SPARC

Student Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation

The SPARC (Student Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation) Program was established in September 1999. The idea is to develop educational projects and materials for students at all levels, but particularly K-12. The first school to officially join SPARC in an effort to accomplish the PARC mission was East Aiken Elementary School in Aiken, South Carolina (East Aiken actually proposed the SPARC concept).

Project One--Amphibians and Reptiles (Herps) of the Southeast
In the first year East Aiken Elementary worked with researchers at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) to develop a SPARC educational module that potentially could serve as a model for similar programs elsewhere. The project background is presented below. The primary goal was to develop a cross-curriculum project that simultaneously excited and educated kids about herps. The hope was that teachers would use the format of the project to teach not only science, but also geography, math, English, history, and computer and research skills. In the years since the project started we have received numerous inquiries from teachers throughout the US, so we hope this means it is working!

"Herps of the Southeast" is being revised, although much of the original content is still available. If you have any ideas about additional activities or content that would enhance the project, or if you are a teacher and would like to get your students involved in this project, please e-mail David Scott at SREL (scott@srel.edu).