Educator Workshops

Invasive species of plants and animals can cause large-scale changes to biodiversity in ecosystems and economic harm. Let’s explore the science of invasive species and the challenges of communicating about the issue, including how associated terminology can be problematic or even xenophobic. Meet with other formal and informal educators to develop new approaches to presenting the topic, understanding the threat, and formulating possible solutions. The demands of the STEELS standards will guide workshop discussions aimed at developing project-based learning techniques.

We encourage formal and informal educators from all disciplines to join us for this great opportunity to collaborate and share ideas.

This workshop welcomes educators from all subject areas and grade levels.

If more than 50% of your students qualify for free or reduced-price school lunch, your school or organization will be eligible for a scholarship towards a museum field trip after the workshop.

Funding is available to reimburse your school or district for substitute teacher costs on the day that you attend this workshop.

Using the exhibition Life in One Cubic Foot as inspiration, explore activities and lessons to teach learners about the dynamics of biodiversity and ecosystems. We’ll visit the exhibition to discover what a cubic foot of land or water reveals about the diversity of life on the planet with the help of “biocubes”, one-cubic-foot frames used to survey animals and plants living in an ecosystem. Meet with other formal and informal educators to think about ways we can support each other in planning for the new STEELS standards and their focus on project-based learning.

Life in One Cubic Foot is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

This workshop welcomes educators from all subject areas and grade levels.

If more than 50% of your students qualify for free or reduced-price school lunch, your school or organization will be eligible for a scholarship towards a museum field trip after the workshop.

Funding is available to reimburse your school or district for substitute teacher costs on the day that you attend this workshop.

Help your students contribute their experience and expertise to a global community science project! This workshop will explore the surprising biodiversity of habitats like sidewalk cracks, suburban parking lots, and the diverse array of green spaces that cross our landscape in and around the city. Learn techniques for recording and analyzing nature observations. Use the iNaturalist app to contribute data to crowdsourced science efforts, and also sketch with pencil and paper. This workshop will explore the Youth Equity + STEM framework as we introduce classroom activities to help your students join in a global effort to collect observations for science in the City Nature Challenge.

This workshop welcomes educators from all subject areas and grade levels.

If more than 50% of your students qualify for free or reduced-price school lunch, your school or organization will be eligible for a scholarship towards a museum field trip after the workshop.

Funding is available to reimburse your school or district for substitute teacher costs on the day that you attend this workshop.

Help develop new learning tools that promote youth engagement in science and explore the Youth Equity + STEM framework. Team up with scientists and educators from Carnegie Museum of Natural History to test innovative resources that will help your students recognize and analyze patterns and cycles in nature. We’ll learn about efforts of museum scientists and other professionals to use observational data (like the timing of flowering and leaf out in wildflowers) to provide insights on the effects of climate change. This workshop will introduce physical tools that can be borrowed from the museum for classroom use and will explore inventive ways for learners to demonstrate their developing expertise.

This workshop welcomes educators from all subject areas and grade levels.

If more than 50% of your students qualify for free or reduced-price school lunch, your school or organization will be eligible for a scholarship towards a museum field trip after the workshop.

Funding is available to reimburse your school or district for substitute teacher costs on the day that you attend this workshop.

Help co-design new tools that use real world museum specimens and data to bring learning to life. Connect with scientists and educators from Carnegie Museum of Natural History to test new resources that will help your students grasp just how much diversity there is in the animal kingdom. Using the world of insects as an example, we’ll dig deep into the definition and topic of biodiversity. This workshop will explore the Youth Equity + STEM framework as well as introduce digital resources and physical objects that can be borrowed from the museum.

This workshop welcomes educators from all subject areas and grade levels.

If more than 50% of your students qualify for free or reduced-price school lunch, your school or organization will be eligible for a scholarship towards a museum field trip after the workshop.

Funding is available to reimburse your school or district for substitute teacher costs on the day that you attend this workshop.