When | Begins March 13, 2021

Who | 3 – 5 Teachers

Clock Hours | Teachers who complete the course can earn up to 10 STEM Clock Hours.

Stipend: Washington state public school teachers will receive a $400 stipend upon completion of the course.

Unlock students’ wonder by using your own schoolyard or local community to provide endless opportunities for rich learning. Join islandWood educators and fellow teachers as we use a simple clump of dandelions to anchor a Next Generation Science Standards-aligned storyline that will get your students outside and engaged with science this spring. We’ll provide the activities to implement in our initial workshop, as well as a chance to debrief and adapt with other 3-5 grade teachers in subsequent sessions.

The course includes:

• An introductory online session on March 13 from 10:00am – 2:30pm (3 clock hours)
• An online session on March 31 from 3:30 – 5:00pm (1.5 clock hours)
• A summative online session on April 28 3:30 – 5:00pm (1.5 clock hours)
• Additional work completed outside the above sessions (up to 4 clock hours)

By the end of this course you will:

• Collaborate with and learn from other teachers as a part of a professional learning community
• Implement strategies for empowering students to identify local phenomena that are interesting, relevant, and draw on the strengths of your schoolyard or local community
• Implement a student-centered, phenomenon-driven storyline, using understandings developed through practices and content from multiple disciplines (including Next Generation Science Standards, ELA, Math and Social Studies)
• Reflect on how local and relevant science supports anti-racist teaching and is integral to the pursuit of equity and justice in science education

Important Notes:

• This course is intended for teachers of 3-5 students who have some flexibility in the science you teach. Informal science educators are also welcome!
• If you are continuing your teaching entirely online or have a national science curriculum you need to implement, we suggest that, instead of this course, you sign up for a small team planning session, where we can collaborate together to figure out how to connect your online science teaching with student’s interest and identities. Go here for more details.
• The activities shared in this course are usable in your own schoolyard or by students who are learning remotely. If you have taken IslandWood’s “Science in your Neighborhood” or “Science in Your Classroom” workshops, some of the activities will be familiar.
• Teachers will need to claim and pay for the clock hours after the course is complete on PDEnroller.
• Washington State Public School Teachers who implement the materials shared in the course will receive a $400 stipend upon submission of teacher and student work and completion of assessments. This stipend will be paid by the Puget Sound ESD from OSPI ClimeTime funds.