Saint Vincent College Environmental Education Center is hosting a workshop entitled, “Watersheds and the Abandoned Mine Drainage” for elementary, secondary and environmental educators on October 11 from 9:00 - 4:00.

The focus of the workshop is Watersheds and the Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) Partnership Curriculum titled, “Nature Interrupted: The Journey of Abandoned Mine Drainage.”

The workshop will provide educators with the training and resources needed to utilize Nature Interrupted, the newly developed curriculum that is still in the piloting stage. Teachers can then use the curriculum in their classrooms to introduce Mine Drainage and encourage student awareness of, and critical thinking about how it causes degradation of land and water quality and how it poses serious risks to the community at large.

The workshop will demonstrate how teachers can use the curriculum to meet state academic standards, and the workshop will specifically address Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Environment and Ecology on Humans and the Environment, Watersheds and Wetlands, Agriculture and Society, and Ecosystems and their Interactions.

The AMD curriculum, developed by local environmental organizations uses an experimental approach to learning and the use of indoor and outdoor learning lessons to encourage students' skills in problem solving, questioning, and observing.

Teachers will also be asked to assist with any revisions that are necessary to improve the curriculum.

The workshop fee is $25.00. Curriculum development was funded by a Department of Environmental Protection - Growing Greener Grant.

For more information about the workshop, please call 724-805-2051 or register at the Saint Vincent College Environmental Education Center webpage.

For information on the Curriculum Guide visit the AMR Clearinghouse website to request a sample lesson plan.

9/15/2006