Become an ecosystem scientist by participating in Project Squirrel!  Learn how to incorporate citizen science into your classroom and bring thinking like a scientist to life in authentic ways. Project Squirrel is a citizen science project that help will help your students discover ways to connect organisms and environments TEKS- such as food chains and interdependence, to structure function and animal behaviors. With this workshop, participants will learn how they can use other citizen science projects to create relevant curriculum connections in the classroom.

Deep in the Heart: The Story of Black Bears in Texas

In the 1980s, bears became a protected species in Texas. In 1987, a female black bear traveled from Northern Mexico into Big Bend National Park to make her home. The Black Bear population has been growing ever since, primarily in the Chisos and Guadalupe Mountains. Join us to learn more about the history, biology, and ecology of the species, and how black bear physical traits and behaviors can be used in TEKS-aligned lessons.

Anne Marie Fayen and Amanda Veals will co-present a live professional development session, over Zoom on the history, biology, and ecology of black bears, and share how the TEKS-aligned Deep in the Heart Learning Resources can be used with K-12 students. 

Get up close and personal with life cycles! Observe, record, and compare different stages in the life cycles of plants and animals in this hands-on workshop. Participants will even explore our Texas Native Wetlands habitat for the chance to spot the rarely seen nymph stages of some native insects. Join us to learn how to incorporate outdoor investigations into TEKS-aligned lessons to bring science content to life in an impactful way.

Information:

Online course content will be available for completion at your own pace May 1, 2022 – May 31, 2023. You can register for this course up to May 1, 2023. The course will take approximately 3 hours to complete.

Registration includes 2 complimentary general admission tickets to the Dallas Arboretum! Teachers always receive FREE general admission so share these tickets with your guests. Tickets valid 7 days a week, 9am-5pm. 

Description:

No matter where we live, we walk, ride and drive by natural wonders every day. Join this session and learn how to connect the natural world your students experience daily to the concepts in your grade level’s science TEKS. The session will be guided by readings from Nathanael Johnson’s book, Unseen City.

The book is NOT included with registration. Please obtain your own copy to read and reference throughout the workshop. Who knew a fun summer read could also inform your instruction? 

Information:

Online course content will be available for completion at your own pace May 1, 2022 – May 31, 2023. You can register for this course up to May 1, 2023. The course will take approximately 3 hours to complete.

Registration includes 2 complimentary general admission tickets to the Dallas Arboretum! Teachers always receive FREE general admission so share these tickets with your guests. Tickets valid 7 days a week, 9am-5pm. 

Description:

Create some green time for your students! Join this session to explore simple, easy-to-implement ideas for engaging your students in science activities outside. Emphasis will be placed on using materials that are easy to find, both at home and at school. Topics include life cycles, structure and function, interdependence and forms of energy.

Course content will be available through a Google Site for completion at your own pace from June 1 – 30, 2021. There will be an optional live Zoom session on Thursday, June 17 from 4:30-5:30pm if you would like to discuss the course content with other educators. The course will take approximately 6 hours to complete.

The current public health crisis with regard to COVID-19 is disruptive not only to students’ learning but to their emotional health. As life with our new “normal” continues, what must teachers know and be able to do to help support our students with the stress and anxiety they have faced over the past year? This session, designed in partnership with Region 10’s Gifted & Talented Consultant, Jessica Gitzinger, will explore what teachers need to know about the emotional effects of stress on our students, examine how educators can support their students, how nature and mindfulness can help relieve stress and how giftedness affects students’ social and emotional needs.

Registration includes:

Two complimentary general admission tickets to the Dallas Arboretum! Teachers always receive FREE general admission so share these tickets with your guests. Tickets valid seven days a week, 9am–5pm, through December 31, 2022.

Course content will be available via Google Classroom for completion at your own pace. The course will take approximately 6 hours to complete.

Project E3: Expanding Energy Education is a multidisciplinary curriculum guide for grades K–12 featuring TEKS-aligned, hands-on discovery activities related to energy themes. We often take for granted the role of energy in our lives, yet meeting our species’ energy needs is one of the most significant challenges facing us this century. The curriculum guides students to identify fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas, investigate how they are formed and examine how we use these natural resources in our everyday lives. Careers in engineering are highlighted throughout the guide.

