Welcome to the Curriculum section of Conservation in the Classroom.

This curriculum was developed in collaboration with local K-8th grade teachers in the Bitterroot Valley and a hired curriculum developer and is aligned with the relevant Montana NGSS Content Standards. This guide provides a comprehensive framework for systematically incorporating local place-based conservation topics into your teaching. It is designed to be adaptable to the specific needs of individual schools and districts, allowing educators to either build upon their existing curricula or revise them to include these essential conservation concepts. Explore this section to find structured and flexible resources that will enhance your students' understanding of conservation.

Each grade level curriculum includes three engaging lessons: a classroom lesson, a schoolyard lesson, and a Bitterroot field location/experiential lesson. The classroom lesson prepares students with the foundational knowledge they need, the schoolyard lesson expands on that knowledge to a familiar daily outdoor location, and the Bitterroot field experience offers hands-on, practical learning in a local outdoor setting. The field experience or outdoor lesson can be paired with pre-established programs found under the Programs and Resources tab, allowing you to seamlessly integrate expert-led activities and experiences into your curriculum. This three-part structure ensures a comprehensive and immersive learning experience that reinforces key conservation concepts.

Below, please find links to downloadable PDFs to help guide field trip locations, understand the conservation principles and concepts found within the CitC lessons, and a guide to the NGSS standards referenced in the CitC lessons.