November UpdateFall has been quick-- and productive! The entire BioSITE calendar is full- and we are looking forward to the work ahead of us. Over 1,000 river guardians will be engaged this year at more that five watershed study sites.
Pioneer- Always stellar and always finding new ways to engage students.
Leland and LelandPlus-We have an amazing group of high school mentors that already have proven that they are up to each task! Along with the Friday Field program, Leland is partnering with us to offer a mentor experience to ACE elementary classes.
ACE teachers can sign up to have their ACE Day 3 at Leland and have the trained mentors work with their students. ACE-Yahoo!
As we fine tune what we offer as the ACE experience- we are also reminded that the core of our program is ultimately successful because we engage students in real hands on- minds on thinking. In the classroom or in the field- BioSITE students are finding out more!
BIC-This week BioSITE staff, partnering with the City of San Jose Environmental services department and their Creeks Come to Class program, will be starting a new program at Independence High School. BIC, BioSITE, Independence Teaching Academy, and Creeks Come to Class will be facilitating in class watershed lessons for elementary students using the 'Enviroscape' model and engaging these young stewards in field monitoring.
ACE teachers can also sign up to have the Creeks Come to Class program for their classes!ACE Program Strands--This year we have fine tuned our ACE days to better meet the needs of the different elementary level classes we serve, and the specific science teaching goals of our individual teachers. The core mission of ACE, as always, is essentially and most importantly to provide students with an authentic field study experience in water quality monitoring and watershed science. By the end of the three day experience, every ACE student will have participated in field study methods, journaling, water quality testing, and surveys to study the health of the local riparian community. How we do this may vary slightly as teachers choose which of the three strands they would like us to focus on with their students. As we develop these strands, more information and tools will be posted for our ACE teachers, and we hope to gather feedback from all participants so we can continue to develop successful outcomes for all!
ACE Teachers-- below you will see the objectives for each of the strands. We have a full gallery of materials and lesson plans for our BioSITE teachers, so we want to design a three day expereince that will best serve your students needs. We also are workign on a tool to help you see how each strand connects to State Standards and Environmental Education Principles and Concepts. Look for that to be posted under important docs..soon.
Watersheds:
Students will learn the features of a watershed and the specific landmarks of our Guadalupe River watershed.
Students will learn how organisms in our watershed are interconnected.
Students will become aware of the specific issues and concerns in our watershed and how they can make a positive difference in the health of our watershed.
Being a Naturalist:
Students will learn how a field scientist conducts investigations in the field.
Students will practice the skills of observation and data collection to gain a better appreciation of the diversity of living things.
Students will study the interconnections of the flora and fauna of riparian communities and be introduced to current environmental issues.
Scientists and Research:
Students will be engaged in scientific studies of their local natural history and how changes over time have been influenced by development.
Students will practice data collection, field surveys, and team research.
Students will learn skills and methods of analyzing field data and practice interpreting their work to form good questions and further learning.
