Curriculum Implementation by TS

Teaching sixth grade humanities in a diverse urban environment offers the opportunity to carry the message of the FEI from a variety of perspectives. Humanities fundamentally allows students the opportunity to understand the world around them and the interconnectedness of people through different perspectives. I will incorporate my learning from the FEI into my current curriculum and state standards through basic human empathy and curiosity, Geography, Economics, Civics, and current events. While each of these subjects must surround specific skills and content necessary when developing a common body of knowledge among sixth graders throughout the state, FEI topics will serve as the foundation for this development in the form of case studies and basic skills.

The first and foremost theme that I will share with my students is the importance of green spaces and environmental integrity. This is a theme that has previously been visited through current events and economic perspectives; however, the FEI has provided me with numerous resources to further develop student comprehension and personal connection. While the opportunity to visit the wilderness is limited by budget and other extraneous circumstances, our proximity to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge will provide students with a personal connection with green spaces and environmental preservation.

Surrounding the topic of geography, the sixth grade humanities curriculum aggressively evolves around an understanding of the five themes of geography (Place, Location, Region, Human/Environment Interaction, and Movement). The introduction of each of these themes will serve as an opportunity to connect the resources and topics of the FEI with the current curriculum. For example, when studying Place students will begin building the personal connection with the physical environment and the importance of green spaces. Surrounding Location, students will familiarize themselves with the components of community and basic orientation skills through the ESRI program as they create maps and draw correlations between a variety of human and physical components. Human/Environment interaction will be a topic that allows students the opportunity to comprehend the positive and negatives of basic human impact on environmental sites. In addition, students will recognize the differences between good fires and bad fires and the human created conditions that allow each outcome. The subject of Movement will be surrounded by the displacement of people and allocation of resources resulting from wildfires and other environmental circumstances. Geography will serve as the subject allowing students the opportunity to acknowledge the fundamental themes and skills of the FEI and apply them to other aspects of the curriculum.

Because economics and civics are content areas that reach a wide variety of topics, education in these areas will contain specific case studies surrounding the FEI. When discussing economics, students will analyze the fishing and hunting industries within Colorado, the logging industry and its impact on the natural environment, and basic resource management. Elaborating on the idea of civics through specific case studies, students will gain a basic understanding of environmental policy on local and federal levels as well as the agencies responsible for management.

Throughout each of these subject areas outlined above, students will immerse themselves in current events and resources aimed at connecting them with the outside world. My experiences working with a variety of different professionals and teachers from different areas within Colorado has allowed me the opportunity to acknowledge the importance of outdoor education for the student population of a diverse urban environment. While I will need to contact a variety of resources within the community of Commerce City, I am confident that I will be able to connect my experiences and knowledge attained through the FEI with students and the community.