Curriculum

The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) provided Aves Compartidas with standards to deliver a balanced and scientifically accurate environmental education. The NAAEE guidelines were intensely reviewed by a group of diverse professionals prior to publication to ensure we provide effective standards for learners of all levels in the many environmental fields of study. Creating and implementing quality education that abides by NAAEE guidelines was the beginning step into curating a generation of environmentally literate citizens.

The 1977 leaders from the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) created the Tbilisi Declaration at a conference held in Georgia. The declaration outlined frameworks, principles, and guidelines for environmental education at local, national, regional, and international scales. The Tbilisi declaration outlines five categories of environmental objectives: 1) awareness, 2) knowledge, 3) attitudes, 4) skills, and 5) participation. These objectives ultimately guide the learning outcomes, concepts, and activities in the awareness to action framework of the six-week Aves Compartidas program.

The five-step Awareness to Action Framework mentioned above by the Tbilisi declaration was central to our teaching methods. We began by introducing migratory bird populations with the observation of World Migratory Bird Day, a holiday that brings awareness to challenges that birds face during migration. To help students retain knowledge, we combined auditory and kinesthetic repetition when teaching scientific vocabulary to students in both Spanish and English. In environmental education we prioritized helping students develop environmentally-conscious attitudes. We achieved this by utilizing the following tools: Storytelling allowed the students to practice building empathy for birds. We educated and taught the students skills that would help encourage them to take action, practiced using binoculars, and scientific illustration to strengthen teamwork, and observational skills. To finalize, we used project-based learning to allow students the opportunity to take action and put into practice all the skills and tools learned during our time together.

The Aves Compartidas program is founded on the belief that giving students an active, participatory role in the curriculum allows learners to leave our lessons with a deeper connection and greater understanding of the content we have taught. Through bilingual, student-centered, interdisciplinary learning, 3rd-5th graders develop the skills and attitudes that serve as the foundation for a lifetime of environmental stewardship.