Registration includes:

Two complimentary general admission tickets to the Dallas Arboretum! Teachers always receive FREE general admission so share these tickets with your guests. Tickets valid seven days a week, 9am–5pm, through December 31, 2022.

A link to the digital Project E3 curriculum, a 1400+ page downloadable resource developed by the Offshore Energy Center in Galveston, Texas that includes over 40 activities.

Course content will be available via Google Classroom for completion at your own pace. The course will take approximately 3 hours to complete.

Join Dustin Miller, director of experience and innovation, for an interactive workshop that blends art and science standards for upper elementary classroom and specials teachers. Explore memorable project-based opportunities for connecting science learning creatively.

PD hours are flexible based on the number of activities that you opt to complete. Up to 6 hours of CPEs available.

If you attended our first Art + Science several years ago, this workshop is all NEW content and connections!

Registration includes:

Two complimentary general admission tickets to the Dallas Arboretum! Teachers always receive FREE general admission so share these tickets with your guests. Tickets valid seven days a week, 9am–5pm, through December 31, 2021.

Join EcoRise staff and experienced EcoRise Teacher Ambassadors for an interactive learning experience. In this session we will:

• Explore lessons that engage students in critical thinking and problem solving to help them invest in, improve upon and learn from their Campus Green Spaces.
• Dive into EcoRise lessons that utilize outdoor spaces as well as options to adapt lessons for outdoor learning, using our Outdoor Learning Guide.
• Discuss how to use Eco-Audits and EcoRise’s Eco-Audit Grant program to provide students with student-driven classroom grant opportunities to improve their campus green spaces.

EcoRise inspires a new generation of leaders to design a sustainable future for all. Learn more about the organization here: EcoRise

Registration includes:

One year FREE access to the EcoRise Sustainable Intelligence program for your campus, a $500 value!

Two complimentary general admission tickets to the Dallas Arboretum! Teachers always receive FREE general admission so share these tickets with your guests. Tickets valid seven days a week, 9am–5pm, through December 31, 2021.

Course content will be available via Google Classroom for completion at your own pace upon private booking for groups of 15 or more. The course will take approximately 3 hours to complete.

Registration includes a copy of the Learn, Grow, Eat & Go! curriculum guide and Garden Kitchen Recipes.  After you complete the coursework, the guide will be shipped to the address you provide during registration. Shipping fee included.

Learn, Grow, Eat & GO! (LGEG) is a research-based curriculum project of the International Junior Master Gardener® Program. The program guides students to identify where their food comes from, understand the nutrients found in food, gain skills needed to grow their own food and maintain health through physically activity. The lessons in this guide connect classroom activities to the food growing in your school garden and/or being served in your school’s lunch room. This multidisciplinary curriculum is a great way to connect science, math, health and physical education learning!  

Course content will be available via Google Classroom for completion at your own pace. The course will take approximately 3 hours to complete.

Gamify your STAAR review! The games modeled in this workshop will guide your students to review grades 3-5 science TEKS through a variety of engaging, interactive activities. Options will be provided for implementing the activities in person and online.

Registration includes:

Two complimentary general admission tickets to the Dallas Arboretum! Teachers always receive FREE general admission so share these tickets with your guests. Tickets valid seven days a week, 9am–5pm, through the end of the year.

Game materials (pre-prepped and laminated) will be mailed to the address you provide at registration.

Course content will be available via Google Classroom for completion at your own pace upon private booking for groups of 15 or more. The course will take approximately 6 hours to complete.

Registration includes the Aquatic WILD K-12 Curriculum & Activity Guide. After you complete the coursework, the guide will be shipped to the address you provide during registration. Shipping fee included.

Dive into one basic component of habitats for people and wildlife – water. During this virtual learning experience, you will explore the Aquatic WILD K-12 Curriculum and Activity Guide, a 400+ page book filled with activities that allow students to investigate and understand the fascinating world of water and the aquatic habitats it supports. The 48 TEKS-aligned activities included in the book highlight the following themes: habitats, ecosystems, interference, adaptations and biodiversity.