What Do We Do? The Teachers
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The Environmental Education Department is dedicated to the extension of the science curriculum through hands-on classroom or field based activities. We work with 85% of K-6 students doing activities such as exploring the benefits of alternative wind energy, or snowshoeing in the Little Belt Mountains to learn about winter ecology. Check out all of our investigations, as well as access permission slips below!
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The Environmental Education Department is run by two teachers, Cramer Caouette (Mr. C) and Blaine Goosen (Mr. G). Cramer is in his fourth year with the department, and has a background in secondary level science. Blaine is in his second year with the department, and came to us after 16 years of teaching 5th grade at Longfellow Elementary and Riverview Elementary.
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Environmental Education Investigations
4th Grade Electricity
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During the first month of school, we host 4th grade students at Paris Gibson Education Center to explore the history of electricity and the different ways we produce electricity. Students have the opportunity to create their own model wind turbine, and learn the factors that maximize turbine efficiency. In the afternoon, NorthWestern Energy hosts the 4th graders at Black Eagle Dam, where they learn how a water turbine works, and how it creates electricity. Click the link to see the Dam tour in action!
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/videos/news/2017/09/20/dam-tours-provide-reservoir-knowledge-electric-city-children/105812612/ 
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3rd Grade Landfill and Recycling Center
In the month of October, 3rd grade students will visit the sanitary landfill and Pacific Recycling to see what happens to our garbage! This half day field trip allows students to see what types of trash they make, options for their disposal, and what happens when the trash reaches the landfill. After the landfill, we visit Pacific Recycling and get to explore all of the objects that can be recycled. It may surprise them!
| 3rd grade recycling and landfill permission slip |
2nd Grade Sound
During November, we go to 2nd grade classrooms, and assist the students in learning about sound! The 2nd graders investigate how sounds are made by creating vibrations using a variety of tools and instruments. The students might even get treated to a special musical performance!
4th Grade Sun, Moon, and Earth
As holiday break approaches, the 4th grade students in GFPS are exposed to the wonders of our solar system! Specifically, they learn about the Sun, Moon, and Earth. We model the immense size differences, and also model how each move in relationship to each other. The students also explore the phases of the moon by using their own "sun" and "moon" to make the different phases!
6th Grade Snowshoeing and Winter Ecology
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After holiday break, 6th grade students get treated to a full day of fun and education in the Little Belt Mountains! In collaboration with the Lewis and Clark National Forest and Get Fit Great Falls, GFPS is proud to offer this unique opportunity for all 6th grade students in the district. The students travel to Many Pines Campground just south of Neihart, MT, and partake in a the life long activity of snowshoeing. As students snowshoe, they travel to 4 different stations to learn about various aspects of Montana winter ecology. These activities include wildlife adaptations, tree identification, compass use, and water to snow equivalents. This experience would not be possible without our community sponsors, Montana Milling Inc. and Loenbro, as well as the National Forest Service and the Great Falls Public Schools Foundation!
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3rd Grade Plants
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Spring is the perfect time to start this investigation. 3rd graders visit our lab at Paris Gibson, and dive into the world of plants! Students learn the parts of a plant, and talk about what foods come from these parts. They also get to participate in a dissection of a flower to understand the structures and functions of the flower. Finally, they put all of their knowledge into the Pic Collage app using an iPod touch. Technology and science collide in this two hour investigation!
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1st Grade Fossils
Everybody loves fossils! 1st graders have the opportunity to get hands on with this lesson. Students learn what a fossil is,and how they are formed. They also get the chance to hold ancient fossils from dinosaurs, sea creatures, and more. Finally, the kids make their own "fossil", and bring it home to amaze the entire family!
4th Grade Water
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Where does Great Falls' water come from? How do we clean it for our use? Where does it go after we use it? These are some of the questions fourth graders explore when they visit the City of Great Falls' water purification plant and waste water treatment plant. The students are able to see the large processes that help us clean water both before and after we use it!
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3rd Grade Benton Lake
Our final investigation of the year allows 3rd graders to see a unique wildlife refuge right in our backyard! Students are bused out to Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge 10 miles north of Great Falls to experience a memorable event. Students get to observe the behavior of the refuge's most common residents- birds! There have been over 200 species of birds observed at Benton Lake, and the kids learn about characteristics that make them unique. In addition to observing birds, the students study natural prairie grass and look at macroinvertebrates that live in the water!