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Nature Night. At Southwest High School on April 30th from 5:30 to 8:00pm. Nature Night. NRD has provided an event called “nature night” at various elementary schools last year Out of 5 schools they had over 1000 in attendance Community organizations set up booths at previous nature nights
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Nature Night At Southwest High School on April 30th from 5:30 to 8:00pm
Nature Night NRD has provided an event called “nature night” at various elementary schools last year Out of 5 schools they had over 1000 in attendance Community organizations set up booths at previous nature nights LSW students participated (Mr. Bittle’s classes) in a couple of the nature nights
What’s in it for YOUR STUDENTS? • April 30th provides an opportunity to move the classroom curriculum into the areas of Analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation in an interactive and unique way • Provides a connection with the community beyond the standard curriculum • Helps foster life long learning and encourages students to challenge themselves academically • Allows students to work beside professionals from the community
What is in place right now? • Currently, there will be over 25 different booths from various organizations around Lincoln • Over 400 items will be given away at the entrance to the first 400 attendees • Rousseau, Hill, Adams, Cavett, and Holmes elementary school will be invited (Holmes elementary is invited due to their temporary location near LSW) • Precedence has been set for the format and interest in the Nature Nights in Lincoln
How can this be a part of your curriculum? • Provide an alternative assessment or project for students to choose • Target students who need or enjoy a challenge • Recognize the impact of such an event to your students and integrate Nature Night into your existing curriculum • Give the opportunity to impact students’ lives in a proven forum: community service
What would a presentation look like? • Presentations should be interactive to engage kids • ALL booths must be designed with an OUTDOOR theme • HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS should be the creators of the booths, NOT TEACHERS • As educators, we should facilitate and guide the process of creating a presentation
…Presentation look like (cont) • Teachers may create a booth themselves if you want, but the focus is getting students involved in community service (we do enough of that by BEING educators) • Presentations can be either inside or outside depending on your subject area and creativity
What about supplies????? • The Science Department has a Learn and Serve America grant that will reimburse each department up to $75 in supplies • Families which attend Nature Night are expecting an experience, not a bunch of free trinkets • With families struggling economically, it is important that presentations which involve consumables emphasize the use of common household items (low cost, mass availability)
Why is Bittle promoting this thing? • The Grant obtained for last year and this year allows use to focus on more community service learning • One avenue for this focus is the Nature Night, which has been expanded to include all interested students and teachers • Professionally I feel that community involvement will provide our students with the broad perspective needed to enhance our curriculum and challenge their abilities
How do I get started? • Pick up the provided handouts before you leave • SPEAK to your students if you will promote this on a volunteer basis • Speak to your department colleagues and decide who wants to be involved • Make a commitment to the number of booths or groups of students who will be involved • Keep Mr. Bittle informed of your intent to participate and any developments prior to the event occuring
Ideas for different subject areas! • Band (create wind chimes, trashcan marching band, rubber band guitar, etc.) • FCS (how to plan a picnic, campfire foods, cooking with insects, etc.) • Art (field sketches, photo-sensitive paper fun, nature art, grass woven bracelets, etc.) • English (sidewalk chalk poems, nature journal writing, fence sentences, etc.)
Ideas continued… • Theater (how to hold an outdoor play, how to imitate or act like an animal, etc.) • Choir (camp songs, work songs, using the sounds of nature in songs, etc.) • Industrial Tech (how to build a backyard fort, construct the perfect paper airplane, build a car out of household materials, etc. • Many, many more ideas but not enough time
Recap • Event is on April 30th, 5:30 - 8:00 evening • Students will run the booths they create either all night OR in shifts of 1 hour blocks to maximize student involvement • $75 in supplies to each participating department • Anyone may participate in any class or subject area AS LONG AS THE PRESENTATION IS FOCUSED ON GETTING KIDS OUTSIDE • It is critical that all booths have an outdoor or nature theme to them
Thank You!! • Lois Brown will speak to you about her daughter’s involvement in the nature night as a presenter. • PLEASE email me with questions • I will be sending all staff emails asking for commitments in order to accurately supply the commons with enough tables and chairs