The following Vermont Standards are addressed with VEEP offerings. Depending on the needs of the school and teacher, other standards can be addressed.

VITAL RESULTS

Making Decisions: Informed Decisions

3.7 Students make informed decisions. This is evident when students:

PreK-4:
a. Seek information and base decisions on evidence from reliable sources, including prior experience, trying things out, peers, adults, and print and non-print resources; and
b. Evaluate the consequences of decisions.

5-8:
a and b above, plus
c. Describe and explain their decisions based on evidence;

9-12
a through c above, plus
cc. Describe and explain their decisions based on logical argument.

3.9 Sustainability: Students make decisions that demonstrate understanding of natural and human communities, the ecological, economic, political, or social systems within them, and awareness of how their personal and collective actions affect the sustainability of these interrelated systems. This is evident when students:

PreK-4
a. Identify items that they consume on a daily basis and analyze the resources used in producing, transporting, using, and disposing of these items, including the origins of the resources;

5-8
dd. Demonstrate understanding that natural and human communities are part of larger systems and that there are interrelationships between all systems.

9-12
bbb. Collect data in order to investigate and analyze the sustainability of societal consumption patterns that have direct and indirect impact on the local and global environment, economy, and society (e.g. fuel efficiency of vehicles).

FIELDS OF KNOWLEDGE

Technological Systems

7.17 Students apply knowledge and understanding of technological systems to respond to a variety of issues. This is evident when students:

Pre K-4
a. Describe the processes involved within each technological system (e.g., construction, power and transportation, communication, and manufacturing);
b. Recognize the basic inputs of all technological systems;
c. Identify the outputs for each technological system; and

5-8
c above, plus d. Evaluate technological outputs, and demonstrate the changes necessary to improve the system.

9-12
a through d above, plus ddd Evaluate complex technological outputs … and create modifications to improve that system.

7.18 Outputs and Impacts: Students understand that people control the outputs and impacts of our expanding technological activities in the areas of communication, construction, manufacturing, power and transportation, energy sources, health technology, and biotechnology. This is evident when students:

PreK-4
a. Understand that technology is a human endeavor;

5-8
d. Identify the positive and negative consequences of technology (e.g., nuclear power for generating electricity).

9-12
dd. Propose a technological solution in which both the positive and negative consequences of technology are considered.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Instruction

B.1 Acquiring Knowledge and Skills: Learning experiences that engage students in active learning, build on prior knowledge and experiences, and develop conceptual and procedural understanding, along with student independence. For example:

a. Beginning learning experiences by setting a context and/or previewing possible applications.

b. Strategies that help students link new learning to previous knowledge and experiences (e.g., discussion of previous experiences, free writes, pretests, "think-pair-share," three-minute pauses).

B.3 Multiple Student Roles: Opportunities to learn through a variety of roles (e.g., planner, questioner, artist, scientist, historian), alone and with others. For example:

a. Collaboration in both small and large groups.

B.4 Application and Reflection: Projects and assignments that require students to integrate and apply their learning in meaningful contexts, and to reflect on what they have learned. For example:

f. Opportunities for reflection through a variety of modes (e.g., writing, talking, dancing, painting).

ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING

C.1 Multiple Assessment Strategies: A balance and variety of assessment strategies, used to gain information and provide feedback about student learning (e.g., performance assessments, self-assessments, paper-and-pencil tests, checklists, etc.). For example:

a. Appropriate tools and techniques used for assessing different skills and concepts (e.g., anecdotal notes during observation of a discussion; a standards-based rubric used during a culminating project; formal assessments).

D.2 Relevance: Learning experiences that have personal, community, and/or global relevance. For example:

d. Inclusion of multiple perspectives (e.g., analysis of the spotted owl issue from the perspectives of the environmentalist and the logger).