Teachers’ Lounge

Calling all middle school, high school, and community college biology teachers and science educators!

Put on your evolution eyeglasses and your nature of science thinking cap and join the University of California Museum of Paleontology for (yet another) fun-filled five days of evolutionary explorations with biologists and educators at the University of California. The Think Evolution Summer Institute, returning for its fifth year, will combine lectures by prominent evolutionary biologists with sessions focused on hands-on activities for the middle school, high school, and community college classroom. Topics this year include genomics, phylogeography of amphibians, biogeography of moths, the evolution of gossip, and natural selection.

When: Monday through Friday, July 29–August 2, 2013; 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Who: Middle school, high school, and community college biology teachers and science educators
Where: UC Museum of Paleontology, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley
Cost: $75.00 for five days; includes lots of free resources distributed to participating teachers plus morning and afternoon snacks. Plus a field trip to our very own Academy for a tour of Human Odyssey.
For more information: Visit the program website
To Register: Click here soon as the course fills up quickly!

**NOTE: This is not an Academy hosted course. Please direct all questions and requests for more information to Louise S. Mead or Lisa White.**

Join us on April 23, 2013 to learn with your fellow homeschool families and to get into the Academy at a special discounted price.

Discover Academy Animals
Homeschool Day is full of drop-in programs and places where you can learn more about the habitats and organisms on display at the Academy. Go on an African Safari and explore the amazing biodiversity of the continent. Ask a biologist about our penguins as the animals are fed. Or, get your hands into a tidepool!
See our Registration Guide for more details about our exhibits and programs.
 
Explore, Collect, Contribute
This year, we invite all families to participate in a special group effort at the Academy. Upon arriving in the morning, pick up a worksheet to help explore the museum and collect data about some of our live animals. Then in the afternoon, contribute your discoveries to a huge collective data sheet.
Read more about this program on our Event Schedule.
 
Classroom and Lab Programs
Touch a coral skeleton. Use a microscope to look up close at an insect. Discover how plants and animals rely on each other in the wild. Get a taste for how to contribute to real scientific research. Our hands-on classroom and lab programs are reserved in advance and require an extra fee.
Learn more about the specific programs being offered on our Reserved Programs Guide.
 
Registration Information
Homeschool admission for all families outside of San Francisco is only $6.95 for all children (ages 4-17) and up to two adults. San Francisco homeschool children (ages 4-17) and up to two adults can attend for free. Reserved Programs require an additional fee.

Pre-registration is required to attend the event. Tickets will be available online on March 25th at www.calacademy.org/homeschoolday. Reservations for our lab and classroom programs will be taken over the phone (877-227-3311) starting at 8 am on March 25th.

For all the details about registration, be sure to read our Registration Guide!

 
Contact Us

For questions about homeschool events, email homeschool@calacademy.org.
 
For many of the most frequently asked questions about homeschool day registration and the event, see our Registration Guide and the Event FAQ.

 
Links to Important Homeschool Information

• Registration Guide
• Reserved Programs Guide
• Event Schedule
• Event FAQ
• Or download all the event details and registration information in one file

Connecting Galileo, NASA and the Next Generation Science Standards
A Hands-on Workshop on Astronomy for Teachers in Grades 3 – 12

NASA Galileo Educator Network Teacher Workshop
Saturday, March 2 &
Saturday, March 23, 2013
9:00am – 4:30pm
*Attendance on both days is required
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
390 Ashton Ave, San Francisco

Become a Galileo Educator through this 15-hour professional development opportunity for teachers. This professional development emphasizes inquiry-based strategies and the nature and practice of science. Taking place over two sessions, this professional development expands learning through active participation and networking with other educators.

Workshop participants will explore:
* Classroom tested, standards-based, hands-on astronomy investigations on such topics as the solar system, planetary exploration, the search for extrasolar planets and life beyond Earth, and the Earth-Moon system
* Galileo-themed science inquiry and space science content with NASA resources
* The development of student reasoning and how to help students think like scientists
* Astronomy teaching resources, including The Universe at Your Fingertips 2.0, a collection of 133 complete activities on DVD-ROM
* NASA-developed and NASA-supported resources and science content
* Adapting resources and activities to include more reflection on the nature and practice of science

Target Audience: Teachers in grades 3 – 9
Cost: FREE!
For more information and to register, go to: http://astrosociety.org/education/k12-educators/bay-area-project-astro-workshops/

Register Now | February 15, 2013

Summer Matters 2013 Conference
Oh, the Places We’ll Go!

Every child needs quality summer-learning opportunities to grow, have fun, and stay on track in school.

Partnership for Children and Youth is happy to announce their Summer Matters 2013 Conference! This year they will be hosting two FREE conferences in support of summer learning.

The first conference will be held on Friday, February 15, 2013, and is held with Bay Area partners to provide training and tools to help districts, community-based organizations and agencies create quality summer learning opportunities.

The Summer Matters 2013 Conference: Oh, the Places We’ll Go! is designed for K-12 district administrators, program directors, managers, and site coordinators, and will include topics covering: Building Sustainable Systems, Planning for Summer, Hiring and Management, Creating Infrastructure to Support Quality Instruction, Program Evaluation, and more!

“Today is our day. We’re off to Great Places! We’re off and away!”

• Learn more and register now >>
• Questions? Email >>

Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and Seven Tepees Youth Program proudly present:

Salmon Fishing & Ecology
Teacher Workshop
Saturday, February 9th
8:30am – 12:30pm

At the GFNMS Pier Classroom
991 Marine Drive, San Francisco

Bring a local fisherman into your classroom!
This exciting free program will provide teachers insights and techniques on how to teach students about salmon ecology and commercial fishing in Central California.

The workshop will include:

• Presentation by local Fisherman Mike Hudson on the lifestyle and challenges of commercial salmon fishing in Central California.
• Salmon Dissection: GFNMS educator will lead teachers through an external and internal examination of an adult King Salmon to gain a deeper understanding of this animal’s adaptions and lifecycle.
• Sharing curriculum with teachers and discussing ways students can become more aware of watersheds and fishing issues.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR WORKSHOP
Cost: FREE
Contact Peter Winch at: (415) 425-6450 or pwinch@farallones.org
Space is limited.

This teacher workshop series is sponsored by the Seven Tepees Youth Program WAVES initiative and made possible through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) B-WET program.