Environmental Education for Children: Going Beyond the Hype

An opportunity to present and share ideas, discuss and debate issues and network with people and organizations.

June 5 and 6, 2008

Sponsored by the Applera Corporation, with additional support from the Wheelock College Math/Science Education Initiative, the Colleges of the Fenway Environmental Science Program, and the Massachusetts Audubon Society.

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Workshop Descriptions

Below is a complete list of workshops and their times. Science content workshops on environmental science topics are given in the first morning session and workshops on classroom teaching are given during the following two sessions.

Click here to register for the sessions!

 

First Morning Session: 8:45 to 10:15 AM

The Right Whale—the MA State Marine Mammal
Mike Williamson (Wheelock College)
Science Content Workshop
The right whale is the state marine mammal in Massachusetts and its critical habitat in Mass. Bay touches on Deer Island. Workshop includes local resources and 11 years of data on WhaleNet. 

Classification and Identification of Animals of New England
Sara Levine (Wheelock College)
Science Content Workshop
What’s the difference between a crustacean and a mollusk? How do you tell a lizard from a salamander? Come learn to classify animals to the levels of phyla and class in this hands-on workshop. After a review of taxonomy basics, we will search the campus for animals commonly found in school yards throughout New England.

Taking the Mud Out of the Muddy River
Michael Berger (Simmons College)
Science Content Workshop
Field notes on the science of urban waterways and the reclamation of the urban environment. Workshop includes the history of the Muddy River, plans for its rehabilitation and ways to involve students in this process.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Invasive Species
Ellen Faszewski (Wheelock College)
Science Content Workshop
In this workshop, participants will learn about the characteristics of invasive plant species and how they can be used to teach basic plant biology. This workshop will include hands on activities as well as the examination of invasive species in a local ecosystem.

Energy 101 - Where in the world does our energy come from and where does it go?
Stephen Nodvin (Wentworth Institute of Technology)
Science Content Workshop
With all of the concerns of gasoline shortages and global warming there is a lot of talk about "energy." But where does our energy come from? What is the ultimate source of energy that makes the car go when a driver "steps" on the gas pedal? What is the difference between "energy conservation" and "conservation of energy"? Do compact fluorescent lights really "save" more energy than old fashioned incandescent bulbs? Is hydrogen a new energy resource? This workshop will explore these and related questions.

 

Second Morning Session: 10:30 AM to 12:00 Noon

Roots, Shoots and Lizards—Teachers and Children as Observers
Christina Ryan & Neal Klinman (Cambridge Public Schools)
Kindergarten
Participants will reflect upon the roles of both children and teachers as observers and researchers in the early childhood science classroom. We will do hands-on observations with plants and consider how children's drawings are so important in providing evidence of learning. We will also carefully think about the kinds of questions we ask children in order to further their inquiry and document it successfully.

Opportunities in FOSS & STC Kits to Use the Outdoors
Kristin Metz (Boston Schoolyard Initiative) & Judean Patten-Clark (Kilmer School, Boston)
Kindergarten-Grade 5
Learn how Boston Public Schools (BPS) is implementing outdoor teaching to support K–5 kit-based science instruction across the district. We’ll talk about how to use the outdoors as a regular, consistent part of the science curriculum; share Science in the Schoolyard Guides to the science kits used in the BPS curriculum and explore the impact on students’ science content knowledge.

Using the Outdoors at the Gardner School, Boston
Dean Martin & Eric Meuse (Gardner Pilot School)
Kindergarten-Grade 5
Students at Boston’s Gardner Elementary school develop skills of inquiry through schoolyard engagement. Through hands on experiences participants at this session will get a sense for how inquiry looks and plays out when Gardner students and teachers utilize the outdoors.

Soil Investigations
Susan Agger (Maynard Ecology Center) & Marianne Dunne (Cambridge Public Schools Science Center)
Grades 2 & 3
Use your senses to investigate a variety of different soil samples outdoors and in the classroom. Students will perform hands on soils experiments that strengthen science content, observational skills, math and literacy.

Studying Birds
Gail Fenton (Massachusetts Audubon Society) & Maria Herrick (Sherborn Public Schools)
Grade 3
This workshop will focus on a study of birds by third graders throughout the year in Sherborn, exploring classification, anatomy, life cycles, adaptations and behavior. A teacher-naturalist from the Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary has developed hands-on activities that fit the MA frameworks and can be used with everyday urban birds.

Schoolyard Ecology in Kindergarten
Kathy Clunis (Mission Hill School, Boston)
Kindergarten-Grade 1
Students in a Boston classroom gather data about living things in their schoolyard. Learn how this kindergarten classroom is using mapping to develop some skills and understanding of inquiry, and engage with science concepts such as habitat and needs of living things.

 

Afternoon Session: 1:00 to 2:30 PM

Young Naturalists at Young Achievers
Bill Perkins & Margaret Connors (Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot School, Boston)
Grade 5
This workshop will highlight a healthy streams investigation conducted on two urban streams by fifth-graders. We will discuss how naturalists, classroom teachers and students came together to educate a community about the health of its waterways.

Writing in the Outdoor Classroom
Kristin Metz (Boston Schoolyard Initiative)& Karen Wood (Holmes School, Boston)
Kindergarten-Grade 5
Learn how Boston Public School teachers are using the outdoor environment of the schoolyard to support Writers’ Workshop. We’ll discuss how the outdoors can help students build writing skills throughout the writing process from “seed idea,” through initial drafting and revision to the final “published” work. Together we’ll look at how writing outdoors can also inadvertently affect students’ science knowledge.

Designing Nature-Based Investigations
Jaimy George (Boston Nature Center) & Julie Psychos (Boston Public Schools)
Grade 2
Learn how a second-grade teacher, in partnership with the Boston Nature Center, built schoolyard investigations, journaling, and outdoor exploration into her curriculum. We will explore the process of designing nature-based investigations and show how these meet state science frameworks.

Water, Water Everywhere: Designing Water Filters, an Environmental Engineering Workshop
Gretchen Fougere (Dedham Country Day School) & Carolyn DeCristofano (Museum of Science)
Grades 2 & 3
Come dip your toes in the engineering education waters as you explore “Engineering is Elementary” curriculum materials and design water filters. Become an environmental engineer as you compare data about how simple materials perform as filters, and then put your newfound knowledge to work: How can you combine the materials to clean-up some contaminated water?

Teaching an Integrated, Inquiry-based Environmental Unit with Water
Jane Martin (former teacher at Ecole Bilingue) & Erica Whitworth (Habitat)
Grade 5

Learn how a fifth-grade teacher, in partnership with Habitat, developed a watershed investigation that included pond life, properties of water, stream health, stewardship and Adopt-a-Salmon. Learn what skills were incorporated as the unit grew from a few lessons to a yearlong study motivating students and meeting state science frameworks.