Rural Action > Learn About Our Work > Environmental Education > Appalachian Green Teachers Conference 2022 > 2021 Appalachian Green Teachers Conference Schedule

2021 Appalachian Green Teachers Conference Schedule

Thursday, Oct. 28

8-9 a.m. Registration and light breakfast

9-9:30 a.m. Welcome, logistics, kick-off: Intro to AGTP

9:45-11:45 Concurrent Sessions I

Pollinator Gardens for Early Elementary Education (1-hour)

In this session we will teach educators the basics of planting and maintaining a successful pollinator garden, as well as offer examples of various crafts and activities to do with young students related to pollinators and their importance in our world.

Academy for Leadership Abilities

Bringing Local History to Life

  • Location: Inside
  • Best for: High School
  • Presented by: John Winnenberg

On the Trail at Burr Oak

Participants will enjoy a leisurely walk along the trails at Burr Oak, developing their senses and awareness. Trail techniques to use when teaching and identification will be shared. Come have fun while developing your sense of wonder.

  • This session is full.
  • Location: Outside.
  • Materials (optional): Bring a hand lens, binoculars
  • Best for: Early childhood, Elementary, Middle, High School, non-formal educators
  • Presented by: Paul E. Knoop, Jr.

Appalachian STEM Enrichment Academy

Ohio University is soft launching a new online platform fall 2021 to offer non-formal and formal educators access to online interactive learning activities targeting three age groups, elementary, middle, and high school. The indoor portion we will explore the tracks and lessons available. The outdoor portion we will introduce the My Backyard Stream Citizen Science online platform with kits available through the OHIO Museum Complex.

  • This session is full.
  • Location: Inside and outdoor
  • Materials: Outdoor clothes and shoes for outdoor portion
  • Best for: Elementary, Middle, High school, non-formal educators
  • Presented by: Jen Bowman, Ohio University Voinovich School

11:45-12:30 p.m.: View Exhibits

12:30-2: Lunch and Keynote by Trish Demeter, Ohio Environmental Council

2-3 View Exhibits

3-5 Concurrent Sessions II

Tales on the Trails: Building Your own Story Walk or Finding one Near you

  • Location: Inside and Outdoors
  • Materials: Bring your favorite book, or a book from your favorite author or illustrator
  • Best for: Early childhood, Elementary, Middle
  • Presented by: Sarah Fisher and Shelby Roberts, Athens County Public Libraries

Growing Fungi to Study Decomposers

We will inoculate logs with mushroom spores and participants will be able to take home an inoculated log and will learn how to provide students with tangible knowledge and skills to better understand mushrooms.

What Land Means to Us

  • Location: Inside
  • Best for: High School
  • Presented by: Caroline Wilson and James Kelly

Applying Art within Education

This session will start with a short observational activity, then follow with a discussion about the value and importance of including art in educational settings. The second half of this session will be an introductory woodblock printing demonstration. Supplies and materials will be provided.

  • Location: Inside
  • Materials: Notebook, writing utensil
  • Best for: All ages, non-formal educators
  • Presented by: Moss Nash, AmeriCorps, Rural Action Environmental Education

Polar Mysteries and Climate Change Update

Understand the Arctic geography, climate, and ecosystems. appreciate considerations for working in the field, develop skills for creating mystery kits for their own curricula, understand impacts of climate change in Ohio and on Ohioans, understand the drivers of climate change, understand specific actions that can be taken individually and collectively to both mitigate climate change and adapt to its consequences.

