Jones Beach Center implements curriculum

The Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center in Wantagh has found a new ways to integrate environmental education into the classroom.

In January, the Center released a curriculum, “Energy and Us,” which explores how energy is transferred in nature, transformed into power for human-use and how energy consumption shapes the natural environment. Intended for high schoolers, the curriculum is free to download for teachers and students alike.

Developer and writer of “Energy and Us”, Olivia Schwob, worked on compiling research for a year before releasing the curriculum. Schwob met the Director and Chief Curator of the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center, Jeanne Haffner, who helped advance the project through environmental work. 

During the spring and summer of 2020, Schwob utilized some information from the Center’s exhibits and compiled historical research for the online curriculum. Schwob said she looked to explore the theme of energy in a higher and more exhaustive method.

“I think it’s really important to bring together many aspects about [energy through nature] and what the curriculum does is approach the question from many different angles,” explained Schwob. “I think personally, the topic is important because climate change is a current and ever-changing force in our lives.”

Schwob said her hope for the curriculum is to provide teachers with more “rich and extensive” text with easier access. Schwob also said her goal was to encourage students to reflect on their own lives and learn more about the environment and how energy travels through nature and more.

The more than 300-page curriculum, allows teachers to select their teachings, whether it be anatomical levels of energy travel, or global impact of energy.

Haffner contacted teachers after crafting the curriculum to encourage the spread of the accessible curriculum.

“Our main mission is to serve Long Islanders but the curriculum allows us to serve more schools and teachers, especially in a time when Long Island is grappling with climate change, rising seas and storms,” expressed Haffner. “Young people are marching in the streets because of climate change and this is one way we can help delve into the topic.”

Haffner started as a curator for the project at Jones Beach in 2019 after working with the New York State Historical Society. She previously worked on an exhibition for the Society surrounding the topic of the Hudson River.

Haffner said she became a “curator of waterways” which ultimately led her to the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center to study the ocean. She became the curator of the Center in September 2020 when it formally opened.

Haffner believes that research conducted in the curriculum could serve as a guide to better explore energy and climate change, which, in turn, would help find possible solutions.

“...The coast is where you can see the impact of climate change most drastically,” explained Haffner. “It’s also a place where we can possibly develop solutions –– nature itself is a teacher, and we have a lot to learn from the natural world.”

The curriculum has already been implemented in some districts, including the Long Beach Public School District and Roosevelt Union Free School District. However, Haffner said it’s unclear just how many districts or teachers are utilizing their curriculum as documents are available publicly online.