LEAF – Learning Experiences and Activities in Forestry
Enriching Students. Sustaining Forests.
LEAF is Wisconsin's K-12 Forestry Education program. A partnership program between the Wisconsin DNR Division of Forestry and the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education [exit DNR], LEAF connects formal and non-formal educators with quality forestry education materials and services. This is accomplished using teacher-friendly "Wisconsinized" lesson guides, professional development opportunities, and consulting services for school districts and school forests.
LEAF's guiding principles are:
- Wisconsin’s forests can be managed sustainably for economic, ecological and social benefits.
- By becoming informed and active participants in decision making processes, Wisconsin citizens can sustain forests.
- To develop informed and active citizens, forestry education should be infused into Wisconsin’s K-12 schools.
LEAF's Workshops
LEAF offers school- and district-wide teacher in-services, non-credit and graduate credit teacher professional development opportunities, non-formal and landowner field activity workshops, school forest consultation and curriculum implementation assistance. See LEAF's schedule of current teacher workshops [exit DNR] and non-formal workshops [exit DNR].
LEAF Workshops/Courses
- Forestry Education for the Wisconsin K-12 Classroom [exit DNR]
- Highlights principles, activities, and techniques for teaching K-12 students about Wisconsin's forests. Designed for K-12 classroom teachers.
- Teaching Selected Forestry Topics in the K-12 Classroom [exit DNR]
- Complements Forestry Education for the Wisconsin K-12 Classroom. Explores materials and methodologies to teach K-12 students about current forestry topics, concepts, and issues.
- School Forest Programs and Administration [exit DNR]
- Provides an overview of the Wisconsin School Forest Program. Includes classroom and web components.
- Human Influence on Wisconsin's Forests [exit DNR]
- This on-line course examines Wisconsin's forest resources and the role they play in our past, current, and future ecological, economic, and social well-being. Designed for K-12 classroom teachers who want to acquire additional background in forestry.
Free In-services
LEAF offers FREE, 2-4 hour non-credit in-services for your school or district. These highly engaging in-services introduce the LEAF program, materials, and related services to members of your school or district.
If you would like to arrange either, please contact us at leaf@uwsp.edu or (715) 346-4956. View our course descriptions [exit DNR].
LEAF courses are taught by the LEAF staff and instructors [exit DNR] located around the state. Our instructors come from a variety of backgrounds including classroom teaching, forestry, and environmental education.
LEAF Guides
all guides correlate to Wisconsin’s Model Academic Standards [exit DNR]
LEAF's K-12 lesson guides and field enhancements are unit-based and teach: What is a forest? Why are forests important? How are forests managed? and How do we all play a part in sustaining forests? Unit field enhancements are available to LEAF-trained teachers, as well as non-formal educators (nature centers, camps, etc.) and landowners through LEAF workshops.
- Wisconsin K-12 Forestry Lesson Guide [exit DNR]
- provides educators with complete interdisciplinary units that present an overview of forests and forestry in Wisconsin. The lesson guide is divided into six grade-specific units: K-1, 2-3, 4, 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12. Each K-8 unit contains between 5 and 8 classroom lessons, a careers exploration, and 3 field enhancements. The 9-12 unit contains 5 classroom lessons and a careers lesson. Subject areas addressed in the lessons include Arts, English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. The Wisconsin Model Academic Standards and H. Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory are incorporated into the guide. The standards, subject areas, and multiple intelligences that each lesson encompasses are listed in the appendix.
- Wildland Fire Lesson Guide [exit DNR]
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supplements the Wisconsin K-12 Forestry Education Lesson Guide. Ninety percent of all forest-related fires in Wisconsin are started by humans. Education is a key prevention tool to develop an informed and caring citizenry that will take action to prevent useless fires and who support the use of prescribed burning as a management tool. This lesson guide focuses on the economic, social, and ecological implications of wildland fire in Wisconsin. This guide includes one age-appropriate lesson for each LEAF Unit (K-1, 2-3, 4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-12). The lessons teach processes and skills and include online resources.
- Urban Forest Lesson Guide [exit DNR]
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also supplements the Wisconsin K-12 Forestry Education Lesson Guide. Wisconsin’s urban forests are a very important resource. However, many Wisconsin residents don’t recognize the benefits urban forests provide. An urban forest is all of the plants and animals in a city, village, or town. In Wisconsin, more than 70 percent of people live in cities, villages, and urban townships. The Urban Forest Lesson Guide helps Wisconsin teachers educate students about the value of and need for our urban forests. Additionally, the Urban Forest Lesson Guide can help teachers in urban areas teach the importance of forests in general by using familiar urban forest surroundings to engage students and ultimately make the LEAF Wisconsin K-12 Forestry Lesson Guide units more relevant.
LEAF's School Forest Program
Nearly half of Wisconsin’s school districts (207) have access to school forests in our state. School forests serve as outdoor classrooms that connect students with their natural and human communities through hands-on environmental education.
School forests have incredible educational value. School forests are used to:
- Meet education standards
- Integrate environmental education into the curriculum
- Connect teachers and students to place
- Demonstrate sustainable resource management
- Strengthen school and community relationships
- Provide income
LEAF's School Forest Program [exit DNR] provides:
- Guidance and consultation in developing school forest programs
- Connection to forest management resources
- Networking and information through an electronic newsletter, website, and events like the School Forest Summit
- Professional development for educators, administrators, and natural resource managers
- Information about funding sources and education resources
For more information check out the LEAF website [exit DNR].
Contact Us
LEAF
Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education
College of Natural Resources
UW – Stevens Point
Stevens Point, WI 54481
(715) 346-4956
www.uwsp.edu/cnr/leaf
leaf@uwsp.edu
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