PEI’s workshops are typically well attended, but what happened in May was exceptional. Over one hundred people registered for a Phenomena Based Learning: Solutions Oriented Storylines workshop and of those who attended, nearly all completed the course requirements....
Partner stories
These stories are a collection of educator professional learning experiences and opportunities provided by ESD, CBO and Tribal School partners.
ESD 105
The focus of the work within the ClimeTime Proviso has been to leverage an existing collaborative effort of 21 School Districts and 3 private schools that are members of the ESD 105 Science Cooperative to implement NGSS-aligned instruction for the vast majority of the region’s K-5 students.
Washington State Team Attends OpenSciEd Facilitator Academy to Launch Elementary Field Test
A team of 12 Washington state educators—OSPI, Regional Science Coordinators, and teacher leaders—attended the OpenSciEd Elementary Facilitator Academy in Denver, CO, June 19-24 with support from the Climetime project and Williams Foundation. This week-long immersion...
Can compost curb climate change? PEI and ESD 105 teachers dig in to this food waste solution
Teachers standing among the hedgerows of Natural Selection Farms (NSF) compost in various stages of breaking down took a collective deep breath. “Look at the color – it smells amazing!” Compost is one strategy for managing food waste, a major contributor to greenhouse...
Computer Science Integration in the Science Classroom Grades 3-6 & Grades 5-8
This collaborative series which was led by Luke Matlack (Regional Science Coordinator) and Mike Batali (Computer Science/Educational Technology Coordinator) recently concluded. Participants teaching grades 3-8 had the opportunity to attend up to four full day sessions...
In Washington, Students Learn About Climate Change Like Nowhere Else
Food justice classes and mock G7 summits are on the curriculum in the first US state to fund “climate change education” in public schools. In science teacher Ali Coker’s sophomore biology class, students became farming activists attending a G7 summit. Coker wove in...
Rural Students Bring Climate Conversations into the Community
When Celia Cummings started teaching Waterville High School’s first environmental science class, she discovered that many of her students came from families that doubt the science of climate change. Celia was enrolled in a climate justice focused professional...
Opening Minds to Learning, Action, and Hope.
Ever wonder how to talk to students about climate change and how to empower them to take action? Many elementary teachers in Washington State wonder about this too! In an effort to support teachers, Regional Science Coordinators in Tri-Cities, Yakima, Wenatchee, and...
Urban Forestry: The Benefits of Urban Trees
Trees provide incredible benefits to our economy, human and more-than-human health, the environment, and the overall aesthetics of cities. On Saturday, October 8th, ten educators from the Yakima area joined Pacific Education Institute (PEI) and ESD 105 to learn how...
Our Climate is Changing, Why Aren’t We? Getting Started Using Children’s Literature
In the spring of 2022, Regional Science Coordinators met to reflect on Climate Literacy work completed in 2021-22. A few patterns began to emerge. The first pattern was that elementary teachers were excited to bring climate science to their classrooms, but unsure of...