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New Publication Aims to Jump Start Kids into IPM - June 2007
June 5, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – A new lesson plan will have kids “jumping in” to close encounters of the pesky kind and learning to managing them safely with fun-filled education activities.
IPM, or integrated pest management, is a safe, effective, and scientific approach to managing pests. IPM uses knowledge of pests’ habits and needs to help implement pest prevention tactics as a first line of defense. Pesticides are used as a last resort, and only pesticide products that pose the least-toxic, least risk of exposure are chosen.
The new publication, IPM Jump Start: An Exploration Into IPM, is the first in a series of lesson plan books being developed by the Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management Program (PA IPM). The book contains four lesson plans and a glossary that are specifically designed for elementary school teachers. The lessons cover a wide variety of IPM topics such as pest identification, insects, rodents, and pesticide safety. All lessons are correlated to the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Environment and Ecology and include possible assessment opportunities.
According to Amber Gray, PA IPM curriculum development assistant, IPM is part of the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Environment and Ecology for all public school students in K-12. “Since most teachers are unfamiliar with IPM, it can be overlooked in the curriculum,” she explains. “The IPM Jump Start lessons are designed to help teachers and elementary students take the first leap into learning about IPM and meet the requirements of the standards.”
The publication was funded in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Patricia Vathis, Environment and Ecology Curriculum Advisor for the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), says the PDE is encouraging schools to use the lesson plans to help meet the IPM requirement in the environment and ecology standards. "Academic standards establish expectations for what students should know in the content areas of environment and ecology and science and technology. IPM is an important component of the standard because of its scientific approach,” Vathis explains.
For more information about the publication or to receive copies, contact Gray at aeg16@psu.edu or (814) 865-7994. Also, the publication is available as a free downloadable PDF from the PA IPM Web site at http://resources.cas.psu.edu/ipm/lessons/IPMPrimer_Final.pdf.
The Pennsylvania IPM (PA IPM) program is a collaboration between Penn State and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting IPM in both agricultural and urban situations. The PA IPM program's Web site at http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/ contains a wealth of information and resources about school IPM. By clicking on the "Schools" link, visitors also can learn more about the school IPM effort in Pennsylvania and find links to educational materials. In addition, the site offers an interactive database to assist teachers with IPM background information, lesson plans and support materials from throughout the United States.