For Teachers
Caring for the Kenai is a unique environmental contest and a wonderful educational opportunity for your students; and it's a cinch to incorporate into your curriculum. Teachers who use CFK as an aspect for their lesson plans have said, "the great thing about Caring for the Kenai is that it's not just another thing to cram into your overflowing curriculum, but something that can be substituted for other projects as a real-life, hands-on, community-oriented opportunity."
CFK Science Teacher In-Service
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Donald Gillman Kenai River Center • 8:30am to 3pm
Attn: KPBSD Science and Language Arts teachers
It’s that time of year again! Have you started thinking about Caring for the Kenai yet? Merrill Sikorski and I, along with our friends at the Kenai Watershed forum are getting ready, and we’d like to see you at our annual CFK teacher workshop!
This year’s workshop will be on Tuesday, September 24 at the Kenai River Center starting at 8:30am. Over the last several years, we have seen kids present some amazing projects, and this simply would not be possible without the guidance and support provided by the teachers. The teacher workshop has provided a valuable opportunity for teachers to network, share ideas, and provide feedback that continues to improve the structure of the CKF contest. We would love to have a strong teacher turnout again this year to discuss how we can further improve CFK for our students.
Our budget will cover snacks, lunch and sub pay for 15 teachers, so be sure to RSVP to Kristin Davis or Merrill Sikorski as soon as possible (don’t forget to get your administrator’s approval and arrange for your sub!). If you know of other 9-12 science or LA teachers that would like to attend, please pass this invitation along to them. Mileage is not covered by the CFK budget, but there may be gas cards available to help cover travel costs.
Please bring any questions or concerns you’d like to discuss regarding CFK, as well as any classroom activities or tools you’d like to share with your fellow teachers.
We hope to see you there!
Contact Kristin Davis with questions or to RSVP.
Photos and notes from last year's in-service...
Caring for the Kenai curriculum unites science and language arts with the real world…
Many thanks to Arby's for providing lunch for our teachers!
Josselyn O'Connor from Kenai Watershed Forum talks to the teachers about KWF's involvement and new student ideas.
Resources
- Kristin Davis - KCHS Science Teacher, Science Specialist, and Teacher Mentor
2014 Timeline - Important dates to remember
- February 26, 2014- Contest Deadline
- March 12, 2014- Select 12 Finalists
- April 5, 2014- Public Presentation of Semi-Finalists
- April 17, 2014- Oral Presentation competition for finalists - KCHS Little Theatre - 6pm
- April 26, 2014 - 24rd Anniversary Awards Banquet
Student Proposal Requirements
This document can be used by teachers, students, and parents to help show what makes a winning proposal.
Judges Scoring Rubric - This document gives an idea of how the judging is conducted at the semi-finalist scoring.
Oral Presentation Judging Rubric - This document provides snapshot of how students are judged during the Oral Presentation of the finalists.
Oral Presentation Long Rubric - This give a detailed look at the specific critera of the oral judging process.
Final Scoring at the Oral Presentation - The FINAL scores for the twelve contest finalists will be calculated accordingly: 1/3 semi-finalist round score and 2/3 oral presentation score. The total final score determines the winners and placing.
Past Oral Presentations
We also encourage teachers to view the past two year's oral presentations. You can find them at the following addresses. Please note you will need Windows Media Player to view the presentations.
Click here to view 2012's Oral Presentation.
Example Essays & Writing Tips
Proposal Writing Tips - This is a link to a five step outline to help you write a winning proposal.
- Example Essay 1 - Sea Glass
- Example Essay 2 - Salmon Run Series
- Example Essay 3 - ROC the Kenai
- Example Essay 4 - HELP! Emergency Access Points
Caring for the Kenai and national standards
Caring for the Kenai is an important local program, but how does it connect to national standards and lifelong environmental education? The answer to this question has been addressed by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) who have developed four strands of contest standards that detail the cross-curricular relationship between environmental education and the major disciplines of language arts, math, geography, economics, and history.
These strands are summarized below with direct links to the national standards of each subject area. In addition, examples have been showcased from the Caring for the Kenai contest that model and illustrate specifically how these students connected their projects to the major NAAEE strands as well as national standards in other subject areas.
Content Standards Correlation to CFK Project
Caring for the Kenai meets all Alaska standards for science and english.
For Science: Caring for the Kenai meets all Alaska Content Standards, (A-D). A- A student should understand scientific facts, concepts, principles, and theories. B- A student should possess and understand the skills of scientific inquiry. C- A student should understand the nature and history of science. D- A student should be able to apply scientific knowledge and skills to make reasoned decisions about the use of science and scientific innovations.
To view AK Content Standards for Science, visit http://www.eed.state.ak.us/contentstandards/Science.html
For English: Caring for the Kenai meets all Alaska Content Standards, (A-E). A- A student should be able to speak and write well for a variety of purposes and audiences. B- A student should be a competent and thoughtful reader, listener, and viewer of literature, technical materials, and a variety of other information. C- A student should be able to identify and select from multiple strategies in order to complete projects independently and cooperatively. D- A student should be able to think logically and reflectively in order to present and explain positions based on relevant and reliable information. E- A student should understand and respect the perspectives of others in order to communicate effectively.
To view AK Content Standards for English, visit http://www.eed.state.ak.us/contentstandards/English.html