Environmental Literacy and Sustainability

K-2 Environmental Literacy & Sustainability Standards

3-5 Environmental Literacy & Sustainability Standards

6-8 Environmental Literacy & Sustainability Standards

9-12 Environmental Literacy & Sustainability Standards

ELS Curriculum Frameworks

ELS_Long_Term_Transfer_Goals (002).pdf

Long Term Transfer Goals

ELS_Curriculum_Framework_Environmental_Literacy Skills.pdf

Environmental Literacy Skills

ELS_Curriculum_Framework_Sustainability_and_Stewardship.pdf

Sustainability and Stewardship

ELS_Curriculum_Framework_AG_Env_Systems_and_Resources.pdf

Agricultural and Environmental Systems and Resources

If we build an NGSS-aligned science curriculum, how many of the STEELS Environmental Literacy and Sustainability standards would be addressed? Which ELS standards are not represented in an NGSS-aligned curriculum?

STEELS EL&S and NGSS Crosswalk Report

Learn with Us

Exploring our Environment: Local Issues, Lasting Lessons

Join us at Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center for a hands-on workshop exploring environmental literacy and sustainability in Berks County. Educators will learn about key local environmental issues, and discover strategies for guiding students in identifying and investigating issues in their own communities. Participants will leave with practical ideas and resources to integrate environmental education into their classrooms. This workshop is designed to build confidence in helping students connect learning to real-world environmental challenges.

Date and Time: February 27, 2026; 9 am-2 pm

Location: Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center

What’s Next? Advancing Your MWEE & Environmental Literacy Practice

You've completed the foundational MWEE and environmental education trainings, and now you're ready for the next step. Join educators from across the region for a dynamic one-day workshop designed to deepen your practice, expand your toolkit, and strengthen your confidence in implementing Pennsylvania's Environment, Ecology, and Environment, Literacy & Sustainability (EL&S) Standards. This interactive day of learning will blend fresh content, collaborative problem-solving, and space for educators to share their successes and challenges. Whether you're refining existing MWEEs or building new, student-centered environmental learning experiences, you'll leave with practical strategies, new ideas, and connections to colleagues who are doing this work too.

Date and Time: June 18, 2026; 9 am-2:30 pm

Location: Berks Nature Center

Free Resources

MWEE Resources

“Place-Based Education is the process of using the local community and environment as a starting point to teach scientific and interdisciplinary content. Emphasizing hands-on, real-world learning experiences, this approach to education increases academic achievement, helps students develop stronger ties to their community, enhances students’ appreciation for the natural world, and creates a heightened commitment to serving as active, contributing citizens” (Sobel, 2004).

What is MWEE?

"The Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) is a learner-centered framework that focuses on investigations into local environmental issues and leads to informed action. MWEEs are composed of multiple components that include learning both outdoors and in the classroom, and are designed to increase the environmental literacy of all participants by actively engaging students in building knowledge and meaning through hands-on experiences. In these experiences, the core ideas and practices of multiple disciplines are applied to make sense of the relationships between the natural world and society. MWEEs help connect students with their local environment and equip them to make decisions and take actions that contribute to stronger, sustainable, and equitable communities."