Envirokids Literacy Festival - Day 3 Agenda
Practitioner & Parent Workshop
Saturday, October 9, 2021
10:00 a.m.– 2:00 p.m. EST
10:00 – 10:15 a.m.
Welcome to the Envirokids Literacy Festival: Practitioner & Parent Workshop
Theme: "Earth Action: Healing Our Home"
Ms. Amy Marasco
President & Founder, the Nature Generation
Dr. Shanetia Clark
Department Chair & Associate Professor of Early & Elementary Education, Salisbury University
Dr. Cathrene Connery
Associate Professor of Literacy & Children's Literature & Chair, Envirokids Literacy Festival
10:15 – 10:45 a.m. Keynote Speaker: General Session (For All Grades Pre-K-12)
Eco-Empathy: A Key to the Survival of Our Planet
Whether you’re a parent or educator, there’s no way better to deepen your children’s caring for the environment than through the power of a well-chosen story. In this keynote presentation, Mary Knight will discuss eco-empathy as an approach to story that inspires readers to experience a heart-felt connection with other living beings to inspire their respect and caring for the natural world. Mary will use examples from GEBA winners, —including her own novel, Saving Wonder – to demonstrate how to cultivate this innovative methodology from her most recent text, CoreEmpathy: Literacy Instruction with a Greater Purpose.
Ms. Mary Knight
Author, 2017 GEBA Children’s Fiction Winner, Saving Wonder & CoreEmpathy
10:45 – 11:00 a.m.
Green Book Commercials by Early & Elementary Education Candidates
11:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Grade Level Sessions I
Early Childhood Break Out Room A
Building a Culture of Inquiry in Your Preschool Classroom (For Grades PreK-2)
Learn how to sustain a culture of scientific inquiry with tips to follow children's interests; set up exciting projects or problem-based scenarios; and engage preschoolers in interesting investigations.
Dr. Gurupriya Ramanathan
Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education, Salisbury University
Elementary Break Out Room B
Growing Scientists at Home (For Grades 2-5)
Support young learners' curiosity about how things work using relevant, real-world, community-based examples as opportunities for environmental exploration while building scientific conceptual understanding.
Dr. Nancy Hopkins-Evans
Senior Director of State Partnerships, Instruction Partners & Committee Member, National Academy of the Sciences Call to Action Report
Secondary Break Out Room C
Climate Fiction and Storytelling in Climate Justice Education (For Grades 6-12)
Take a tour through the dystopian and utopian world of “climate fiction” in this interactive session, before practicing telling our own “climate stories.” Then, learn how stories can help bring people together to tackle the biggest issue of our time.
Dr. Shane Hall
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, Salisbury University
11:30 – 11:45 a.m.
Green Book Commercials by Early & Elementary Education Candidates
11:45 – 12:15 p.m.
Grade Level Sessions II
Early Childhood Break Out Room A
Tapping the Nectar of Picture Talks (For Grades PreK-1)
Experience story sharing with the beautifully illustrated book, Hummingbirds, from SU’s Environmental Stewardship collection. Through interactive participation, the benefits of picture talks will be discussed, along with ways to increase engagement and enjoyment for both very young children and adults.
Ms. Mary Lou Finneran
Adjunct Professor, Department of Early & Elementary Education, Salisbury University
Elementary Break Out Room B
Green Literacy: Using Books to Move Young People to Earth Action (For Grades 2-5)
Discover Green Literacy’s Thematic Teaching Units to develop in-depth thinking, dialoging, and enriched responses to children’s literature. Learn how to incorporate innovative strategies including “Dear Agony” letters; critical analyses of historically situated perspectives; and the power of picture walking with texts & teaching resources.
Ms. Jen Cullerton-Johnson
Author, 2011 Green Earth Book Award Honoree, Seeds of Change & Co- Founder of Green Literacy
Secondary Break Out Room C
One in Seven Billion (For Grades 6-12)
Promote environmental stewardship by focusing on curriculum encouraging action research conducted by secondary students. Learn how to bridge home and school while cultivating youth voices and individual choices.
Ms. Hemalatha Bhaskaran
Science Supervisor, Wicomico County Board of Education, Salisbury, Maryland
12:15 – 12:30 p.m.
Green Book Commercials by Early & Elementary Education Candidates
12:30 – 1:00 p.m.
Grade Level Sessions III
Early Childhood Break Out Room A
Good for Your Child's Brain, Good for the Environment: Reading GEBA Award Winning Books (For Grades PreK-1)
Read to your child because it is good for their brain and because it is good for the environment! Learn how sharing environmental, science, and animal books help your child read better and do well in school. Discover how shared book reading with informational books can help children develop better literacy skills.
Dr. Grattan Baldwin
Associate Professor, University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Elementary & Secondary Break Out Room B
Cultivating English as an Additional Language Literacy: Best Practices Connecting Home & School for K-12 Students (For Grades K-12)
This session will explore essential concepts & best practices to nurture the green literacy development of English as an Additional Language readers, writers, & thinkers across grade levels.
Ms. Julie Howard, M.Ed. & M.A.
Adjunct Professor, Department of Early & Elementary Education, Salisbury University
Elementary & Secondary Break Out Room C
The Ward Museum: Fostering the Next Generation of Environmental Stewards (For Grades PreK-12)
How do we foster the next generation of environmental stewards? Learn how the Ward Museum is uniquely situated at the intersection of environmental education, the arts, and heritage conservation to provide a wide range of programs and connect your students to nature.
Ms. Brenda Miller
Education Coordinator, Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury University
1:00 – 1:15 p.m.
Green Book Commercials by Early & Elementary Education Candidates
1:15 – 1:45 p.m. Keynote Speakers: General Session (For All Grades PreK-12)
Advocating for Urban Youth to Connect with Environmental Literacy
Advocate for the inclusion of youth in environmental concerns that affect urban areas, including school curriculum in schools that focus on environmental issues that pertain to urban areas, and providing outreach, resources, and experiences with community partners for improvement and health of the urban environment to create environmentally literate citizens.
Ms. Karen Morris Carroll
Consultant, Transforming, Healing, Rejuvenation in Vulnerable Environments (THRIVE)
Ms. Tuishula Wise
Consultant, Transforming, Healing, Rejuvenation in Vulnerable Environments (THRIVE)
1:45 – 2:00 p.m. Keynote Speaker: General Session (For All Grades PreK-12)
The Emerald in the Stone: The Ernie Bond Curriculum Resource Center’s Environmental Collection
Mr. Stephen Ford
Education Librarian & Coordinator, Ernie Bond Curriculum Resource Center (EBCRC), Salisbury University