Presenters
Brad Street, Kim Zemel, Louise Prescott
Description
Did you know idling cars during school pickup impacts air quality and the environment? Have you ever wondered about the role of trees in relation to air quality? Learn how to use an engineering design focused action project to motivate and empower your students.
This course presents an air quality focused storyline that integrates Next Generation Science Standards with related social studies standards. Your students will build an understanding of how air pollution impacts other species, their community, and the climate. They will investigate their school grounds to inquire about and monitor air quality as well as learn about carbon emissions and activism in their community. Teachers and students will gain inspiration from the actions of local community members and then develop and implement an action plan to make a difference.
“I was excited to see that students who typically struggle with “doing the work” actually participated and became invested in the process of investigating pollution at our school and many of them had great ideas for an action plan.”
– Robin Thompson, Blaine Elementary School, Blaine School District
In this course, you will walk through the 9 lessons of the Air Quality Storyline. In the final session of the course, we’ll reflect on how to carry the strategies forward towards increasing equity, justice, and engagement in your classroom and community. At the end of the course, if you choose to implement the Climate Action Storyline, you will have the option to participate in Implementation Check-Ins where you will have the opportunity to debrief the experience with your peers.
Those teachers not implementing will have the opportunity to learn and think about how they can apply lessons from the course in the future. Course content includes culturally sustaining activities that engage students’ families and communities and can be used in other topic areas.
During the course, there will be three online sessions after school on Wednesdays and one Saturday session (there will be an option to participate in-person at the Brightwater Education Center in Woodinville or an online session the following weekend). For those attending the in-person session, we are excited to be together in community and happy to be able to provide course-related books! There will be a virtual alternative for in-person session on the following Saturday, but we can only provide the books to those who join us at the in-person session. There will be two additional optional online sessions available for teachers who are implementing the Air Quality Storyline.
Details
This course is intended for teachers of 3rd-5th grade students with some flexibility in what they teach. The action project in this course is focused on idling cars and buses during school pickup and the role of trees as carbon capturers. It is best suited for teachers who can make this student-generated action project a part of their school day. Others are welcome but will likely be unable to implement the materials.
Clock Hours, Stipends, and Additional Information:
- For participation in the course, you can earn up to up 13 Clock Hours (9 STEM and 4 Equity) for attendance, pre-session readings and reflection surveys.
- A final End-Of-Course Survey is required for those receiving clock hours.
- After completing this course, teachers will need to claim and pay for clock hours on PDEnroller.
Course Outcomes
All participants will:
- LEARN how to involve their students in using an Engineering Design Process as a part of a community action project.
- EXPERIENCE how the Next Generation Science Standards Engineering Design Process and Social Studies standards can be an integral part of students working on real-world problems.
- EXPLORE the social-emotional side of climate change and how direct action can foster resilience and environmental justice.
Implementing Teachers will also:
- CREATE an Action Plan with their students using the Engineering Design Process to decode and develop understanding of student-gathered data.
- COLLABORATE with community stakeholders (and optionally other teachers from across the region) to implement an action plan to have a collective impact on air quality and the environment.
- EXPERIENCE how action projects can support a larger equity and justice-focused framework and work with other participants to develop ideas that will work for their individual curriculum and community.
Event Notes
Funding provided by the Washington State Legislature through the ClimeTime Proviso and is available to Washington State teachers only.
You will be sent a survey before the course to confirm your registration, gather additional information, and secure a spot at the in-person session. This course was offered in Winter 2023 and 2024. If you took this course in a previous year, consider contacting brads@islandwood.org about being a teacher facilitator.
Dates:
Tue, January 7, 2025
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Pre-work due
Wed, January 8, 2025
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Session #1 (Zoom)
Sat, January 11, 2025
10:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Session #2a (in-person) – choose either this date or 1/18/25
Sat, January 18, 2025
10:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Session #2b (Zoom alternative) – choose either this date or 1/11/25
Tue, January 21, 2025
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Homework #1 due
Wed, January 22, 2025
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Session #3 (Zoom)
Tue, January 28, 2025
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Homework #2 due
Wed, January 29, 2025
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Session #4 (Zoom)
Tue, February 25, 2025
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Implementation survey #1 due
Wed, February 26, 2025
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Implementation Check-in #1 (Zoom)
Tue, May 6, 2025
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Implementation survey #2 due
Wed, May 7, 2025
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Implementation Check-in #2 (Zoom)
Speaker
-
Brad Street