VA Beach Teachers Work to Save the Bay
Each summer since 2011, Virginia Beach Middle and High School teachers have been participating in professional development training through the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. These select teachers are part of the Virginia Beach Systemic Environmental Literacy Program. This environmental education program reaches all Virginia Beach students at selected grade levels, with high-quality and high-impact watershed experiences imbedded into the science curriculum.
After a week-long summer immersion course in the local environment, the teachers have developed standards-aligned curriculum side bars, which integrate field investigations into the science curriculum. These investigative lessons have been piloted with the students and are ready for dissemination. Teachers labeled the curriculum, "Save the Bay in a Box" which will be the focus of the 2013 Summer Professional Development in Virginia Beach, mandatory for all 6th grade, advanced 7th grade, biology, and oceanography teachers.
Included in the "Save the Bay in a Box" are field guides, magnifying glasses, water quality testing kits, clip boards, maps, and curriculum for teachers to lead their students in an investigation of their schoolyard and how it affects the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Every 6th grade, advanced 7th grade, biology, and oceanography student will experience a meaningful watershed educational experience on their schoolyard. They will analyze the data gathered in their investigations and make a decision on what action they can take to make their schoolyard more Chesapeake Bay friendly.
These VA Beach teachers are part of CBF's professional development program, Chesapeake Classrooms, which provides K-12 teachers with the opportunity to participate in a 5-day summer immersion course. If interested in being part of this program, please visit our website.
Check out the slideshow above of these Virginia Beach teachers in action during our Chesapeake Classrooms Professional Development program last summer!