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This workshop will provide participants with classroom lessons and activities associated with earth and environmental science topics. Participants learn mineral identification, rock cycles and formation, geological time scales, water and air quality, weather, human environmental impact, plants, animals and other species of Pisgah National Forest. All of these topics, plus many more, will be covered over the course of this five day workshop.

This workshop is eligible for up to four Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits based on forty contact hours and is eligible for criteria I or II credit in the North Carolina Environmental Educators (NCEE) certification program.

Earth and Environmental Science for Middle and High School Educators will integrate many of the components that make up the natural environment and subsequently fall under the heading of earth and environmental science. The specific topics chosen for workshop are directly in line with the North Carolina Earth/Environmental Science Standard Course of Study and the National Science Education Standards for grades six through twelve.

Participants will receive a supplemental workshop notebook that provides educational resources, teacher information, lessons and activities that can easily be adapted to each educator's specific classroom needs.

Participants will venture into the nearby Pisgah National Forest and examine first hand the flora, fauna, streams and rocks that provide the southern Appalachian region with such a rich ecological diversity. Over the course of the five day workshop, participants will see the Pisgah National Forest not only as a national forest but as a “living classroom”.

Each day of the workshop is designed to present material that is pertinent to a central topic, such as weather, water and air quality, or soil composition. The daily information will be presented through a variety of instructors, from elementary school teachers, to agency representatives, college professors, and the PFI staff. Participants will engage in actual classroom lessons, field trips, and other hands-on experiential learning activities to further illuminate the topics and expand on the application of a “living classroom”.