Registration Open: Schoolyard Ecology Workshop for Teachers

New England-based teachers of grades 4-12 are invited to build their skills in field-based data collection by registering for the Schoolyard Summer Institute for Teachers, to be held August 22 at the Harvard Forest.

The Harvard Forest Schoolyard Ecology Program, now in its 15th year, engages classrooms in field data collection at sites within walking distance of their schools. Year-round workshops, led by Harvard Forest ecologists and peer mentor teachers, help teachers learn field protocols and build skills in analyzing their own data with their students.

Teachers can choose from three long-term research projects: Buds, Leaves, and Global Warming, which teaches students about climate change, tree identification, and seasonal change; Woolly Bully, which focuses on invasive insects; and Our Changing Forests, which covers many forest concepts including carbon, conservation, ecosystem change, and biodiversity. Classrooms submit their data online, where it becomes part of a searchable data archive and graphing program. 

Registration for the Summer Institute is $50 and includes all materials, follow-up workshops, and resources.

Over the past 15 years of the program, teachers, ecologists, and program coordinator Pamela Snow have contributed a rich variety of teacher resources, including lesson plans, data analysis strategies, and connections to state and national learning frameworks and standards, which are all freely available online.

The Harvard Forest Schoolyard Ecology Program is supported by the National Science Foundation's Long-Term Ecological Research Program, Highstead, a family foundation, and private donors.

• Learn more about the HF Schoolyard Ecology Program.
• Explore the program blog.
• Interested in registering for the Summer Institute on August 22? Contact Schoolyard Coordinator Pamela Snow at 978-756-6146, psnow@fas.harvard.edu.