Saving Endangered Species: A Teacher Boot Camp
June 27-July 2, 2010
This teacher training workshop will build upon the basic life science skills and techniques used by biologists and science educators, and place them in a wildlife conservation context. Case studies from the Zoo and its conservation and research around the world will be used as examples. Course participants will apply their own expertise and experiences as elementary education professionals in individual and group exercises. Course participants will leave with a foundation in life science and conservation and a set of tools and resources they can use inside and outside the classroom.
Target Audience
Elementary school teachers and educators will benefit from participating in this course. No prerequisites or science background required.
Course Objectives
Increasingly, elementary education professionals are asked to provide life science education in their classrooms. This course will enhance teachers’ expertise in the life sciences and help them create an engaging learning environment for students. Results on the new science assessment required by "No Child Left Behind" will improve as teachers gain confidence and knowledge in the field of science instruction.
Elementary science curricula requires students to be able to observe and classify in the classroom. They also need to be able to indentify life cycles and methods for transferring genetic information; organisms’ adaptations for different environments; and the effect of today’s habitat changes on those organisms and their ecosystems.
This course will apply effective life science skills and techniques to the complicated process of wildlife conservation and saving endangered species. Participants will learn from National Zoo scientists and educators while studying real Zoo case studies and visiting the hidden Zoo.
Learning Objectives and Expected Outcomes:
- Class participants will gain an appreciation of science and wildlife as they learn ways to build student engagement.
- Class participants will gain knowledge of biological and conservation concepts as they apply to the field of wildlife conservation, focusing on authentic projects.
- Class participants will demonstrate ways of using the Zoo as a resource for teaching science.
- Class participants will be able to communicate ways in which they and others can help the Zoo save endangered species.
- Class participants will be able to train other science educators on the concepts and science techniques used in the course.
- Class participants will create a standards based unit linked to their local science standards incorporating the experiences and lectures from Zoo personnel.
Dates
June 27-July 2, 2010
Course Schedule
Download the Course Schedule (subject to change).
Location
The first three days of training take place at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
The final two days of training take place at the National Zoo’s Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia, approximately a 2.5 hour drive from Washington, D.C. in the Shenandoah Mountains near Shenandoah National Park.
Course Tuition
$595 for FONZ members
$695 for nonmembers
Course Credit
Certificate of completion from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.
Course Registration
Complete the registration form and submit online.
After you submit your registration form and have been accepted, we will contact you regarding payment. If you are placed on the waiting list, course payment will not be required unless space becomes available.
If you have any questions about your acceptance status, or for additional details please contact the Education Department or call 
202.633.4455.
Travel and Accommodation
Please wait until you receive confirmation that you have been admitted into the course before making your reservations.
You will receive a confirmation letter containing detailed information regarding accommodations and transportation once you are admitted.
Get more information on travel and lodging.
Instructors
Joseph Sacco, M.A.
Friends of the National Zoo
Associate Director of Education
Laura Linn
Friends of the National Zoo
Education Specialist
Guest lecturers from various disciplines and backgrounds will take part throughout the course.
