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.
Partner stories
These stories are a collection of educator professional learning experiences and opportunities provided by ESD, CBO and Tribal School partners.

PSESD
Puget Sound ESD works with school district science leaders and regional community-based organizations (CBOs) to bring climate science concepts through NGSS-aligned, phenomena-based teaching to students across the region. Our greatest area of leverage is the science leaders and teacher leaders in our local school districts who can engage greater numbers of colleagues in racially just, solutions-oriented climate science learning and teaching.
I am a Scientist! A ClimeTime Early Learning Workshop
In the spring of 2023, 18 educators and administrators from community early learning centers in the Puget Sound area and the Issaquah School District participated in the I am a Scientist! ClimeTime Early Learning Workshop Series, impacting 150-200 students and their...
Phenomena-based Learning Workshop Creates Record Attendance and Completion Rates
PEI’s workshops are typically well attended, but what happened in May was exceptional. Over one hundred people registered for a Phenomena Based Learning: Solutions Oriented Storylines workshop and of those who attended, nearly all completed the course requirements....
Rising Star elementary students restore their green space, rejuvenate their school garden, and engage in science learning with the schoolyard, community and community partners
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...
Schoolyard Science Storyline for 3-5 Teachers: What Makes a Weed a Weed?
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...
Teachers & Students Engineer Community-Based Air Quality Solutions and Co-Design Student-Led Climate Action
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,...
IslandWood Seasonal Change in the Schoolyard Course for PreK-2 Teachers
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...
Community-Centered Climate Change with Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center
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...
Computer Science Children’s Book Study
At our book study sessions, teachers meet in a cross-grade breakout to make sense of the computer science ideas embedded in the readings. They then meet in grade banded breakouts to apply their new understanding to learning opportunities that they share with their...