Harvard Forest Summer Institute for Teachers

Harvard Forest will hold its annual Summer Institute for Teachers for public and private school teachers for grades 4 – 12 on August 23^rd from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, with a follow up session on August 24^th.

Teachers will learn how to  get their students outside to engage in authentic scientific practices and investigation aligned with State and National Frameworks.  The 1- 2 Day Summer Institute will prepare teachers to set up field site areas in walking distance for their schools. Teachers will learn how to  follow a scientific protocol lead by professional scientists.  Training includes all  written materials and field supplies needed to get a project up and running at your school.  This project is supported by ecologists at Harvard Forest in Ma. and Highstead Foundation in Conn.

Project Themes:  

·  The Our Changing Forests project allows students to investigate how forests are changing over time, and how this impacts carbon dynamics.  The primary field activity  involves measuring the diameter of each tree in a 10×10 meter area that will be marked as a study plot.  A Harvard Forest Project Coach will assist with initial set up of the study plots at each school, and be available for consultation as needed throughout the first study season. 

• The Woolly Bully and the Hemlock Trees project tracks a tiny insect that is changing the dynamics of New England Forests right now.  Students help locate and track the impact of this insect on one of our major forest species, the Eastern Hemlock tree.  This is our simplest project and provides a real opportunity for children to engage in Citizen Science. All of our schoolyard sites together help us see where the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is present and what impact it is having on hemlock trees throughout our region.
• The Buds Leaves and  Global Warming Study looks at our local trees are responding to global climate change.  Students observe when leaves emerge in the spring and when they drop in the fall in order to track the length of the growing season for trees in their schoolyard.  Schoolyard data can be compared with Ecologist, John O’Keefe’s 27 year data set to see patterns over time.

Day 2 for The Our Changing Forests project only :  Going Deeper into Understanding Land Use Change:  Harvard Forest Land Use Scenarios GIS mapper, Joshua Plisinski will  provide teachers with a series of land cover change maps created for each specific school site.  Staff and teachers will have time to discuss how to engage students in working with maps to  see how the changes that they are observing in their plots relate to the larger landscape context.

Cost and Benefits:  One-time fee of $50  includes 1-2 day session, teacher notebook, project materials and year-round support thanks to financial support from national and private grants. Some teachers have continued for up to 12 years with ongoing support.  A project coach is provided to visit teachers in the Our Changing Forests project at school sites to help set up study plots.

To Register:   Download and complete registration form from our website at:  http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/workshops