Curriculum development resources

[Deborah Mathies]

Hello - I am a new YL poster, a teacher in Connecticut, and the director of
a new non-profit environmental education and technology program, "Raptors
in the City".  It is an inquiry-based science, internet and print research
curriculum for grades 4-6 with rich cross-curricular and literacy
applications that stars the peregrine falcon, fastest creature on earth. It
works great as an afterschool enrichment program.

The peregrine falcon has recovered from near extinction and was removed
from the List of Endangered Species in 1999, one of the great success
stories in the field of wildlife conservation.  What is so fantastic is the
existence
of live-action cameras mounted on skyscrapers that show the actual nesting
process online each spring.  As the kids tune into the drama at falcon
nestsites, this "up close and personal" exposure to a magnificent wild
species captivates the children.  Do your kids have computer and internet
access?

Our curriculum is designed to follow nesting season, roughly Jan.-June, and
it's great around Earth Day when our falcons are busy hatching eggs.  It's
serious science, but so much fun! The program is easy to administer (no
software to learn or install). Our curriculum itself is low-cost, and our
e-newsletter and website are free.  You can use the program for spreadsheet
practice and journal writing (kids record their own observations while they
watch the falcons nesting and raising chicks live every day), with a
literacy focus tied to reading books and researching about falcons, and
lots more.  We provide activities to keep kids busy for months.

As a teacher in an inner city school, I see the city-dwelling peregrine and
its return from near extinction as a symbol of the regeneration of our
urban centers. The peregrine is proving to be a species the children can
call their own - the fastest creature on earth soaring among the
skyscrapers!

If you find any of this of interest please let me know.  Also, you might
like to check out our website for more of an idea of what we do.

Deborah Mathies, Teacher and Director
Raptors in the City program
www.raptorsinthecity.com

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