Action phase

(2-3 month, intermittent)

Objectives:
*Turn school-board approved proposal into action  (1-3 months, intermittent)
*Present WT Teaching Assistant evidence of accomplishments (variable)


Because your class has successfully written and presented a proposal to improve your school’s sustainable practices, you earned another round of FREE UNLIMITED SUPPORT from a WT Teaching Assistant.  Your WT Teaching Assistant can help you achieve the goals of this final phase which is to turn your school-board approved proposal into action.

Your WT Teaching Assistant can help you achieve your action plan. And for those that do, your Governor will be requested to honor your class with a Governor's Sustainability Award.

Your primary challenge is to prove, beyond any reasonable doubt to your WT Teaching Assistant that you have accomplished your Action plan by:

1) Taking significant steps toward implementing your school board approved proposal, and

2) Explaining your actions by applying the ideas introduced to you on the Challenge Trail: waste, exponential growth, cycling, feedback loops and entropy, to your actions.

You can demonstrate these accomplishments to your WT Teaching Assistant in a variety of ways. Consider creating a film, presenting a PowerPoint presentation or taking us on an exciting guided-tour (virtual or on-site) of your sustainable initiatives. You decide the means, along with your WT Teaching Assistant, to demonstrate your actions and your understanding of how the 5 big ideas of sustainability relate to your actions.


Ideas for How to Proceed  

          During the Action phase, you should work in small groups of 2-3. Here are some ideas on how to proceed:

1. Brainstorm (in small groups) how you want to convince Wild Treasures that you are working hard toward accomplishing your proposal. Make sure that your actions are consistent with the proposal approved by your school board. Share your best ideas with your entire class. Then decide as a whole group which actions are feasible and desirable.

2. Decide how you want to use your WT Teaching Assistant during this final phase of the program. See Available Services- Action Plan: a list of services available to you, implemented by WT staff.

3. Decide as a whole class how to proceed with both carrying out the proposed actions AND convincing your WT Teaching Assistant that you’re well on your way to achieving your goals.

4. For Local participants, contact your WT Teaching Assistant as soon as possible to arrange a time for an on-site visit (preferably M-Wed).

5. Create opportunities for all groups to check in with each other, to offer help and to coordinate efforts.

Be sure to review the    Governor’s Sustainability Award Criteria for a description of the criteria that must be met in order to be recommended for a Governor’s Sustainability Award.
         
We look forward to assisting you online or on-site and experiencing your successes at turning your ideas into action.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Respectfully,

Jimmy Karlan, Ed.D.                           

Senior Project Manager                      

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Governor’s Sustainability Award Criteria

 

You must meet all of the following minimum requirements in order to earn the Governor’s Sustainability Award.

 

Quality	Criteria
Invite Wild Treasures	Students arrange a visit by the Wild Treasures’ Program Director to demonstrate their efforts at turning their school board approved plan into action. Arrangements are made at least 3 weeks in advance of the planned visiting day.
Prove to Wild Treasures	The action demonstration is about 1-hour The action demonstration is student-directed and engaging The Program Director of Wild Treasures is convinced that you are well on your way to implementing your plan.
Big Ideas	Most of the students can explain to the Program Director how each action is related to each of the 5 big ideas introduced on the Challenge Trail: Garbage, Exponential Growth, Cycling, Feedback Loops and Entropy. (Review the Data Cards you received after completing the Challenge Trail.)
Sustainability	The class clearly articulates their criteria for knowing if their actions improve their school’s sustainable practices (this criteria should include how the 5 big ideas, stated above, relate to this definition).