through in-class lessons and activities. Students will consider the story behind a place through Native American histories and oral traditions, the ecology of a place through in-class trout rearing, and how to thoughtfully communicate about a place through nature journaling. The final section of the project ties each of the five components together in a day-long field trip to the Milltown State Park. There, children will participate in hands-on activities designed to illustrate ideas introduced in classroom lessons. To measure the success of our project, faculty at Sussex School will administer pre- and post-curriculum assessments gauging the students’ concept of Milltown State Park. The long-term goal for this project is to build a curriculum, which can be implemented and adapted at Milltown State Park, in collaboration with any and all schools in the Missoula area.