Teaching Stream Restoration to Alternative Middle School Students

A Good Idea

This practice has been Archived and is no longer maintained.

Description

Students at an alternative middle school program in northwest Washington helped restore a natural creek environment while gaining skills in a variety of disciplines including physical, biological, and social sciences, math and economics, and event planning. Studies occurred both in and outside of traditional classroom settings.

Goal / Mission

The goal of the Voyager School was to supplement the current science curriculum with some outdoor activities and environmental education.

Results / Accomplishments

The Voyager students and their teacher designed and constructed their own riparian habitat restoration project from start to finish. The students received a yearlong hands-on education, both in the field and in the classroom, in ecology, botany, hydrology, entomology, geometry, project planning, estimating, budgeting, and social sciences. The project gave the students a view of the real world through daily activities and a chance to gain some out-of-the-ordinary experiences.

A curriculum is being developed from the practices of the program. The goal is to make salmon habitat restoration, and the diversity of disciplines that it encompasses, available to other classrooms.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Voyager Middle School Alternative Program
Primary Contact
Voyager Middle School
(425) 356-1730
Topics
Environmental Health / Wildlife
Education / School Environment
Organization(s)
Voyager Middle School Alternative Program
Source
Corporation for National and Community Service
Date of publication
8/10/2001
Location
Everett, WA
Target Audience
Children, Teens