Going Green with EEI
Strategies to Support Digital Use & Efficient Printing of the EEI Curriculum
All components of the EEI Curriculum are available for free download in PDF format. This page provides useful strategies for teachers wanting to implement the EEI Curriculum digitally or reduce paper use in their classroom.
If you have a tip that is not reflected on this page, please email us and let us know!
Classroom Strategies for Using EEI Digitally
Teachers with Access to Computer & Tablets:
- Download EEI unit Teacher’s Editions to your computer or tablets for lesson planning. Use a PDF editor, such as Adobe Reader DC, to add highlights, underline passages, or add notes as you review the unit backgrounds, lesson procedures, and assessments.
- Have students access EEI unit Student Editions and Student Readers on their computer or tablets for close reading; encourage students to annotate passages as they follow along with the text.
- Students can also complete EEI Student Workbook activities and unit assessments on a computer or tablet using the form-fillable files.
- Consider creating a dedicated e-mail address or use a classroom management platform, such as Google Classroom, to allow students to submit their workbook assignments electronically.
- If your district uses Ed Caliber/Lessoneer, the EEI Curriculum is available for use on that platform. Any school or district that uses a similar, but different platform and is interested in a similar partnership can contact us to learn more.
Teachers with Access to Classroom Projectors
- Use a projector to display EEI Student Workbook activities and have students complete their assignments on their own paper. If working in groups or as a whole class, have students use white boards or butcher paper.
- Project student reading materials (Student Readers, Student Dictionaries, Visual Aids, Maps) in front of the class and have students read aloud as classmates follow along.
- Have students self/peer-grade written exercises by projecting Teacher's Edition answer keys.
Printing Strategies to Minimize Paper & Cost
While all of the curriculum can be viewed in a digital format, certain components of the EEI Curriculum were designed to be printed for effective use in the classroom. It is our goal to provide teachers with free printed copies of EEI unit teacher and student materials whenever possible.
In the event that a unit is out-of-stock, you may consider printing components on your own. The following tips can help you make decisions about what and how to print components to reduce cost and support environmentally preferable implementation of the EEI Curriculum.
- Use black and white instead of color when appropriate.
- Minimize the number of copies of student materials when possible.
- Students can share copies of the Student Workbooks, Student Readers and Student Dictionaries.
- Most materials are reusable. You can extend the life of your student workbooks, readers, and dictionaries by directing students not to write in them. Instead have them complete their workbook activities on a piece of binder paper. Collect and store your student materials after each lesson.
- Teacher kit materials such as word wall cards, information cards, National Geographic maps, student maps, and game boards can be laminated or placed in reusable plastic sleeves to increase their durability.
- If you are a school administrator or curriculum coach, seek cost estimates from print shops within your district or County Office of Education, and consider consolidating print orders for all teachers in the district who wish to have EEI printed materials.
- Local commercial printers can print any of the EEI Curriculum materials for use in classrooms (wall maps are a special order). The EEI Curriculum can be downloaded to your computer and transferred to a portable media device, such as a portable USB drive, and taken to your local printer. Show the printer the title page of your booklet which states “These materials may be reproduced by teachers for educational purposes.” If that is insufficient, please contact us for an authorization of commercial printing.
- Talk with your established partners or seek potential new partners for financial support or donations of paper and ink cartridges.
