EXTENDED CLASSROOM PROGRAMS 2013-2014
Rogers Environmental Education Center
The Rogers Environmental Education Center encompasses 600 acres of New York
State owned property. It is located at 2721 State Highway 80, Sherburne NY. The land is
comprised of lush forest, multiple ponds, outdoor fish tanks, bird collections and over 6-miles
of hiking trails which offer wildlife viewing areas. School groups are encouraged to picnic
and explore the trails for no fee prior to or after their program. For more information, please
visit our website at www.FriendsofRogers.org
Rogers Environmental Education Center: Farming Fun with Oneida
Friends
(Grades 4-8)
This program will focus on Oneida land use. However, to put the lesson into context,
students will learn about the history of the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy, a
brief description of clans, an explanation of Oneida philosophy towards nature, and a
description of Oneida land and resource use.
Students learn about historical land use of the Oneida nation, as well as natural
resource use, and their philosophy towards nature. Our goal is for students to apply
this lesson to their lives today. The pervasive attitude towards the environment is
currently one of disregard and excessive wastefulness. Our food industry no longer
follows the seasons and the natural growing patterns of plants and animals. The
Oneida have a profound respect for the environment, and their attitude toward
resource and land use can be applied today. Upon completion of the program,
students discover the implications of overextending the resources taken from the land,
about seasonal foods and traditional growing practices, and the history of the Iroquois
and Oneida. Students gain a greater appreciation for the region they live in, the
original people that lived here, and the natural setting that surrounds them.
NYS Standards:
Venue Cost:
District Cost:
Class Limit:
Length of Program:
Site:
Contact:
Email:
Math, Science and Technology 4, 7;
Science Performance Indicator 7.2c; History standard 4.2 and Empire
State Identity and NYS Performance Indicators for Elementary School,
grades 4-7.
$5.00 per student
Chaperones are complimentary
Venue Cost + BOCES 18% fee
MAXIMUM = 25 students
2.25 hours
Rogers Environmental Education Center, Sherburne, NY
(607) 674-4733
Kathy Harasta, 766-3731
kharasta@btboces.org
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EXTENDED CLASSROOM PROGRAMS 2013-2014
Rogers Environmental Education Center
Rogers Environmental Education Center: Food Web Exploration!
(Grades 5-8)
The lesson will focus on teaching students about the food webs that exist in the world
around us and will show how everything is connected. Students will learn through
active games and an engaging hike.
Students will advance their knowledge to understand food webs and energy
pyramids by examining how each trophic level supports the other. They will realize
the importance of every organism in an ecosystem, which will develop student's
critical thinking.
NYS Standards:
Math, Science and Technology 6;
Science Performance Indicator 5.1, 5.2, 6.1
Venue Cost:
$5.00 per student
Chaperones are complimentary
District Cost:
Venue Cost + BOCES 18% fee
Class Limit:
MAXIMUM = 25 students
Length of Program: 2.0 hours
Site:
Rogers Environmental Education Center, Sherburne, NY
(607) 674-4733
Contact:
Kathy Harasta, 766-3731
Email:
kharasta@btboces.org
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EXTENDED CLASSROOM PROGRAMS 2013-2014
Rogers Environmental Education Center
Rogers Environmental Education Center: Let’s Get Dirty!
(Grades 5-8)
Soil plays a vital role in ecosystem function, providing the base for all plant life and all
higher trophic levels as well. This concept comes full circle as the discussion turns to
decomposers. Understanding that all life literally returns to dirt is an important
concept for children beginning to understand life cycles and food webs. When the
topic of decomposition/composting has been breached, an opportunity to discuss
plastics and non-decomposable items present itself. Having children understand that
Styrofoam, plastics, and other man-made products take hundreds or even thousands
of years to decompose is a valuable lesson.
Students gain a comprehensive understanding of soil and decomposition. This
includes teaching about the main components of soil, and how each of those
components is formed. They learn about the role of decomposers in both natural soil
formation, and in human-assisted composting. After understanding composting,
students discover that some human-made products do not decompose - and the threat
this poses to our environment. By the end of the lesson students are able to identify
several common decomposers; they feel confident about the different parts of soil, and
the benefits of composting.
NYS Standards:
Venue Cost:
Math, Science and Technology 6, 7
$5.00 per student
Chaperones are complimentary
District Cost:
Venue Cost + BOCES 18% fee
Class Limit:
MAXIMUM = 25 students
Length of Program: 2.0 hours
Site:
Rogers Environmental Education Center, Sherburne, NY
(607) 674-4733
Contact:
Kathy Harasta, 766-3731
Email:
kharasta@btboces.org
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EXTENDED CLASSROOM PROGRAMS 2013-2014
Rogers Environmental Education Center
Rogers Environmental Education Center: Saving the Earth for a Rainy
Day
(Grades 5-8)
The water cycle includes evaporation, precipitation, and condensation. These
processes explain how water moves and changes over time and place. Water
pollution can have drastic impacts on our world as it impacts the water cycle.
Students will learn about precipitation, evaporation, condensation, and water
pollution. They discover how these processes are connected through the water cycle.
Students begin to understand some problems associated with water pollution and the
role that pollution plays in the water cycle. They also learn to recognize how
pollution can enter the Chenango River through runoff processes. Students will be
able to construct a labeled diagram of the water cycle.
NYS Standards:
Math, Science and Technology 1, 6;
Science Performance Indicator 2.1j, 3.2a, 4.2d
Venue Cost:
$5.00 per student
Chaperones are complimentary
District Cost:
Venue Cost + BOCES 18% fee
Class Limit:
MAXIMUM = 25 students
Length of Program: 1.5 hours
Site:
Rogers Environmental Education Center, Sherburne, NY
(607) 674-4733
Contact:
Kathy Harasta, 766-3731
Email:
kharasta@btboces.org
Continued on next page…
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EXTENDED CLASSROOM PROGRAMS 2013-2014
Rogers Environmental Education Center
Rogers Environmental Education Center: Weather or Not
(Grades 5-8)
This lesson will focus on both physical and chemical weathering as well as how
erosion changes the environment. While discussing weathering and erosion we will
learn what a cut bank and point bar are, as well as the different layers of soil and what
each layer is made up of.
Emphasis will be placed on showing the students how humans are part of a system
and how they can both positively and negatively affect it. Success of the system is
dependent on how great of an impact humans have on it. (The greater the impact the
more we are changing the natural state of the environment).
NYS Standards:
Math, Science and Technology 6;
Science Performance Indicator 7.1, 7.2 and 2.1g
Venue Cost:
$5.00 per student
Chaperones are complimentary
District Cost:
Venue Cost + BOCES 18% fee
Class Limit:
MAXIMUM = 25 students
Length of Program: 2.5 hours
Site:
Rogers Environmental Education Center, Sherburne, NY
(607) 674-4733
Contact:
Kathy Harasta, 766-3731
Email:
kharasta@btboces.org
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