MWEEs represent a unique approach to project-based learning in which activities are grounded in outdoor investigations into local environmental issues, problems, and/or phenomena and culminate in student-directed environmental action projects. The MWEE has been designed to support state and local standards, standards-based initiatives, and frameworks such as:
- A Framework for K-12 Science Education
- Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
- Common Core State Standards
- College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies
MWEEs also reflect research-based instructional models including:

Small groups of Bay Biodiversity students were able to pilot MWEE activities during spring break 2021, such as testing water quality and identifying plankton in Galveston Bay. These activities will be conducted during future Bay Biodiversity field trips in spring 2022. Photo credit: Cindy Wilems, Galveston Bay Foundation
In project-based learning experiences, “students actively construct their own learning by participating in real-world activities similar to those that experts engage in, to solve problems and develop artifacts” (Krajcik & Blumenfeld). MWEEs, viewed through this lens, have students actively construct their own learning by working together to make sense of the issues. MWEEs focus specifically on providing standards-driven student learning within the context of local environmental issues. Investigations and other MWEE activities take place both indoors and outside in places including classrooms, labs, on school grounds, in a park, or with a field-based education provider. Finally, MWEEs culminate in student action, which can take many forms, including environmental restoration or protection, everyday choices, community engagement, or civic action.
Watch the video about a high school MWEE on this page or HERE. Later, in the Lesson 1 Reflection, you will be asked to consider how a MWEE can be valuable for students, teachers, and the community. Think about what your response will be as you watch this video.
“The MWEE is everything that you are doing but now it helps you do it better,” Mrs. Snavely.