The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

= IB DOWN TO EARTH - WHAT OUR EDUCATION CURRICULUM SAYS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT = MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SCHOOL BOARDS 2 AND SCHOOLS ALL PLAY ROLE IN LEARNING 3 3 ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT BRETT GLOVER /er@| first drafted in 2009. th 8 com Classrooms across the province will hold Earth Day-themed events and ac- tivities to mark the annual environmental _ celebra- tio: But what's being taught about the environ- ment during the rest of the school year? Ontario's education cur- Waterloo Chronic! schools, and includes infor- mation on environmental matters. This is ed through the Ministry * Education's Acting Today, tion in Ontario schools, Yo Ay, waterloochronicle.ca 2886 Dunda Toronto;ON.M6P. i 4 @cornerstonehome nis frame- work, environmental edu- cation is integrated into all grades and all subjects, as appropriate. While envi- ronmental education can relate explicitly to subjects science, tech- nology, oe studies or even history, it would be a challenge to include it in other f Helds. xample, elementa- ry fowk teachers are en- couraged to seek out texts about environmental top- bling “EARTH vicinity to encourage envi- ronmental education. At the high s school level, ‘ama _ stuc couraged _ ee ‘their craft to comment on environ- ental social issues. Business. studies students may be taught the environ- mental impacts of various industrial practices. The framework states there is no universal model for the implementation of ics, enal students to the language as they glean i about other issues and topics im- pacting their one It's suggested that phys-ed teachers include natural environments in a school's XN education, but while there's an overall agreement on principles and concepts, most specific goals are defined locally by school boards or schools 90 Main St, Cambridge ON NIR1V7 (519) 740-8991 _ 7 , Metroland file photo The Ministry of Education sets the environmental education policy, but it is up to the school boards and individual schools to put the policies in practice. themselves. _ environ- school you could visit, but the underlying message is the same. For example, Grade 8 students at Viola Desmond Public School in Milton planted seeds to learn how vertical gardens worl while kids at Petorbor ough's Kaawaate East City Public School ventured out to Warsaw Outdoor Educa- tion Centre earlier this month. Also ingrained in the ministry's policy is the no- @cornerstonefur > N, Paris, on nail 3R7 tion that environmental education is a shared re- sponsibility that doesn't end when students leave could ur- Students at Barrie's Al- gonquin Ridge Elementary School may participate ina litterless lunch day, when families are encouraged to pack lunches that produce no waste. Mississauga's Churchill Meadows Public School re- cently celebrated Walk to Month, en and lessening one's carbon footprint. While the Ministry of Education puts policies in place, families are encour- aged to contact their child's school with any questions or concerns about environ- mental education practices in the classroom.