Teach the EEI Curriculum with State Parks

Explore Park Connections by Grade and Unit

See the links on this page to help bring your EEI lessons to life!

State Parks present a wealth of opportunities to enrich learning both in the classroom and out in the parks. In depth background, colorful maps, photos, video clips, and live video-conferencing in your classroom are available. Field studies in our magnificent natural or cultural parks become unforgettable first-hand experiences.

Haven't heard about California's Education and the Environment Initiative?

The first of its kind in the nation, the California EEI Curriculum is an environment-based curriculum that is approved by the State Board of Education for use in classrooms statewide. It features 85 individual units that are aligned to more than 100 selected Science and History-Social Science academic content standards, while supporting English Language Arts standards for Kindergarten through 12th grade.

NOTE! Always check with park staff directly, as far in advance as feasible, before making any field trip plans!

California Forever: PBS Documentary Enhances EEI Lessons

The Environmental Principles and Concepts identified by the EEI resonate throughout the PBS Series California Forever. Our human dependence on natural systems as well as our power to influence them are revealed in every scene.

The History of California State Parks -- Episode 1 (1 hr.) brings to life the seminal stories of people who marveled at and took action to defend the signature landscapes of California, beginning with the unprecedented Yosemite Grant, California’s first state park. It goes on to show the effectiveness of citizen initiatives through the years – and the controversies -- surrounding the protection of Coast redwoods, Big Sur, Point Lobos, Lake Tahoe and the Anza-Borrego Desert as state parks.

Parks for the Future -- The second episode (1 hr.) looks at today’s challenges to the parks, which illustrate critical issues facing the entire state: habitat loss, endangered species, competing uses of public lands, and the “re-wilding” of industrial brown fields in dense urban areas. New and varied views are presented, for example, off-road vehicle enthusiasts on the management of desert areas, and the urban park community on the evolving role of state parks.

California Forever links to individual curriculum units:

Sci	7.3.e	Responding to Environmental Change (see Elephant Seals and Western Snowy Plover segments)
H/SS	8.12.5	Growth of Cities and the Environmental Movement
H/SS	11.11.5	Many Voices, Many Visions--Analyzing Contemporary Environmental Issues
H/SS	12.2.2- 12.2.5	Principles of American Democracy This Land is Our Land
H/SS	12.3.2	Principles of American Democracy Active Voices: Civil Society and the Environment
Sci	E.5.e	Rainforests and Deserts: Distribution, Uses, and Human Influences (see Redwoods, Desert segments)
Sci	B.6.a	Biodiversity--The Keystone to Life on Earth