4E. Growing and Developing Professionally

PSTA Conference Presentation: "Into the Wild"

I sought out the opportunity for professional development when I decided to attend and present with a group of pre-service teachers at a Pennsylvania Science Teachers Association conference in December of 2010 after teaching at a service-learning event, “Come into the Wild.”  During the presentation, I took initiative in speaking about the planning and implementation of my “I am a Tree” lesson during my service-learning experience and showed a sample model to the audience in attendance.  I contributed my ideas to professionals and suggested time-saving tips for teaching this lesson to early-childhood students like using sticky labels while teaching tree vocabulary and having materials prepared and set out in advance.  My group welcomed feedback from attending professionals following the presentation.  Preceding the conference, I sought feedback from my professor about ideas in running my station, and collaborated with colleagues to gain additional insight. 

Information about the service-learning event at the college is as follows:

After completing a workshop sponsored by the Office of Environment and Ecology on Project Learning Tree in addition to Growing Up Wild, I used my resources to participate in a service learning event for the community.  I created an early childhood lesson for 3/4-year-old learners that I taught during the event called, “Come Into The Wild,” sponsored by Dr. Kathleen Blouch and the Education Organization of Elizabethtown College.  During the lesson, I met science standard 4.6.A: Understand that living things are dependent on nonliving things in the environment for survival.  As students were traced as trees on butcher paper, we discussed the different parts of a tree, including roots, which they learned the tree sips water from.   During this event, I guided a team of volunteers to assist young children during the execution of the lesson where students learned about parts of a tree while creating “I am a Tree” body-tracings.  

Click to View Lesson:

Into The Wild Lesson Plan