2012 Teacher Institute Day at The Morton Arboretum
Conserving Resources for Tomorrow
Friday, March 2, 2012
Join us for a variety of sessions geared towards helping students understand and appreciate their individual connections with natural resources and what they can do to help in conservation efforts. New sessions include guided curricular-based hikes through the Vanishing Acts Exhibit and the Children’s Garden, Creating a Classroom Herbarium, and Using Plants in the Classroom.
Please come dressed for the weather – we will spend part of the day outside - and wear comfortable walking shoes. Also, please remember to bring a brown bag lunch. This program is free to teachers and includes Arboretum gate admission.
Pre-Registration Required. Register Here
Agenda:
8:30-9 am – Check-In
9-11:50 am – Morning Sessions
12-12:45 pm – Lunch
1-3 pm – Guided Curriculum-Based Walks/Outdoor Activities
Morning Sessions (9-11:50 am)
Teachers will select one track for their morning session
Track A (geared towards 6-12 grade teachers):
Exploring Conservation through Library Archives – Rita Hassert, Library Collections Manager
Classroom Herbariums – Andrew Hipp, Plant Systematist and Herbarium Curator
- Explore The Morton Arboretum’s Herbarium. Discover how you can use the Arboretum’s herbarium to help you with classroom research projects and learn how to make your own classroom herbarium to use for a variety of different lessons.
Bloom Records and Climate Change
- Bloom records analysis can help us understand how climate change is affectingLearn how to analyze data from bloom records at The Morton Arboretum and examine herbarium specimens to confirm data. Teachers will gain classroom lesson ideas to help students understand how climate change affects plants in the Great Lakes region.
Track B (geared towards K-8 grade teachers):
Using Plants in the Classroom –Sara Koert, Horticulturalist
- Teaching children how plants grow is one of the first steps to helping them understandAn Arboretum horticulturalist will present practical ideas of how to use plants in a classroom.
Nature All Around You – Camille Grabski, Coordinator of School Programs
- Discover how you can use whatever school grounds you may have available to teach nature toIdentify free resources available for teachers to check out through The Morton Arboretum.
Plant Structural Adaptations Lab – Field Trip Options at The Morton Arboretum – Lyn Myers, Education Program Guide
- Experience our Plant Structural Adaptations Laboratory study as your studentsDiscover ways to connect your field trip and lab to your classroom before and after your visit.
Track C (geared towards teachers of all grade levels):
Lawn to Lake: Healthy Landscapes Lead to Healthy Lakes – Susan Ask, Watershed Specialist with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant/University of Illinois Extension
- Clean water in Lake Michigan and local rivers depends, largely, on us. Even our landscaping practices make a difference. Lawn and garden chemicals applied in the yard can wind up in the water, polluting lake and rivers with pesticides and excess fertilizer. But it’s easy to adopt healthy landscape practices that can make aLearn to use the Enviroscape watershed model; it’s a great hands-on activity that helps students understand watersheds and water pollution. Everyone who attends the training will be able to borrow a watershed model for free from The Morton Arboretum.
A Guided Walk through Self-Guided Field Trips - Elizabeth Halleck, Education Program Guide
- The Arboretum grounds are a fantasticA master Education Program Guide will walk teachers through self-guided activities, including backpacks available to check out through the Arboretum’s education program, and provide teachers with suggestions on how to best incorporate a self-guided field trip into classroom curriculum.
Getting Young People Involved - A Look at Arboretum STEM Resources and Opportunities – Beth Bengtson, Education Program Guide
- Do you want to get your students more involved in STEM? Discover the Arboretum’s STEM Pathways Program and learn how you can get your students involved in the Counselor in Training program, the MacGyver volunteer program, Restoration Stewards program and Summer Science Camp.
Guided Curriculum Based Walks/Outdoor Activities (1-3 pm):
Teachers select one afternoon activity
Vanishing Acts – Leslie Goddard, Arboretum Exhibit Developer
- Meet fifteen of the world’s rarest, most endangered trees and learn about their struggle to survive in a tour of the Arboretum’s newly opened, nationally touring exhibit Vanishing Acts: Trees Under Threat. Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and victories involved in assembling this exhibit and share suggestions foryou can inspire your students to help threatened trees.
Children’s Garden - Lesley Kolaya, Children’s Garden Supervisor
- At The Morton Arboretum, imaginationCuriosity grows. And kids flourish! Splash through secret streams, climb colossal acorns, and slide down giant tree roots. Explore, learn and play among trees and the natural world. Tour the Children’s Garden with Children’s Garden staff to find out how to enhance your field trip with educational ideas and self-guided backpacks.
Restoration Stewards - Tricia Bethke, Education Program Guide
- Discover how students can help The Morton Arboretum with natural areas management and conservationEducation Program Guides will lead you through an educational service project in restoration the same way your students would. Activities can include pulling invasive plants, collecting seeds, and more. Learn about ecological restoration while doing restoration!