  • This session is full.
  • Location: Inside and Outdoors
  • Best for: Elementary, Middle, High school, non-formal educators
  • Presented by: Jason Cervenec, Byrd Center, The Ohio State University

5:30-6:30 Dinner and Keynote by Andrea Jaeger, Arc of Appalachia

6:30-7:30 Evening Presentation

Friday, Oct. 29

8-9 a.m. Breakfast and Introducing Day 2

9 a.m.-noon Concurrent Sessions I

Growing up Wild

Three Logan Elm teachers will share how they use the Ohio “WILD” curriculum to meet state standards in and out of the classroom. You will leave each session with a hard copy Manuel for the program, a plethora of resources, and some wild ideas about how to motivate kids. These programs teach young people how to think about wildlife, not what to think. Students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade learn basic concepts about wild animals, their needs and importance, and their relationships to people and the environment. The hands-on, diverse activities help develop problem-solving and decision making skills in determining responsible human actions

  • Location: Inside and Outdoors
  • Best for: Pre-K-4, non-formal educators
  • Presented by: Empress Bethel, Melissa Butt and Lorrie Huysman, Logan Elm Local School District

Engaging Kids in Nature

We will be sharing how we use different techniques to keep kids focused on exploring the out-of-doors by using their senses, employing a sense of competition, and mixing active with quieter, contemplative activities.

  • This session is full.
  • Location: Outdoors
  • Materials: Be prepared for the weather
  • Best for: Middle, non-formal educators
  • Presented by: Mike Nicolai, AmeriCorps – Edge of Appalachia Preserve

In Search of Sustainable Life

Through a variety of activities prepared by Population Education, participants will: explore a data rich website to learn about population growth and its global impacts; determine how countries differ in the amount of carbon emitted and vulnerability to climate related risks; role play a city council meeting to determine the real-world factors when siting a landfill; develop an index of 10 factors important to a sustainable community and determine ways to measure these factors; use an interactive story to discover the pollution and over-harvesting of the oceans over time and ways to manage our oceans worldwide; using a simulation, draw renewable resources from a common pool and determine strategies to preserve a long-term supply.

  • This session is full.
  • Location: Inside
  • Best for: Middle, High School, non-formal educators
  • Presented by: Catherine H Knoop

Ohio Invasive Plants Council, including citizen science

  • Location: Inside
  • Best for: Informal Ed
  • Presented by: Gary Conley

Noon: Lunch and Keynote

2-5 p.m. Concurrent Sessions II

Wildflowers for Wildlife

Native wildflowers offer countless benefits for wildlife. Learn how to create wildflower habitat at school or at home, which native plants to use, citizen science projects related to this topic and participate in a fun activity focusing on the migration of monarch butterflies. Session includes a visit to the Burr Oak State Park wildflower gardens and meadow.

  • Location: Inside and Outdoors
  • Materials: Dress for both indoors and outdoors; sturdy shoes
  • Best for: Elementary, Middle, High School, non-formal educators
  • Presented by: Julie Gee, Ohio State Parks

Project Wild

Three Logan Elm teachers will share how they use the Ohio “WILD” curriculum to meet state standards in and out of the classroom. You will leave each session with a hard copy Manuel for the program, a plethora of resources, and some wild ideas about how to motivate kids. These programs teach young people how to think about wildlife, not what to think. Students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade learn basic concepts about wild animals, their needs and importance, and their relationships to people and the environment. The hands-on, diverse activities help develop problem-solving and decision making skills in determining responsible human actions

  • Location: Inside and Outdoors
  • Best for: K-12, non-formal educators
  • Presented by: Empress Bethel, Melissa Butt and Lorrie Huysman, Logan Elm Local School District

Environmental Careers

  • Location: Inside
  • Best for: High School
  • Presented by: Dennis Clement, Ohio EPA

Medicinal Plants Workshop: Herbal Salve Making

Katey will facilitate a hands-on salve making experience (which is fun for kids to do as well) – participants will get to pour the salve and take it home with them. This session will also include information about the life cycle of plants, seasonal phenology, and harvesting the plants at different times in the life cycle in order to get the most potent medicinal value. Will include a walk around outside to find some medicinal plants like plantain.

  • This session is full.
  • Location: Mostly Outside
  • Best for: Informal Ed
  • Presented by: Katey Patterson, United Plant Savers