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Home Page: www.eco-justice.org     *     E-mail: ministry@eco-justice.org

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About the Eco-Curriculum Review Project

Simply locating a list of appropriate curricula can be very difficult. (We have been deeply blessed in our research by a listing from the National Council of Churches, and the extensive listing of resources from the "Greening Congregations Handbook" published by Earth Ministry.) The short descriptions of resources that are generally available usually don't provide enough information for folk with busy schedules and small budgets to make informed choices.

The Eco-Curriculum Review from Eco-Justice Ministries is intended to help church leaders research and select the very best resources for programming in their specific setting. Each review provides detailed descriptions of the curriculum materials, and the reviewer's commentary on many important criteria, such as how hard it is to teach, the theological slant of the materials, and the desired educational outcome of the curriculum. (See below for a more extensive list of criteria.)

The reviews -- from an outstanding, international team of educators, pastors, and environmental specialists -- are all based on a standardized evaluation form. The reviews are candid, detailed and comprehensive, and will provide you with vivid descriptions of what each of the resources really offer.

This collection of reviews deals with curriculum materials touching on environmental topics that have been developed for churches. Taking that sentence apart:

• Curriculum materials - we're only dealing with resources that have clear lesson plans that are designed for intentional and self-contained educational use. This collection does not contain descriptions of the many other resources that can be used within a class or for a program presentation, such as a stand-alone video.

• Environmental topics - at some level, each of these curricula will help us understand the ecological relationships around us, the environmental issues that face our communities and world, and/or the theological perspectives which inform our relationships with all of God's creation.

• Developed for churches - our reviews are of curriculum materials with a clear religious focus, or ones that are intentionally designed for use in a faith community. Because Eco-Justice Ministries is focused on work with Christian churches, the vast majority of these materials are intended for use by Christian congregations.

As we have developed this database of reviews, we have started with an emphasis on resources that can be used in multiple sessions. As the collection of reviews is expanded, we will be including more "one-shot" materials.

We hope you find this collection of reviews helpful in your ministry. We welcome your comments, and your suggestions for other materials to be added to the reviews.

For any of the listed curricula, the reviews will provide information about:

• Where to buy it, and what it costs

• Links to websites with even more information

• The publication date, and comments about whether the materials are substantially out-of-date

• The denomination or agency that produced the materials

• Appropriate age ranges and class sizes

• How many class sessions are normally involved, if it makes sense to extract from a resource for a single class session, and if suggestions are offered for adapting the materials for a different length series

• Whether the content is distinctively Christian, or if it is addressed to a broader faith-based audience

• A detailed description of all of the materials provided in the curriculum packet (leader's guide, video, class projects, music, etc.)

• Comments about teaching skills, preparation needs and classroom materials that are required

• Whether specific environmental or social justice issues are addressed

• The intended outcome of the course (awareness, personal behavior, political advocacy, faith & beliefs, etc.)

• Commentary on the biblical and theological perspectives of the materials

• Subjective responses by the reviewer to several open-ended questions