Classroom Archives • Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

Teacher Leader Council

Verity Callahan — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 19:13:27 +0000

Home / Classroom

Teacher Leader Council

TOPIC

Education

The Goals of the AGFC Teacher Leader Council:

To create a collaborative working opportunity for Arkansas Educators and the AGFC’s Education Division to engage in conservation, environmental and outdoor recreation learning opportunities to serve the students of Arkansas.
To develop resources that meet the needs of Arkansas educators to assist in teaching conservation education skills and concepts in their classrooms.
To update and modify existing curriculum and resources to align with Arkansas standards and expectations for instruction.
To create an opportunity for teacher leaders to mentor novice teachers, to learn from and with AGFC education staff and to provide feedback on concepts to engage students in conservation education.

Criteria for Nomination:

The nominee should be a formal educator at any public, private, charter school or early childhood education center.
The nominee must be a full-time educator working with students at any grade or age from early childhood through twelfth grade.
The nominee must have a drive for teaching and incorporating conservation education, environmental education, outdoor recreation skills and concepts into their instruction on a regular basis.
The nominee must be able to attend in-person meetings in the Central Arkansas area.
The nominee must be able to attend virtual meetings.
The nominee should possess strong collaboration skills and willingness to provide insight, knowledge and production on projects designed by AGFC Education leadership staff.
Nominees can be nominated by another individual or nominate themselves.
Nominations are due June 26, 2024. Selected educators will be announced by Friday, July 1, 2024.

Please reach out to Mary Beth Hatch or JJ Gladden with any questions.

Search Education

More on Education

2024 Marksmanship Challenge

School of Conservation Leadership

Education Outreach

2024 Free Fishing Weekend

More on Classroom, Conservation, Programs

School of Conservation Leadership

Native Gardening

Education Outreach

Volunteer

Habitat Management

The post Teacher Leader Council appeared first on Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

School of Conservation Leadership

Verity Callahan — Mon, 20 May 2024 18:03:57 +0000

Home / Classroom

School of Conservation Leadership

TOPIC

Education

Looking For Conservation In Your Curriculum?

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is committed to inspiring a love of the outdoors and conservation in young Arkansans and is working with schools to foster responsible stewardship of natural resources in the next generation.

Through our School of Conservation Leadership Program, AGFC is working to increase conservation education, outdoor learning and outdoor recreation opportunities for students in Arkansas and to increase awareness of conservation careers and inspire the next generation of conservation professionals. The Commission has created a designation that recognizes the public, private, charter and early childhood schools that are doing this well. If you’d like your school to be a School of Conservation Leadership, please work with your school’s administration to review the requirements below and complete the Letter of Commitment and return to marybeth.hatch@agfc.ar.gov if your school wants to participate.

Increasing participation in all Arkansas Game and Fish Commission programming at the campus level:

Increase conservation education, outdoor learning, and outdoor recreation opportunities for students in Arkansas

Bring awareness to the role AGFC plays in the Outreach and Commitment to Arkansans through conservation education

Increase awareness of AGFC careers through the development of the next generation of conservation professionals

Recognize schools that are doing this well, create model/mentor schools/programs within the state

Create new opportunities and continue current programming offered by Nature Center staff to support education outreach

Application: Phase 1

Fishing in the Natural State

Involvement: At least one classroom/teacher

Teacher PD: 6 hrs provided by AGFC

Lessons: 5 must be taught from curriculum

Derby: 1 must be held by the school

Conservation Project: Must be completed

Award: fishing and sampling equipment valued around $1,800

Conservation Project

*In addition to FINS

Involvement: At least 2 grade levels or 2 classes are involved

Choose either Aquatic or Terrestrial

*See examples below

Conservation Art Project

2 separate projects

Involvement: School decision

1 – AGFC focus

2 – Recycling/repurpose focus

Guest Lectures from Conservation Professionals

3 experiences on your campus

Involvement: At least 3 different classes or grade levels are involved

* See examples below

Conservation Education Grant

Proof of application for the AGFC Conservation Education Grant

Involvement: At least 1 application

*You do not have to receive, but must apply during the current school year

GIS Project

1 project

Involvement: School decision

Create a GIS project related to outdoor recreation, conservation, or environmental science

* See examples below

Archery in the Schools (AIS)

