Education resources
Overview
The Reserve is excited to offer a line-up of workshops that focus on building teachers’ confidence and competence for bringing students to the Reserve to do outdoor science investigations. Each workshop shares the wonders of our Reserve and introduces you to exciting things to investigate with students, both here and at your school.
In our TOTE workshop, teachers learn about estuarine science and how to engage students in data focused on water quality and climate change. The GLOBE workshops train teachers in how to collect environmental data using NASA developed protocols. Aquatic Wild is a fun romp through a collection of water-themed games and lessons.
Teachers on the Reserve (TOR) is an introduction to the habitats and marvelous plants and wildlife on the Elkhorn Slough Reserve. This 3-hour Saturday workshop combines informative presentations with topical field activities to prepare teachers to lead content and experientially-rich school field trips to the Elkhorn Slough Reserve.
Teachers will deepen their understanding of estuaries, wetlands, watersheds, and conservation issues facing Elkhorn Slough.
Education staff will lead a 1.5 mile walk on trails to familiarize teachers with the natural history of the Elkhorn Slough watershed.
There is no charge for this workshop.
Teachers who complete this workshop will be better prepared to bring classes to the Reserve. They will have year-round access to trails, field research tools, and the Microscope Learning Lab, as well as Field Kits for use at the Reserve and in their classroom. Workshop participants will receive a variety of resource materials.
There are no Teachers on the Reserve workshops scheduled at this time.
Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE) is a research and field-based training program held at various National Estuarine Research Reserves around the United States. The Elkhorn Slough Reserve’s TOTE workshop offers a minimum of 15 contact hours, giving teachers the opportunity to:
Explore coastal habitats and conduct field investigations
Interact with local scientists and experienced coastal educators
Integrate local and national monitoring data into the classroom
Learn hands-on field activities highlighting our various Estuary Education Resources
The two-day workshop for HS/MS educators will explore estuarine science, the impacts of global climate change on estuaries and their adjacent communities along the Pacific Coast, and how to engage students in data collection and data investigation.
Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE) takes teachers into the field with NOAA scientists. This workshop is a fun two days, with tons of lesson ideas for engaging students in topics like water quality data collection, climate change and plant migration, and estuarine science.
Topics include:
Exploring plant community diversity using quadrats
Water-quality data collection and analysis
Blue carbon storage in a marsh
This workshop will provide:
Hands-on field activities supporting the Estuaries 101 Curriculum
In-depth information about estuaries and other coastal habitats
A chance to work with estuarine scientists and educators
Skill building in data collection and strategies for engaging students in data analysis
If you have any questions about the details of the course, please email Virginia Guhin, Education Coordinator.
There are no Teachers on the Estuary Workshops scheduled at this time.
GLOBE: (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) is a grades K-16 worldwide environmental monitoring and investigation program supported by NASA and sponsored by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Dept. of State. 127 countries worldwide are involved in the program.
Example GLOBE workshops:
Elementary GLOBE workshop (grades K-6)
Details: Teachers will learn age-appropriate environmental monitoring protocols, explore hands-on science activities, and find out how to engage students in investigations. All participants will walk away with new tools, activities, and lesson plan ideas, as well as connections to a larger database of environmental measurements from GLOBE schools worldwide.
Secondary GLOBE Workshop (grades 6-12)
Details: This workshop includes a GLOBE overview, training in Atmosphere (weather), Pedosphere (soils), Hydrosphere (water quality), and Biosphere (land cover) protocols that may be used in environmental monitoring and/or student investigations. Related classroom activities, use of the website, and data entry and retrieval will be trained, including how to produce maps & graphs of GLOBE data entered by your students as well as data entered by students from other GLOBE countries worldwide. Possible collaborations between GLOBE schools will also be discussed.
Elkhorn Slough Reserve, A GLOBE Program Site Partner
As a GLOBE Partner, the Elkhorn Slough Reserve will act as an official GLOBE site offering teacher training on GLOBE protocols for data collection and data entry into the GLOBE database.
Teachers
GLOBE provides grade-level-appropriate activities and investigations about the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and soil/pedosphere. GLOBE connects students, teachers, scientists, and citizens from different parts of the world to conduct real, hands-on science about their local environment and put it in a global perspective.
Training
Teachers who attend a GLOBE Workshop will receive training on data collection techniques following GLOBE protocols for inquiry-based research to help students answer scientific research questions. Once teachers have attended a GLOBE training event, they are provided with the knowledge and tools to:
Implement GLOBE protocols and learning activities in a classroom setting
Work with their students to collect environmental data observations
Report these observations to the GLOBE website via an assigned Sign In identification
Access the GLOBE database to search for data from around the world and produce maps and time series plots.
Teachers will leave with:
Lesson plan ideas and materials
Data collection protocols
GLOBE personalized website for students to upload data as citizen scientists
DIY Instruments to start your investigations
Opportunities to partner with scientists and teachers around the world!
There are no GLOBE Workshops scheduled at this time.
A one-day workshop for K-6th grade teachers to dive into the Aquatic Wild curriculum through hands-on activities. Aquatic Wild Curriculum supports the State Science Standards, emphasizes outdoor learning, and connects to other academic disciplines. This workshop is part of the national Project Wild curriculum series.
Project WILD's mission is to help students learn how to think, not what to think, about wildlife and the environment.
This one-day workshop offers teachers:
Hands-on, interdisciplinary activities
Scientifically accurate materials
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) applications
The Aquatic Wild Curriculum:
Emphasizes outdoor learning and field investigations
Easily adapted to meet the learning requirements for academic disciplines ranging from science and environmental education to social studies, math, and language arts
May be integrated into existing courses of study, or an entire set of activities may serve effectively as the basis for a specific course
Supports learning in formal & non-formal educational settings
Designed to support state and national academic standards appropriate for grades K-12
Learn how to use the Aquatic WILD curriculum in your classroom to:
Engage kids in hands-on learning
Integrate Common Core and NGSS into your science lessons
Deliver high-quality lessons with little advance prep or material costs
Participants receive the Aquatic Wild curriculum guide with over 55 ready-to-use lessons. CEU’s are available.
There are no Aquatic Wild Workshops scheduled at this time.
Elkhorn Connects Us
Much of our work at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve is powered by volunteers.