Getting Started…Making Choices
Related Materials
Getting Started…Making Choices
Associated Resources
Alignment to Pennsylvania Academic Standards
Activities are aligned to Pennsylvania academic standards focusing on social studies and environment and ecology while including such standards as mathematics and language arts. It is a multidisciplinary approach to learning that is valuable to public education.
Civic Learning
PA Land Choices reflects the goals established by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS): The NCSS goal of Citizen Education is “to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good.” Our right to participate in governing ourselves in order to protect rights and promote common welfare carries certain responsibilities. Citizens must develop knowledge and skills to participate intelligently and work together to make our communities a better place to live.
www.civiced.org », www.penncord.org », www.socialstudies.org »
Place-based Education
According to David Sobel, 2004, Place-Based Education Connecting Classrooms and Communities, place-based education is the process of using the local community and environment as a starting point to teach concepts in language arts, math, social studies and science. Emphasizing hands-on, real-world learning experiences, this approach has been determined to increase student academic achievement, building strong ties to community and a heightened commitment to serving as active citizens.
www.promiseofplace.org », www.anei.org »
Service Learning
Service learning combines service objectives with learning objectives with the intent that the activity changes the recipient and the provider. According to the report developed by the National Commission on Service Learning, “Learning in Deed, The Power of Service Learning for American Schools,” service learning is different from volunteerism—teaching and learning by integrating community service with academic studies to teach civic responsibility and strengthen the community. It links the task to self reflection, self discovery and the acquisition and comprehension of values, skills and knowledge.
