Project Learning Tree ® (PLT) is an award winning, multidisciplinary environmental education program for educators and students in PreK-grade 12. PLT is a program of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. It is one of the most widely used environmental education programs in the United States and abroad, and continues to set the standard for environmental education excellence.
One way in which PLT remains a widely used curriculum is by correlating the materials to national and state educational standards. This allows educators to meet educational goals easily by using PLT activities in the classroom. Additionally, non-formal educators can structure programs to meet educational standards by using the correlations.
In 2021, national Project Learning Tree released an updated K-8 activity guide, Explore Your Environment. This updated provides students opportunities to explore the three dimensions of science as outlined in the Next Generation Science Standards (Science & Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts) to build knowledge and understanding. Educators can discover more about these connections through the NGSS Toolkit. National PLT has also created a toolkit for Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics.
In the summer of 2024, the NC PLT program undertook a correlation project to update our resources for educators statewide. The flagship guide, Explore Your Environment, was correlated to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study science and social studies standards for grades K-8. Additionally, the Explore Your Environment guide has been correlated to high school Earth and Environmental Science and Biology, as well as the high school civics course. Correlations were also completed for the secondary module, Focus on Forests, for Earth and Environmental Science and Biology, and the civics course.
Below are the correlations by grade. You must have access to, at the minimum,Adobe Acrobat Reader,to open the files. (All files will be added by December 2025)
K-8 Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) and
Crosscutting Concepts Correlations
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Kindergarten |
First Grade |
Second Grade |
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Third Grade |
Fourth Grade |
Fifth Grade |
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Sixth Grade |
Seventh Grade |
Eighth Grade |
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High School |
The 2024 Correlations were completed by a group of very dedicated and hardworking educators from across the state. The NC PLT program would like to heartily extend their gratitude to:
- Amber Young, W.A. Young Elementary School (Burke)
- Misty Goodman, Jackson Park Elementary School (Cabarrus)
- Jennifer Abrams, Wintergreen Primary School (Pitt)
3-5 Team
- Ann Jebram, Merry Oaks International Academy (Mecklenburg)
- Niki Paganelli, North Canton Elementary (Haywood)
- Molly Maginnis, Shepherd Elementary (Iredell)
6-8 Team
- Kelly Dillman, Onslow County Schools (Onslow)
- Betty Jo Moore, Wiley Magnet Middle School (Forsyth)
- Kristen Owens-White, South Stanly Middle School (Stanly)
High School Team
- Lily Dancy-Jones, Erwin High School/NC BioNetwork (Buncombe)
- Leasa Hodges, Midway High School (Sampson)
- Lesley Brickhouse, Enloe IB Magnet (Wake)
- Christian Smith, Stokes Early College (Stokes)
Funding for the correlation project was provided from the NC Sustainable Forestry Initiative State Implementation Committee annual grant program.
