Mrs. Lorraine Cervenka 

 Hobson Public School 

 Hobson, Mt. 



CONQUERING OUR CONSERVATION PROBLEMS 

 BEGINS WITH OUR YOUTH 



As teacher of the fifth grade in the 

 Hobson Public School, Hobson, Montana I 

 have, for the past eight years, Incorpor- 

 ated a concentrated study of conservation 

 in my classroom. 



I realized the gaping hole In our 

 classroom science program when I was priv- 

 ileged to study conservation at Eastern 

 Montana College under Dr. Wilson Clark 

 during a summer session. The Judith 

 Basin Soil and Water Conservation Dis- 

 trict awarded me a seventy-five dollar 

 scholarship for taking this course and 

 it was truly one of the most helpful 

 courses I have been privileged to study. 

 I am glad it is one of the required 

 courses for persons planning a career 

 in elementary teaching. 



Since I devote a large amount of 

 time to conservation, I will give a 

 few of the ways I carry out a conser- 

 vation project during a typical fifth 

 grade school year. 



At the first of the school term 

 I introduce our conservation unit which 

 is a year- long project. The pupils com- 

 pile articles from current newspapers, 

 magazines, and pamphlets into notebooks 

 and each Friday Is "Conservation Day" 

 as each child reports on some article 

 that he or she feels is of special 

 importance or interest. 



Bulletin boards are of special int- 

 erest and help keep our project an ever- 

 living current topic. 



Parents, grandparents, and friends are 

 drawn into our project as they become in- 

 volved and interested by helping to find 

 current articles and information on the 

 conservation theme. 



We are often fortunate in being able 

 to have an outside speaker to come and give 

 a talk on conservation and Its many fields 

 and phases. 



Films are ordered which help in under- 

 standing the many problems and suggested 

 solutions of the conservation problems. 



The culmination of our project Is the 

 job of making a diorama to depict a con- 

 servation Idea. These ideas include build- 

 ing dams to prevent floods, contour farm- 

 ing prevents erosion , overgrazing produces 

 poor animals, detergents pollute, prevent 

 forest fires, save wildlife, don't litter, 

 save lives by safe driving, don't pollute 

 streams by dumping wastes, air pollution, 

 and many, many more ideas. The children 

 look forward to making these dioramas and 

 then holding an open-house afternoon for 

 parents, friends, school friends, and in- 

 terested persons to view their projects. 

 Each child Is ready to explain his diorama, 

 answer questions, and truly looks forward 

 to "Open House". We later take the dior- 

 amas and notebooks to the fairs for exhib- 

 ition. 



With the added emphasis on conserva- 

 tion, saving our world from being consumed 

 by carelessness, this concentrated effort 

 on the part of fifth graders is a good way 

 to help start such a big program. Just as 

 the big tree had Its start from a tiny 

 seed, I see that the solution to a big prob- 

 lem has its start in young persons of ten 

 and eleven years old learning early that 

 help has come from small beginnings. 



It Is quite Impossible to tell you 

 how proud I am of each year's class and 

 watch the big grasp they have on a world- 

 wide pollution problem and to see how will- 

 ing they are to correct pollution problems 

 wherever they find them. It Is most grat- 

 ifying too, to find that parents, families, 

 and friends cooperate and help these young 

 people to find solutions to the many prob- 

 lems encountered In practicing conservation. 



Every teacher, at any grade level, can 

 make a meaningful conservation study and 

 In this way create "living con ser vat I on Ism". 



Teachers too, can take advantage of the 

 scholarships offered by organizations to 

 further their education and understanding of 

 conservation. 



