Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Gilchrist, Sandra

Area of Concentration

Natural Sciences

Abstract

Increasing extinction rates and extreme weather are influencing the course of natural patterns and processes around the world. These factors have shown to be heavily influenced by humans, who may have been unaware of the effects their activities would cause. Students need to learn about the human activity that is impacting processes of the Earth. Effectively teaching people about their environment can influence them to be more environmentally conscious and willing to conserve and protect natural areas. Learning models and assessment strategies have been created to examine hypotheses and examine applications of informal environmental education across different communities. Researchers have yet to find a standard model that implements tools and practices that effectively teach students about nature. I created a program called Tales from the Sarasota Bay that consists of 4 lessons and a field trip designed to teach students about the Sarasota Bay in an informal setting. If the program is implemented amongst third to fourth grade students in Sarasota County, I predict that they will become more likely to participate in spreading awareness about the environment within their community and further seek nature related activities and programs. I propose implementing practices that allow students to explore the outdoors by working together to solve problems and answer questions.

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