Teacher Guide for Using the Outdoor Classroom
A PowerPoint presentation
designed to complement the
Outdoor Classroom video
A project to support the classroom teacher from Jeffers Foundation
Contents
• Why use the Outdoor Classroom?
• Teaching Higher Level Thinking Skills
• Planning and Preparation for Taking Students Outdoors
• Sample Outdoor Guidelines
• Getting to the Outdoor Classroom
• How to Visit Area Without Making a Big Impact
• Outdoor Classroom Management Techniques
• The Walking Field Trip
• Starter Activities (Teaching ALL Subjects Outdoors)
• Returning to the Indoor Classroom
• Follow-up Activities in the Indoor Classroom
• Appendix
Why use the outdoor
classroom?
The outdoor classroom provides opportunities for
students to gain knowledge and obtain skills in
a natural environment.
Instructors can allow students to learn by doing,
taking a “hands-on” approach to learning in an
outdoor setting.
•Will help students develop an understanding, appreciation and
respect for the environment
•The outdoor classroom is not as crowded
•Research shows that children learn more when in natural light
(Scholastic, Early Childhood Today)
•Unlimited opportunities exist for “hands on/experiential” learning
(I do and I understand)
•The outdoor classroom offers many opportunities to teach any
subject using nature as your assistant
•Our children are our next generation of environmentally aware
adults and “Stewards of the Earth.”
•Provides unlimited opportunities for higher level thinking
(Bloom’s Taxonomy)
Teaching Higher Level
Thinking Skills
Bloom’s New Taxonomy
Higher Level
Thinking
 Remembering:
 Can the student recall or remember the information?
define, duplicate, list, memorize, recall, repeat, reproduce
state
 Understanding:
 Can the student explain ideas or concepts? classify,
describe, discuss, explain, identify, locate, recognize,
report, select, translate, paraphrase
 Applying:
 Can the student use the information in a new way? choose,
demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret,
operate, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write.
 Analyzing:
 Can the student distinguish between the different
parts? appraise, compare, contrast, criticize,
differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine,
experiment, question, test.
 Evaluating:
 Can the student justify a stand or decision?
appraise, argue, defend, judge, select, support,
value, evaluate
 Creating:
 Can the student create new product or point of
view? assemble, construct, create, design, develop,
formulate, write.
Planning and Preparation for Taking
Students Outdoors
• Explore outdoor classroom area prior to visit to be familiar with the
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site: (safety: water, poison ivy, bees, etc.)
Establish, model and practice expected behavior in the outdoor
classroom using many of the same rules that you have
established in the indoor classroom.
Consider using volunteers to assist with management.
Establish a line leader and caboose
Have a first aid kit, a cell phone or walkie-talkie for emergency
purposes.
Make sure office staff knows where you are going and what your
plans are
Establish Signals
(Example)
One whistle: Look at person in charge
Two whistles: Go to established meeting
place
Three whistles: Emergency, all return to
classroom
Sample Outdoor Guidelines
 Model the techniques and steps you expect your
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students to follow
Establish consequences and follow through for
inappropriate behavior as in the indoor classroom
Set physical boundaries
Emphasize keeping up with the leader
Stay on trails provided
Getting to the Outdoor Classroom
Plan short activities on the way to the Outdoor Classroom to keep
group focused
Model the techniques and steps you expect your students to follow
Pick a color and have students find as many things in nature that have
that color
Pick a letter of the alphabet and have students identify as many
objects as they can that begin with that letter
Count paces between landmarks. Discuss average, median and mode
Phenology - look for signs of the season and make predictions
How to Visit Area Without Making a
Big Impact
• Equate hallway walking with outdoor walking;
walk quietly with hands to self
• Be respectful of living things and leave natural
things where they were found
Outdoor Classroom Management
Techniques
• Discuss Safety based on area you will be visiting
• Strategic placement of students in line or in small
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groups
To help focus attention, give specific assignments
Share responsibilities for carrying equipment
Provide frequent time reminders
Check-in with progress made
The Walking Field Trip
 Observation: The first walk could be very short walk just
observing things in nature
 The Theme Walk: Other walks could have a theme: Looking for
things that start with a letter of the alphabet, a certain color, or a
shape.
 Language Walk: Develop a language bank to increase student’s
nature vocabulary by identifying “things” in nature.
Sample lesson
Give each student a laminated picture chart to use in
identifying things they observe while on a walking
trip:
• Animal Tracking Chart to identify animal tracks and scat in
winter
• Leaf Chart to identify various types of leaves
• Tree Chart to identify different species of trees
Starter Activities
Teaching ALL subjects outdoors
Choose an activity that can best be
taught outdoors
 Math – Data gathering, types of leaves, most types, biggest, smallest ,
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compare
Measurement – measure stump or tree to find circumference, radius,
diameter
Noun or adjective bank for poetry - increase student‘s nature
vocabulary by identifying things in nature
Reading – Simply read a book about nature or have students read
outside
Writing – conduct a poetry lesson or have students write in journals
Science – study weather, rocks, insects, water, soil, erosion, land forms
Social Studies – Mapping, geography of land, history of area
Physical Education –snowshoeing, cross country skiing, hiking
Art – drawing, painting, sketching natural objects
Music – songs about nature, listening for sounds, “song birds”
Special Education – hands on experiences
Responsive Classroom – morning meetings can be held outside
Language Arts
 Reading: A simple activity to enhance reading is to
simply read with or to your students outdoors
 Language: Develop a language bank to increase
student’s nature vocabulary by having them identify
things they see in nature
 Writing: Journaling and writing poetry about
“things” you observe in nature make writing real
Math
 Counting: Count “things” seen in nature: birds, trees,
pinecones critters, etc.
