Discover Shorebirds: Lessons for Grades 3-8
Join us to explore this NEW curriculum!
Discover Shorebirds is a new, free curricular resource that will bring shorebird education into the classroom through engaging and innovative games and activities. The Executive Office for the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) is proud to roll out Discover Shorebirds with Manomet and partner organization, with support from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). This curriculum will connect students and teachers with shorebirds, conservation, and local ecosystems as they learn about ecology and the real-world science behind protecting habitats in the Western Hemisphere.
“We believe that education is one of the best tools to create long-term change. Our goal is to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards and conservationists by making it easy for teachers to connect learning to the natural world” shared Molly Jacobs, Vice-President of Environmental Education and Outreach, Manomet.
Within the curriculum’s five lessons, students explore shorebird biology, ecology, migration, tracking technologies, threats, ecosystem services and stewardship through hands-on, engaging activities and games. Each lesson includes activity instructions, supplemental worksheets, supporting materials and learning resources. This curriculum is designed to be taught in a variety of different learning settings and is great for classrooms, homeschool groups, and nature centers.
The curriculum is designed to support best practices in science teaching across the western hemisphere and aligns well with science teaching standards in Canada, the United States, and other countries. The curriculum is available in English, Spanish and French.
Looking to learn more about the Discover Shorebirds curriculum and how you can incorporate it into your work? Manomet and WHSRN Executive Office staff are launching this curriculum on Thursday, January 26th from 11-12:30 PM EST to provide an overview of the curriculum. After reviewing the curriculum, there will be space for participants to ask questions, provide feedback and brainstorm ways the Discover Shorebirds curriculum can be used in different education settings. We will have English/Spanish/French simultaneous interpretations during this meeting. Click here to register.
Teacher workshops will also be held in February and March to review lessons, materials, and resources and practice using the curriculum to increase educators’ understanding and comfort with the materials for use in the classroom, homeschool groups, nature centers and beyond. Each workshop will cover the same content, one on February 28 from 6:30-8:30 PM EST and one on March 6, 3:30-5:30 PM EST to accommodate teachers tuning in from different parts of the Western Hemisphere. Teacher workshops will be free and will have English/Spanish/French simultaneous interpretations available.
If you would like more information on our teacher workshops please email Clare Cunningham, who is Manomet’s Science Educator, at ccunningham@manomet.org.
Cover Photo: Students learn about shorebirds and horseshoe crabs on Delaware Bay. Photo: John King
