Greetings Tri-Valley Educators and Happy Earth Day!
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A month has gone by since our visits to classrooms were put on hold. If we were scheduled to visit your classroom this spring, you should have received an email with a link to a corresponding activity for the lesson our staff would have presented. During this time, we have been busy brainstorming ways we can support you and your students as you all adapt to this new way of instruction. We have a feeling you are inundated by links and resources and do not want to contribute to your “overwhelm,” so have put together this eNewsletter with very specific links that we find educational and fun! When you are putting together your lesson plans, we welcome you to email us. Our teaching staff are on hand to assist you in any way we can!
Meanwhile, we'll be revisiting our lesson plans, checking their alignment with the NextGen Standards and developing new ways for students to have more hands-on involvement during our visits.
Stay safe and healthy and at home.
Liz Wilkins
Director, Zone 7 Schools Program
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EARTH DAY 50 – CLIMATE CHANGE
Learn more Earth Day with the help of Project WET's Earth Day 50 website.
- Engage your students in a week of climate education, community building and storytelling, covering topics including weather and climate, extreme weather, biodiversity, soils and oceans.
- Self-paced, free professional development resource from Project WET, National Wildlife Federation and Project WILD.
- Get CEUs, two activities from the Climate, Water and Resilience Educator Guide, two free WET activities, two free Project WILD climate activities and NWF resources!
Celebrate Earth Day at home with Alameda Clean Water Program's Bee-At-Home Activity Pack
- Stage your own Spelling BEE
- Host your own BEE-lieve it or not Quiz Game Show
- Or BEE creative and BEE-dazzle your own flower pot
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PROJECT WET DISTANCE LEARNING RESOURCES
It's time to get wet... that is Project WET Distance Learning!
- A suite of free and discounted water education resources for educators, parents and children.
- Water lessons meet standards in math, language arts, science and even fine arts.
- Recommended Highlights: Our PWET USA Director (and parent at home) demonstrating a couple of the ‘Getting Little Feet WET’ activities with her two boys in this video and a wonderful new activity tutorial for ‘Seeing Watersheds.’
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I know teaching from home is challenging, but I also know all of you are pros. I have heard great things from our community about the fantastic job teachers are doing. To support you, I have a couple of ideas that may make your job a bit easier. The Exploratorium web site has many activities that pertain to the COVID-19 virus, as well as quick activities that relate to your curriculum. To shake up your virtual classroom, you might give Jeopardy Labs a try. It is a free site allowing you to use Jeopardy games that have been completed or make your own game. We are all here to support you as you teach virtually for the remainder of the year.
Stay well,
Marsha Jones
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First, let me say I hope you and your families are safe and healthy as you read this letter. I know this has been a huge adjustment and I want to extend my gratitude for all you are doing to make sure your students are getting the best support possible.
I am currently sheltering in place at my home in Livermore with my three children. It has been a challenge to reformat our daily routines. I miss teaching the eager Kindergarten classes about the Water Cycle, the first-grade students who always impress me with their skills while we do our ‘Water Conservation Wheel’ craft and I won't be traveling with the third graders through our “What’s Water Got To Do With It?” timeline. But, like all of you, we have adjusted and I now spend my days sitting around my kitchen table helping my kids complete their assignments from home.
Thank you for your resilience as we work through this challenging time as a community. We look forward to seeing you all again, but until then stay healthy and safe.
Sincerely,
Jenevieve Riley
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I am thinking of you and your students every day, and hoping that you are all well, safe, healthy, and perhaps even enjoying new experiences due to our changed reality. While I miss seeing you at your school, it is great to see so many families out on the bike paths and trails, enjoying our glorious spring season and the flow of water in our creeks.
I am using my indoor time to update my skills and knowledge base in order to be a more effective teacher and leader for the benefit of our community. I've been helping transition EarthWeek Tri-Valley 2020 to a virtual event, through Zoom meetings which you are welcome to sign up for through Trivalleycce.org I'm also training to become an “Ambassador” for the En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator. Climate and Water are intertwined systems; if you are interested in having your high school classes engage in an Interactive Climate Solutions Game using the En-ROADS Simulator please let us know.
Wishing you new growth, learning, and breakthroughs as you test uncharted water with your students. We are committed to continuing to serve as a resource for you and your students, whether online, or in the future, back in person! Keep healthy, and please stay in touch.
Cheers, Ann Brown
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