Teachers Have Opportunity to Learn about Puget Sound Estuaries and Marine Life
Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and other organizations are offering a free workshop for 4th, 5th and 6th grade teachers about the Puget Sound estuary. South Sound Estuary Association (SSEA) and Taylor Shellfish are working alongside Padilla Bay Reserve to host and organize the workshop. The focus of the workshop will be the science of estuaries, marine life and curriculum to support teaching those topics.Registration is open now for up to 13 teachers.
The teacher workshop will last three days, Tuesday August 10, Wednesday, August 11, and Thursday, August 12. Activities will start at 9 am and run till 4 pm each day.
Registered teachers will meet at the new LOTT Alliance Education Center in downtown Olympia, WA. Each day, there will be field trips arranged for the teachers to experience estuaries and marine life. Field trips will last up to 4 hours each day to include Nisqually Reach Wildlife Refuge, Henderson Shellfish Farm, and Boston Harbor Marina.
Teachers will gain a greater understanding behind the science of tides, salinity of the Puget Sound estuary, nutrients, and marine food webs. Participants will gain additional teaching resources, experience field science methods, create curriculum to use in the classroom and the field and make valuable connections to local and regional experts. They will also learn about the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) standards for watershed studies as well as on-line curriculum resources.
Participants are eligible for up to 21 teacher clock hours and a $100 stipend for their participation.
A second workshop for K-6th grade teachers is also offered on July 14th, 21st and 28th to be held at Padilla National Estuarine Research Reserve near Mt. Vernon, WA. The registration deadline is June 18th.
To register for a summer Estuary Education Teacher Workshop, please call Alex at 360-428-1070 or email alex@padillabay.gov. For more information about South Sound Estuary Association go to www.sseacenter.org. To learn more about Taylor Shellfish Farms go to www.taylorshellfishfarms.com.