Green Wish is excited to launch our “green lesson plans,” aimed to instill curiosity and foster critical thinking skills in students using green issues as a platform, by providing tools and ideas to support Pre-K through high school educators. In addition, the lesson plans align with Common Core Standards, which many states are currently requiring public school teachers to meet in their instructional plans.
Heading our lesson plan design and development are Christine Tran and Dawn Williams, doctoral students at the University of Washington’s College of Education in Seattle. Both Christine and Dawn are former classroom teachers with in-depth experiences with curriculum development, particularly around multiple subject matters. They are knowledgeable in creating learning materials for diverse audiences, including young children and adult learners. Dawn has worked in Head Start for almost 10 years in the training and technical assistance network and currently works at National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning (NCQTL). Christine work experiences span across P-20 education, with a special interest on school nutrition. She is currently a doctoral fellow in the Collaborative Researchers for Educational Sciences Training (CREST) program at the University of Washington, funded by the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences.
As part of our green education objective, we are encouraging teachers to contribute by providing us feedback to expand and improve on the lessons offered. We hope public contributions will help promote an open and public dialogue around green issues, particularly our youth. As our future, the development and understanding of green issues at an early age is critical. With their creativity and imagination, youth have the power to generate effective responses to our ecological challenges.