These stories are a collection of educator professional learning experiences and opportunities provided by ESD, CBO and Tribal School partners.
The Olympic ESD 114 ClimeTime work is focused on increasing understanding of the Next Generation Science Standards while building a vision of science instruction consistent with the Framework for K-12 Science Education. Olympic ESD serves teachers in rural and remote areas on the Olympic Peninsula working to ensure equity and access to high quality professional learning opportunities in typically underserved communities.
Over the course of the 2024-25 school year, more than 60 teachers from across Western Washington connected Amplify Science units to their students’ funds of knowledge, experiences, and communities. They were introduced to a unit-specific “localizing guide” that...
On May 28th, teachers from across the Puget Sound region came together with district leads, developers, and IslandWood staff to share and celebrate the work they did this year on eight new “localizing guides” for OpenSciEd and Amplify Science units. Each localizing...
“We need to stop thinking, ‘Is this student good enough for my science class?’ and start asking, ‘Is my science class good enough to engage all students?’” This was the question posed by Jamie Yoos, a chemistry teacher and OpenSciEd facilitator from Bellingham,...
The OpenSciEd Elementary Field Test launched this August on the beautiful Washington State University, Vancouver campus. Over seventy elementary teachers from across the state participated in this three-day project launch learning about the high-quality OpenSciEd...
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...
A team of 12 Washington state educators—OSPI, Regional Science Coordinators, and teacher leaders—attended the OpenSciEd Elementary Facilitator Academy in Denver, CO, June 19-24 with support from the Climetime project and Williams Foundation. This week-long immersion...
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...
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...