 Sorting: Sort “things” seen in nature: rocks, leaves,
seeds by size, shape, color, etc.
 Collect and Graph Data: Collect data from a bird
feeder, record weather information (rainfall. snow,
temperature etc.)
 Geometry: Learn to use compass, GPS, estimate the
height of tree, find shapes in nature
Outdoor Science
Biological Sciences
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Biology
Physiology
Ecology
Botany
Physical Sciences
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Astronomy
Chemistry
Physics
Earth Science
 Oceanography
 Meteorology
 Geology
SCIENCE
Science is an area in which there already exists a
multitude of activities designed to be taught in the
Outdoor Classroom.
In addition, Minnesota DNR has the following
curriculum Guides available for teachers:
-Project WET
-Project WILD
-Project Learning Tree
-MinnAqua
Social Studies
 History: Learn about the history of land near school, what kinds
of trees, waterways, who lived there, how land changed over
time.
 Geography: Make maps of various outdoor areas, map flight of
birds in winter, how does weather effect land forms?
 Economics: How does supply and demand affect the lives of the
birds, squirrels, etc., at a bird feeder?
Art
 Draw, Paint, Sketch natural objects outdoors
 Sculptures: Using natural objects
 Mosaics/Collages: Using natural objects
 Camera Art: Photograph things in nature
 Observation: Creative art through observation
Physical Education
 Fall and Spring: students are outside for
physical activities on a regular basis
 Winter Activities: Could include: outdoor
games, hiking, snowshoeing, cross country
skiing, or an ‘Ikiderod’ dog sled race
Music
 Sing: Sing outdoors with the students
 Listen: Listen to sounds made by various songbirds
 Record: Record birds at a birdfeeder, duplicate sound
with musical instruments
 Concert: Hold a concert or sing-along outdoors
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Special Education
 The outdoor classroom is a wonderful place
for all students. It engages more senses,
provides physical activity, and provides many
‘hands on’ opportunities.
 Special Needs students can learn side by side
with all students
Returning to the indoor classroom
• Make sure area is left in natural condition.
• Check to see that no equipment has been left
behind.
• Make sure no student (or parent) has been
left behind
• Continue activities used in ‘getting to the
outdoor classroom.’
Follow-up activities in the
indoor classroom
• Leave time for follow-up and processing the lesson
• Grade as you would any other lesson taught indoors
• Keep students responsible and accountable for their work
• Have them share their experiences: partners, small groups,
whole group
• PRAISE: Tell them what they did right to make their
lesson successful
We LOVE
the Outdoor Classroom in the winter…
Happy kids
Happy teachers
The Outdoor Classroom
Your students will love it…
We hope this presentation has been helpful to
you. The Outdoor Classroom has so many
advantages. We hope you will use it many
times throughout the year to provide
meaningful activities for your students.
Thanks from Jeffers Foundation
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact:
Dar Fosse
dfosse@jeffersfoundation.org 612-747-3245
Jeffers Foundation P.O. Box 408
Wayzata, Minnesota 55391
www.jeffersfoundation.org
Appendix
Outdoor Education
Research
What does the research say about the
importance of exposing children to the
outdoors?
Nature Experience
Nature experience has been linked to better performance
by children in school. Factoring out other variables,
studies nationwide showed that schools that used
Outdoor Classrooms and other forms of nature-based
‘experiential education’ were associated with
significant student gains in social studies, science,
language arts, and math. One recent study found that
students in outdoor science programs improved their
science testing scores by 27%.
American Institute for Research, 2005
A New Report: Time Out
Using the Outdoors to Enhance Classroom
Performance highlights the vast research linking
time kids spend outside to increased classroom
preparedness. American’s childhood has largely
moved indoors in the past 15 years. The
increasingly indoor lifestyle causes several factors
that work against high performance in the
classroom
National Wildlife Federation, 2009
No Child Left Inside
Research finds that schools that teach the core subjects using
the environment as an integrating context demonstrate
reduced discipline and classroom management problems;
increased engagement and enthusiasm for learning; and
greater student pride and ownership in accomplishments.
SEER State Education and Environmental Roundtable 1998
(On April 22, 2009 both House and Senate versions of NCLI were
introduced to Congress. If passed would be first EE legislation to pass
in 25 years.)
Research on Children’s Physical Activity
Children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years
spend an average of 1.5 hours a day with electronic
media and youths between the ages of 8 and 18
spend an average of 6.5 hours a day with electronic
media. That is more than 45 hours a week…and this
figure in on the increase
Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005 and 2006
Vitamin D
About 7 out of 10 U.S. children have low
levels of vitamin D, which puts them at risk for
bone and heart disease. The best source of
Vitamin D is sunlight requiring only 15 minutes
per day
Science Daily *-2009
Nature-Deficit Disorder
Nature-Deficit Disorder is not an official diagnosis, but a way of viewing
the problem, and describes the human costs of alienation from nature,
among them:
-diminished use of the senses
-attention difficulties
-higher rates of physical and emotional illness
The disorder can be detected in individuals, families and communities.
Studies show that nature may be useful as a therapy for children with
ADHD. Some researchers now recommend that parents and educators
make available more nature experiences, especially green places for
these children.
Richard Louve, Last Child in the Woods
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