Teachers in Michigan, the Great Lakes region and beyond recognize the importance of educating the next generation on the value of the Great Lakes, including its fishery resources. As a result, a comprehensive new collection of education tools and resources for K-12 educators in the Great Lakes region is now available through the Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN).

Funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Trust, Michaela Zint, an environmental education professor at the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment, together with her master's students, education specialists and a core group of K-12 educators, has developed a Teachers' Corner - for GLIN's revamped online education portal, The Education and Curriculum Homesite (TEACH) - to make instructional kits, sample lesson plans, reviews of curricular materials and online discussion opportunities easily available to teachers.

"Past studies have told us that K-12 educators want to teach their students about the Great Lakes but they are not aware of relevant teaching materials that can also help them meet state education standards," says Zint.

The portal, (http://glin.net/teach/teachers/) offers all the teaching materials the research team was able to identify in existence on the topic. Independent education expert reviews of the materials also are provided. "With the reviews as a guide, teachers can easily compare and choose between materials based on their content and education characteristics," adds Zint. "Also provided are sample lesson plans teachers correlated to Michigan education standards."

The revamped TEACH, which is hosted and maintained by the Great Lakes Commission through the Great Lakes Information Network, also features education-related news along with established offerings such as the a "Great Lakes Vault of Knowledge," a calendar of events and mini-lessons specifically geared to K-12 students on Great Lakes history, culture, environment, geography, pollution and careers options.

"This site has a lot of good information for teachers and nonformal educators," says Linda O'Brien, a teacher with Marquette Area Public Schools and director of the MooseWood Nature Center. "It is easy to navigate. I look forward to using it and sharing it with other educators."

The Teachers' Corner online discussion forum gives teachers a venue to discuss or submit reviews of educational materials, submit lesson plans and share educational resources. Other features include a grid allowing comparisons between available lesson packages as well as links and resources for further information.

For more information, contact:
Christine Manninen
Great Lakes Commission
734.971.9135

Dr. Michaela Zint
School of Natural Resources and Environment
734.763.6961