Involvement: Archery must be offered to students during the school day by at least 1 teacher/class

Teacher PD: 6 hrs provided by AGFC

Teacher Professional Development

Involvement: At least 1 teacher per grade level has attended a conservation focused PD

* Artifact included in application as evidence

Hunter Ed or Boater Ed

Must offer at least one of the following to students:

Hunter Education (10 hrs) OR Boater Education (6 hrs)

Involvement: School decision

* Can be taught by certified staff or AGFC staff

Community or Industry Partners

Must work with at least one community or industry partner on a project related to conservation or outdoor recreation

Involvement: Campus decision

* Must go beyond the conservation project and guest lecture speakers

Nature Center or Hatchery Visit

Engage in programming offered by AGFC staff that aligns with other conservation projects

* Must go beyond a basic tour of the center or hatchery

Stream Team

Team of students and teacher participate in citizen science data collection of water way near school location or community

Water quality monitoring
Macroinvertebrate analysis
Habitat improvements and restoration

Competitive Shooting Sports Team

AIS or YSS

AIS: offered 10 hours of in class instruction, each team minimum of 5 practices
YSS: all team members have hunter education, participate in minimum of 5 team practices

Open enrollment for community members (public event)

Showcase of entire application process and projects involved to share with family and the community

Can include a public fishing derby
Can include involvement in STEM night
Cannot be a fundraiser or fish fry

Outdoor Adventures Curriculum

Must teach and incorporate the actual Outdoor Adventures Curriculum provided by the AGFC

(Can be a part of, but cannot only be the Outdoor Adventures Course approved by ADE)

Examples of Conservation Project:

Storm water drainage on campus
Stream bank restoration
Native tree planting

Examples of GIS Project:

Places to fish
Pollinator habitats
Wildlife observation

Examples of Art Project:

Reusing recyclable or non-recyclable materials
Objects creating the AGFC logo
Species in our region

Application: Phase 2

The application process is the actual application itself

Schools will upload their artifacts, evidence and rationale for each section
Schools will also upload any relevant artifacts such as photos, video links, news articles, etc. to help support their claim to earn the designation

Application: Phase 3

AGFC Education Leadership Staff will be on-site to view the showcase and complete final evaluations.

1-2 hours in total
Could be: student presentation, panel, school tour, video showcase, project displays and presentations, or any way that your campus can showcase that you are an AGFC School of Conservation

Utilize our current foundations in Conservation Education:

Are you ready to earn the AGFC School of Conservation Leadership designation?

Click here to fill out your letter of commitment now.

Mary Beth Hatch

AGFC Chief of Education

Phone 501-940-3083

Email marybeth.hatch@agfc.ar.gov

Address

2 Natural Resource Dr.
Little Rock, AR

Search Education

More on Education

2024 Marksmanship Challenge

School of Conservation Leadership

Education Outreach

2024 Free Fishing Weekend

More on Classroom, Conservation, Programs

School of Conservation Leadership

Native Gardening

Education Outreach

Volunteer

Habitat Management

The post School of Conservation Leadership appeared first on Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

Education Outreach

Verity Callahan — Tue, 07 May 2024 20:32:07 +0000

Home / Classroom

Education Outreach

TOPIC

Education

Bring The Outdoors Into Your Community

Complete the form below to bring the AGFC to you! Outreach staff will follow up to coordinate a visit. Due to a high level of statewide interest, please allow AGFC as much advanced notice as possible to ensure we can accommodate one of your preferred dates.

Certain popular items like the mobile aquarium have protocols and guidelines. Please review these guidelines before filling out the form below.

Click here to plan a visit or participate in a class at one of our nature centers.

Search Education

More on Education

2024 Marksmanship Challenge

School of Conservation Leadership

Education Outreach

2024 Free Fishing Weekend

More on Classroom, Nature Center, Programs

School of Conservation Leadership

Native Gardening

Education Outreach

Volunteer

Habitat Management

The post Education Outreach appeared first on Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

Outdoor Adventures program sparks enthusiasm at Pinkston Middle School

Randy Zellers — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

April 19, 2023

Randy Zellers

Assistant Chief of Communications

MOUNTAIN HOME — Freddy Penka has the key to capturing students’ imagination and attention, and it’s something he’s willing to share with any teacher wanting to deliver an elective to students they’ll be excited to attend. Penka’s Outdoor Adventures Class at Pinkston Middle School in Baxter County combines real-world outdoor knowledge with state-approved curriculums to teach students skills they rarely experience in a school setting.

