Curriculum development

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The EDGE Center Community Engagement Core works closely with educators to co-develop curriculum for high school students aimed at increasing environmental health literacy. ATHENA workshops (the Academy for Teaching about Health and Environmental Associations), sponsored by EDGE, bring high school teachers together with UW investigators to explore topics in environmental health and develop classroom activities in alignment with Washington state teaching standards. 

In 2019, supplemental funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences supported a collaboration with partners at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (UNC), the University of Rochester, and the University of Iowa to develop curricula on the topic of vaping. As part of that effort we worked with Sharon Dyches, a high school health teacher in Ferndale, Washington, to create a digital escape room about the health effects of vaping. The online lesson has been in continuous demand since its release, receiving approximately 2,000 plays a month. 

• ​​Digital escape room
• Key for educators

Following this project, UNC invited us to collaborate on a proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop and adapt environmental resilience curriculum for informal learning environments such as museums and summer or after school programs. We work with partners at the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps and Front and Centered to adapt and develop lessons for students in South Seattle. When complete, those materials will be part of our extensive archive of digital resources for educators.