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About LEARN NC
LEARN NC, a program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
School of Education,
finds the most innovative and successful practices in K–12 education and makes them available to the teachers
and students of North Carolina — and the world.
Linda Dow
Contributing Editor (Environmental Education)
Linda Dow is a freelance writer and former science teacher for W.R. Odell Elementary School in Concord, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, where she designed and implemented a hands-on science curriculum for grades K–5 based on wildlife and exploration of the outdoors. She holds a master's degree in education, is a certified Environmental Educator, and was named an Educator of Excellence by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Passionate about nature, she also writes a monthly column in the Charlotte Observer, “Cabarrus' Wild Neighbors.”
Resources developed by Linda Dow
Records 1–8 of 8 displayed.
- Drawing a sea turtle
- This lesson plan takes students step by step through drawing a sea turtle, using the process to discuss the animal's anatomy.
- Author: Linda Dow
- Format: edition
- Media: image
- Bird watching made elementary
- Observing and identifying birds can be a gateway to a variety of learning experiences. This primer will get you started birding.
- Author: Linda Dow
- Format: article/single page
- Courses and causes
- You don't need special skills, great physical abilities, or a lot of money to participate in environmental workshops — just the interest. Learning opportunities like those discussed in this article can invigorate your teaching, inspire your students, and get you involved in causes outside your school.
- Author: Linda Dow
- Format: article/single page
- Learning from a tree
- Observation of a single tree throughout the year can be the starting point for explorations of nature, life science, and environmental science.
- Author: Linda Dow
- Format: article/single page
- Meeting North Carolina's mammals
- Coyotes, deer, rabbits, and raccoons range nearly everywhere in North Carolina. By looking for signs and tracks around your school campus, students can learn all about them.
- Author: Linda Dow
- Format: article/single page
- Spiders and monarchs and bees, oh my!
- Exploring the world of insects and spiders can replace children's fear with fascination.
- Author: Linda Dow
- Format: article/single page
- Tracking animals
- Large groups of children are likely to scare off mammals, but they can learn to identify tracks to learn more about the animals that left them.
- Author: Linda Dow
- Format: article/single page
- Media: document
- When you don't have all the answers
- Linda Dow suggests freeing yourself from the necessity to be the eternal expert and descibes techniques for sharing the responsibility for learning and teaching alongside your students.
- Author: Linda Dow
- Format: article/single page