UNC-TV ONLINE: Inquiry Based Learning in the School Yard



	“You Have An Outdoor Classroom! How Do You Use It? Inquiry-Based Learning in the Schoolyard,”
	Project - Partners - Goals & Standards - Participants Toolkits - Lesson Plans/activities - Photo Gallery PBS Station Trainers - EekoWorld

	<<PBS Station Trainers Helpful Notes for Workshop Trainers/Facilitators 9:30 am - 4:30 pm Schedule below slightly altered to allow more time to look at PBS resources and supplemental materials Park or Outdoor space Preparation (facilitator will explore outdoor area first to make sure it is conducive for the learning that is planned, this should be done in a pre-visit prior to the workshop date and the morning of the workshop) Find spider webs Check bushes Indoor Preparation (facilitators) Put chairs in circle around room for the number of participants Put materials on chairs-Binder, journal, bug box, pencils, agenda Set up library table-Books, brochures, banners, displays, etc Set up sign-in table-Sign-in sheet, nametags, checks, extra mileage and release forms When participants arrive (10 minutes) Sign-in Get check Get nametag Hand in pre-visit activity Hand in release form Hand in mileage form INTRO (10 minutes) Thank you for coming-Introduce yourself Before we go around and meet everyone, have workshop sponsors and developers introduce themselves - go around the circle Get to know all of the participants-ask for their name, where you live, and a fond childhood outdoor memory Most adults today have fond outdoor memories. Ask participants, "As part of the pre-visit activity, did you find anything interesting?" Kids spending less time outside-we'll talk later about why such a concern History (5 minutes) Hand over to UNC-TV representative to talk about how this workshop was made possible. Workshop goals ( 15 minutes ) Get the participants goals-what they want to learn Journaling - ( 25- 30 minutes ) Inquiry-Based learning -What is it? ( 10 minutes ) Why go outside? (15minutes) ADD and the outdoors Worries about the Outdoors ( 15 minutes ) A lot of people are not comfortable leading their students outside. What are some of the worries or concerns you or people you know have had? (End 11:00 am) List and come up with tips / solutions Be sure to mention: Poison Ivy Wasps Behavior of children Don't know answer Break ( 10 minutes ) BREAK NEXT, BUT DIVIDE INTO 4 GROUPS FIRST. WE'LL BE OUTSIDE FOR A WHILE AFTER THE BREAK. EACH GROUP GETS A BUCKET AND A BAG. FACILITATOR MAKE SURE TO BRING FLIP CHART AND BINS Activity #1 (30 minutes) One concern people have is that their school grounds don't have enough to offer-you all have a school ground with enough to offer. Do you think there is anything living there? Plants. What about animals? Why? What do animals need to survive? Food, water, shelter, space (or a place to raise young) Go to a spider web. What is it? What is it made out of? What is silk? Do all spiders make webs? Do all spiders have silk? What for? -Movement, egg sac, prey What do spiders eat? How do they eat? Show how to spray web-talk about different kinds of silk What makes a spider a spider? (the body, number of legs, shape of body) Male vs. female Show shake a bush technique Check for hives first Send groups on their own to find webs, shake a bush, and journal about discoveries-SHARE! How come some plants and animals can live here and some can't? Adaptations! Define Adaptation What is it not Do people have adaptations? Adaptation Relay! Get kids active and illustrates concept in a way they can understand firsthand. Debrief How were the activities? Do you think you could do them with your students? Any ideas to add? Questions? Lunch ( 30 minutes ) Tour of the museum of training site ( 30 minutes ) Activity #2 Supplies-bring out flip chart, bin, seed materials (30 minutes ) Get everyone together for their group presentations Debrief How easy was it to develop the activities? Do you think you could do it with your students? Ideas/Questions Activities #3-#6 Explain the activities and debrief ( 60 minutes total / 15 minutes each activity ) Facilitator Activity #3 - Trees (15 minutes) Trees to Meet You Bark and leaf rubbings Social Studies Activity #4 - Grass (15 minutes) Observation Skills Adaptations Activity #5 - Parking Lot (15 minutes) Water / run off Temperature Succession Activity #6 - The School Building (15 minutes) Microclimates-Slurp Mud Daubers Participants go back inside (10 minutes) Final debrief (10 minutes) Facilitator asks: How were the activities today? Did you see some activities or resources you might be able to use? Go over goals. Did we accomplish them? Review PBS Resources in the binder and PBSKIDS Go! Website and PowerPoint ( 45 minutes ) Facilitator share supplemental booklists and go through the resources that are in the bags ( 15 minutes ) Go over post-workshop activities instructions and hand it out. (if applicable) (5 minutes) Evaluations (10 minutes) Announcements and Door prizes (5 minutes) Distribute bags to participants as they hand in evaluations, as they are exiting Goodbye! (4:30 pm)