TEACH FROM THE ISLAND!
With many lessons virtual and with teachers struggling to maintain students’ attention, we know that teachers are seeking creative solutions to engage their students. Living Classrooms of the National Capital Region is offering teachers a unique opportunity: to teach from a beautiful, natural, Conservation Area right here in the District, with our support.
Living Classrooms staff manages the Kingman + Heritage Islands Conservation Area on behalf of the District Department of Energy and the Environment, and has provided hands-on environmental science lessons to District youth at Kingman Island for more than a decade. In the past, these classes were normally field trips in which students investigated a specific topic or learned about the natural features of the Islands and the Anacostia River, or they were part of a series of classes and action projects in which students were able to really dig into concepts and science skills and practices. Due to COVID-19, Living Classrooms, like every other education institution, has navigated the creation of similar programs through digital means. Now we are offering our outdoor, living classroom to you as you teach online.
Our staff is ready to support your virtual field trip on Kingman Island with training, guidance on use of the space (where to find river access, vernal pools, meadow, and forest ecosystems), lesson plans, and the physical supports such as a hotspot wi-fi and a Living Classrooms staff co-teacher as you teach from the Island. You can use our nets to collect insects in the meadow, fish in Kingman Lake, or collect macroinvertebrates in the vernal pools and share them with your students through a virtual field trip, with our help! We hope that with exposure like this, students will be encouraged to come to Kingman Island with their families to explore on their own, thus increasing the community investment needed to maintain this resource as a conservation area.
This moment, more than any other in recent education history, requires thinking outside the box, problem solving, addressing identified problems, and the space and healing that outdoor education can provide. Take advantage of it! Contact Teresa Martin at Living Classrooms to learn more or to sign up for training and/or a field trip at tmartin@livingclassroomsdc.org.