Outdoor Adventures is a partnership between the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation to deliver a semester-long course of curriculum that satisfies all state requirements for a co-ed physical education course, a local elective or an agricultural science course.

“We’ve taught Hunter Education at our school for 15 years, but it’s only a seven-week class,” Penka said. “The addition of the lessons in the curriculum we received from the AGFC allowed us to turn the course into a full-fledged elective for our students.”

Penka still teaches two hours of World Geography to sixth- and seventh-graders, but the other four classes in his teaching day are focused on the outdoors.

“I have two classes with sixth-graders and two with seventh-graders,” Penka said. “We’ve covered archery, paddling canoes, fishing and survival skills like building a campfire and using a compass. The students have really enjoyed all the different things we cover through the semester.”

According to Sheila Lovelady-Connerly, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s school connections coordinator, Pinkston Middle School is one of 18 campuses enrolled in the program.

“We still have Project WILD and other programs that have been around for decades, but the Outdoor Adventures program has only been around for three years,” Lovelady-Connerly said. “It differs from our previous programs because it includes much more outdoor recreation in the lessons, not just wildlife management and biology. And it’s growing very fast.”

Perhaps incredible field experiences like some that Penka’s class has enjoyed have fueled the spread of the program. In the last two years, he has taken his students on trips many adults would envy, including a fishing visit to Dry Run Creek, a catch-and-release area on the Norfork Tailwater famous for its trophy trout fishing. Another trip involved a day of paddling at a local park pond using canoes provided by the AGFC’s Fred Berry Crooked Creek Nature Center in Yellville.

“I set up a large tractor tire’s inner tube and put a canoe on it right here at the school to teach the students how to get in and out and keep their balance before we had that trip,” Penka said. “They enjoyed it so much I could hear them talking in the hallway about looking forward to that trip for days before we went.”

But the class isn’t only field trips. Indoor instruction is a critical component of every lesson plan.

“We try to schedule a lot of the indoor instruction during times when the weather isn’t good,” Penka said. “That way the kids can really enjoy their outdoor lesson instead of worrying about cold or rain.”

Thanks to local agencies and organizations pitching in, even some of Penka’s in-class instruction is pretty memorable.

“We receive trout eggs from the (Norfork National) Fish Hatchery and hatch the trout in an aquarium we received from the AGFC,” Penka said. “It’s a lot of work, but the students get to see the fish hatch and grow, and we get to take them to the river to release them as part of the project.”

Lovelady-Connerly said there are more than 34 units of teaching materials available for teachers to choose, so they can mold the experience to fit their local resources and maturity level of their students.

“That’s key,” Penka said. “You have to keep the class sizes small enough to supervise the students and you have to be aware of maturity issues of students who want to participate. If you have a student who is not able to control themselves well, then you don’t want to hand them a bow and arrow or fishing rod with a hook and just let them go.”

The program requires a small commitment from the school at startup, with the curriculum costing $1,000, but the school then receives a matching grant from OTF in that same amount to cover supplies needed for classes. The AGFC can even help offset that initial startup expense through one of its conservation education grants, funded by fine money accrued from wildlife citations in every county.

“I can’t think of any school administration in Arkansas that could see this program as anything but good,” Penka said. “We’re giving our students something that they can use in the real world and they’re excited just about every time they walk through the door.”

Visit https://www.agfc.com/en/education/classroom/outdoor-adventures/ to learn more about Outdoor Adventures and how to introduce it to your school.

CUTLINES:

Girls with spark
Pinkston sixth graders learned to build a campfire using a ferro rod in a portion of the class. AGFC photo.

Kids with canoes
Paddling at a local park pond was a highlight of the program. Photo courtesy Freddy Penka.

Penka with students
Freddy Penka oversees students during a campfire-building program. AGFC photo.

Girl with trout
A trout-fishing trip to Dry Run Creek gave students a huge payoff for their lessons. Photo courtesy Freddy Penka.

The post Outdoor Adventures program sparks enthusiasm at Pinkston Middle School appeared first on Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.