Book Description

Incorporating community-based programs into the curriculum provides rich, real learning experiences. The VINE (Volunteer-led Investigations of Neighborhood Ecology) Follow-Through Project allows third through fifth grade students to work with trained volunteers in guided inquiries on the ecological habitats found in the schoolyard and the community. This book presents a problem-centered professional development experience and describes how teams of formal and nonformal educators and administrators worked together over 14 months to implement the VINE Follow-Through Project. The model is conducted over a two-year cycle which includes two summer institutes. Vignettes from administered projects in Seattle, Louisville, and Broward County, Florida are scattered throughout the guide to supplement and provide concrete examples of the program. A series of appendices list materials needed to conduct a local VINE project. This program is aligned with the National Science Education Standards for professional development. (SJR)