These stories are a collection of educator professional learning experiences and opportunities provided by ESD, CBO and Tribal School partners.
IslandWood’s teacher professional development opportunities are designed to support powerful learning experiences that connect to students’ lives and communities. In this time of increasing awareness and activism, IslandWood is joining with teachers in working to address the vast racial, economic, and environmental disparities in our communities and classrooms.
On August 7th, science educators from the Puget Sound region gathered for a two-day Localizing Amplify Science Teacher Institute at IslandWood’s Bainbridge Island campus. The educators were excited to collaborate on curriculum adaptations towards incorporating student...
This year, Rising Star Elementary students restored their green space, rejuvenated their school garden, and engaged in science learning with the schoolyard, community and community partners. All of this came out of a two-year ClimeTime-funded partnership that...
This Spring, teachers used a simple clump of dandelions to anchor a Next Generation Science Standards-aligned storyline that motivated their students to go outside and engage with outdoor science observations and investigations. They questioned their own conceptions...
This spring, IslandWood launched a new teacher professional development course called Community-Centered Climate Action, geared towards Third through Fifth grade teachers from around the Puget Sound. During the five-part Community-Centered Climate Action Course,...
PreK-2 Teachers came together in the Fall to explore how plants, animals and people interact with seasonal patterns and consider the impact of climate change. They learned to incorporate schoolyards and communities into their classroom learning and reflected on how...
During this two-month course, teachers learned about the impacts of climate change on snowpack in the Snohomish Valley, specifically the impact that Snohomish River flooding continues to have on nearby human and nonhuman communities. This is the second year IslandWood...
On August 26th, 2022, 38 Rising Star Elementary School staff jumped on a bus to headed to Bainbridge Island! The staff trip was a part of IslandWood’s Focus School partnership with Rising Star Elementary centered on helping students across grades make connections...
We kicked off our Localizing Amplify Science Working Group with participants on our Bainbridge Island campus during the first week of August! Educators from all over Puget Sound were at IslandWood to begin a year-long collaboration to enhance the nationwide K–8...
On March 6, 2021, and again on March 13, IslandWood staff and elementary teachers came together on Zoom to explore two science storylines related to local phenological phenomena (say that five times fast!). Teachers of K-2 students explored a storyline related to...