Pictured here are teachers participating in a training, January 2022, at Ocean Studies Charter School in Monroe County, where the hands-on portion of the program involved creating a model of the Biscayne Aquifer using Play-Doh, limestone, and sand.
More students are being inspired to become the next generation of conservation stewards thanks to ongoing Everglades Literacy Teacher Trainings™ led by The Everglades Foundation’s Education team. The free, K-12 standards-aligned program is designed by scientists and educators to provide an “Everglades 101” understanding of the ecological values of the Everglades, how decisions are made regarding our natural resources, and the importance of Everglades restoration and protection.
Each teacher training session ranges from three to six hours, with the Foundation’s education team members – all environmental educators themselves – guiding teachers through the curriculum and toolkit that they can take back to their classrooms. Not only is the curriculum entirely free, but so are the tools and trainings.
“At a time when many teachers are accustomed to paying for classroom materials out of their own pockets, our program provides all the tools and materials they need to implement our curriculum in the classroom,” said The Everglades Foundation’s Education Program Manager Bianca Cassouto, who added that teachers also can earn professional development points from their districts.
“It’s so rewarding to see that, after the first lesson, teachers tend to be hooked,” said Cassouto. “They can’t believe how much they didn’t know about the Everglades ecosystem. It completely changes their perspective and their knowledge of what a special and important ecosystem it is.”
Learn more about the world’s only free, comprehensive K-12 Everglades curriculum at EvergladesLiteracy.org.