Upcoming educator PD opportunities are currently scheduled with Inland Seas and its partner organizations. To register or get more info either click the link associated with a PD or contact Trisha Smrecak at tsmrecak@schoolship.org or 231-271-3077 x107.
October 17th, 2023 | TBD | 5 pm – 7 pm
Who? Educators looking to grow classroom connections to the environment
Grades? Upper Elementary through High School
Provided? Take away materials to run most programs, SCECHs
Explore ways to connect hands-on and outdoor inquiry activities into your ecosystems, biodiversity, and life science curriculum, or learn ways to integrate environmental education into your ELA, social studies, or math classes with the Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum Supports (MEECS) Ecosystems and Biodiversity lessons. MEECS is aligned to MS science standards and incorporates locally-relevant examples of global phenomena. Lessons invite you to view and catalog your schoolyard ecosystem, explore what makes Michigan (and your county) special, and discuss hot Michigan topics like windmills, light pollution, and forest fires. The inclusion of current State of Michigan reports and local weather data expose students to authentic science and career opportunities, and provide opportunities to scale lessons for high school-aged learners, while gamification and open-ended inquiry make the lessons accessible for upper elementary. Many activities can be run indoors or out and are natural extensions of common classroom experiments. Bring your curiosity and enthusiasm to this workshop with Trisha Smrecak from Inland Seas Education Association, an outdoor educator with over a decade of experience teaching folks of all ages. Educators from all grade levels will take away indoor and outdoor activities that you can incorporate into your class, as well as most of the materials needed to run them.
October 24th, 2023 | TBD | 5 pm – 7 pm
Who? Educators looking to grow classroom connections to the environment
Grades? Upper Elementary through High School
Provided? Take away materials to run most programs, SCECHs
Explore ways to connect hands-on and outdoor inquiry activities into your ecosystems, biodiversity, and life science curriculum, or learn ways to integrate environmental education into your ELA, social studies, or math classes with the Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum Supports (MEECS) Ecosystems and Biodiversity lessons. MEECS is aligned to MS science standards and incorporates locally-relevant examples of global phenomena. Lessons invite you to view and catalog your schoolyard ecosystem, explore what makes Michigan (and your county) special, and discuss hot Michigan topics like windmills, light pollution, and forest fires. The inclusion of current State of Michigan reports and local weather data expose students to authentic science and career opportunities, and provide opportunities to scale lessons for high school-aged learners, while gamification and open-ended inquiry make the lessons accessible for upper elementary. Many activities can be run indoors or out and are natural extensions of common classroom experiments. Bring your curiosity and enthusiasm to this workshop with Trisha Smrecak from Inland Seas Education Association, an outdoor educator with over a decade of experience teaching folks of all ages. Educators from all grade levels will take away indoor and outdoor activities that you can incorporate into your class, as well as most of the materials needed to run them.
October 25th, 2023 | Homestead Hills Elementary | 4:30 pm – 7 pm
Spend a day growing your skills as an educator by integrating Benzie Conservation District education outreach opportunities with the newly released Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum Supplement (MEECS) Ecosystems and Biodiversity unit. The unit is aligned to middle school science standards, but many programs and activities are easily adapted for upper elementary and high school learners, and across disciplines. If you’re interested in getting your class outside and investigating local biodiversity, regardless of your grade, this workshop is for you!
2024 – Great Lakes Watershed Field Course – Dates TBD
The Great Lakes Watershed Field Course (GLWFC) is a 4-day professional development experience for teachers throughout the Great Lakes region. Training in the course includes watershed and environmental concepts, place-based education and environmental education pedagogy, and time for curriculum development.