MWEE Training
Are you ready to train others on the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) framework? Training others isn’t just about sharing the framework with lead educators. Think about all of the people that could support a MWEE: school principals, content supervisors, curriculum specialists, classroom teachers, and partner educators that host outdoor field experiences or classroom lessons. Explore this page for training guides, online courses, videos, and graphics.
MWEE Guide, Planning Tools, and Student Worksheets
Download All Planning Tools and Student Worksheets (.zip)
Facilitator's Guide to MWEE Training
The Facilitator's Guide to MWEE Training was designed for practitioners who are deeply familiar with the MWEE and who are responsible for teaching other educators how to apply the Educator’s Guide to the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience to their own classrooms and programs. The Facilitator's Guide provides easy-to-use training resources to ensure consistency in professional development across the Chesapeake Bay region. Its activities are modular and can be adapted to support your local context. Get an overview of this resource by watching the MWEE Practitioner webinar: The Facilitator's Guide to MWEE Training.
Regional and state-specific versions of the Facilitator's Guide and its supporting materials are available here. You can download entire folders, subfolders, or individual files. Each guide uses an Environmental Literacy Model (ELM) to follow a MWEE Case Study. Our Teaching Resources database contains more examples of ELMs.
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Facilitator's Guide
- Facilitator's Guide to MWEE Training for Educators in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
- Slides Folder (.zip):
- Resources Folder (.zip):
- Chesapeake Bay Program Issue Cards
- Issue Descriptor Cards
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning Practice
- Fish and Wildlife’s Field Investigation Questions
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Schoolyard Report Card
- Earth Force’s Distinguishing Policy Community Practice
- Earth Force’s Project Goal and Strategy Statement Template
- Pre-Organized Action Example - Pickering Creek Audubon Center
- Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) Examples:
- MWEE Case Study:
Download All Chesapeake Bay Watershed Files (.zip)
Delaware Facilitator's Guide
- Facilitator's Guide to MWEE Training for Educators in Delaware
- Slides Folder (.zip):
- Resources Folder (.zip):
- Chesapeake Bay Program Issue Cards
- Issue Descriptor Cards
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning Practice
- Fish and Wildlife’s Field Investigation Questions
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Schoolyard Report Card
- Earth Force’s Distinguishing Policy Community Practice
- Earth Force’s Project Goal and Strategy Statement Template
- Pre-Organized Action Example - Pickering Creek Audubon Center
- Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) Examples:
- MWEE Case Study:
Download All Delaware Files (.zip)
Maryland Facilitator's Guide
- Maryland’s Facilitator’s Guide
- Slides Folder (.zip):
- Resources Folder (.zip):
- Chesapeake Bay Program Issue Cards
- Issue Descriptor Cards
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning Practice
- Fish and Wildlife’s Field Investigation Questions
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Schoolyard Report Card
- Earth Force’s Distinguishing Policy Community Practice
- Earth Force’s Project Goal and Strategy Statement Template
- Earth Force’s Strategy Selection Grid
- Pre-Organized Action Example - Pickering Creek Audubon Center
- Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) Examples:
- MWEE Case Study:
Download All Maryland Files (.zip)
Pennsylvania Facilitator's Guide
- Pennsylvania’s Facilitator’s Guide
- Slides Folder (.zip):
- Resources Folder (.zip):
- MWEE Roles in PA
- PA Issue Cards
- PA Issue Descriptor Cards
- PA Issue Cards Links
- Hexagonal PA Issue Cards
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning Practice
- Fish and Wildlife’s Field Investigation Questions
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Schoolyard Report Card
- Earth Force’s Distinguishing Policy Community Practice
- Earth Force’s Project Goal and Strategy Statement Template
- Earth Force’s Strategy Selection Grid
- Pre-Organized Action Example - Pickering Creek Audubon Center
- PA Environmental Literacy Plan Template
- Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) Examples:
- MWEE Case Study:
- Virtual Resources:
- Virtual PA Issues Activity
- Virtual ELM Creation Instructions
- Virtual ELM Curriculum Anchor Assignment Instructions
- Virtual ELM Curriculum Anchor Assignment
- Virtual Student Voice Breakout Discussion
- Virtual Synthesis and Conclusion Report Out of Independent Investigations
- Virtual Things to Consider for Outdoor Field Experience
- Supplemental Workshop Planning Resources Folder (.zip):
Download All Pennsylvania Files (.zip)
Virginia Facilitator's Guide
- Virginia’s Facilitator’s Guide
- Slides Folder (.zip):
- Resources Folder (.zip):
- Chesapeake Bay Program Issue Cards
- Issue Descriptor Cards
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning Practice
- Fish and Wildlife’s Field Investigation Questions
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Schoolyard Report Card
- Earth Force’s Distinguishing Policy Community Practice
- Earth Force’s Project Goal and Strategy Statement Template
- Earth Force’s Strategy Selection Grid
- Pre-Organized Action Example - Pickering Creek Audubon Center
- Virginia Environmental Literacy Plan Template
- Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) Examples:
- MWEE Case Study:
- Blandy Experimental Farm and Frederick County Public Schools MWEE
- Blandy Experimental Farm Think Cloud
- Blandy Experimental Farm ELM
- Blandy Experimental Farm ELM Curriculum Anchor
- Blandy Experimental Farm ELM Issue Investigation
- Blandy Experimental Farm ELM Informed Action
- Blandy Experimental Farm Asking Questions and Planning Investigations
- Blandy Experimental Farm Incorporating Outdoor Field Experiences
- Blandy Experimental Farm Lessons:
Download All Virginia Files (.zip)
Online MWEE Training
There are free, self-paced, online courses, that can support your MWEE trainings. For example, a MWEE trainer can assign MWEE 101 prior to an in-person training so everyone arrives with the same basic understanding of the MWEE framework. Then, at the completion of the in-person training, the trainer can assign or suggest MWEE 201, which walks participants through the process of developing their own MWEE using the Environmental Literacy Model.
- MWEE 101: This course introduces the MWEE framework while following along with example MWEEs for each grade band (elementary, middle, and high school). Participants in this course will learn how a MWEE can support educational standards and goals and the roles taken by students and educators to make the program successful. At the end of the course, participants will practice using the Audit Tool to review example MWEEs and the Think Cloud tool to outline their own MWEE program. Planning tools can be found in the MWEE Guide.
- MWEE 101 for Maryland Educators: This version of the course should only be taken by Maryland educators needing to earn 1 CPD credit to renew their professional Maryland Educator License.
- eeLEARN MWEE 101: This version of the course is available for everyone.
- MWEE 201: This course builds off the information from MWEE 101 and provides more in depth instruction on how to plan your own MWEE or refine an existing MWEE. Emphasis is placed on planning and conducting outdoor investigations, student-led action, and incorporating student voice. By the end of the course, participants will complete an Environmental Literacy Model (ELM) to describe their MWEE, connect it to standards and curriculum, and plan out the procedures used to guide student-directed investigations and action projects.
MWEE Videos
You can find all of the MWEE case study videos that are featured on this website on the Chesapeake Bay Program’s MWEE Playlist. People love to see examples of MWEEs in action, so consider how you can incorporate these videos into your training. The North American Association for Environmental Education also hosts MWEE videos that can support understanding of the framework.
To support your own continued MWEE learning, don't forget about the MWEE Practitioner webinar series. Many of the speakers share about the MWEE trainings they host, including the Student-Led Action webinar which focuses on how to better train educators in supporting students progressing to and taking action during a MWEE.
MWEE Graphics
Spruce up your MWEE Training with these graphics! Download each below. When using any of these graphics please include this attribution: This graphic was created by Live Illustration Ltd. to complement a free, self-paced MWEE online learning course available on NAAEE's eeLEARN.