Partner with Nature Museum educators and scientists to incorporate real-world science, authentic learning opportunities, and unique resources into your classroom instruction.
Teachers in grades K-1, 3-5, and 6-8 are invited to join the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum’s 2022 Science Teaching Network, a grant-funded teacher professional development program focused on best practices in science instruction, the Next Generation Science Standards, and locally-relevant nature and science topics.
Science Teaching Network Program Highlights
- Attend a Summer Institute at the Nature Museum to explore an NGSS-aligned curriculum and make connections to local ecosystems.
- Receive an NGSS-aligned nine-lesson unit with all curriculum and implementation materials.
- Take a fully-funded field trip to the Nature Museum and receive a bus reimbursement.
- Observe one Nature Museum educator-taught lesson in your classroom.
- Participate in three Saturday PD workshops to support curriculum implementation, reflection on science teaching practices, and teacher collaboration (September, November, January).
- Earn a stipend of up to $200 and up to 36 professional development clock hours.
Science Teaching Network Curriculum Choices
Nature on the Block
Grades K-1 | July 25–28
Explore how local plants and animals survive in their environments by using various structures to meet their needs and change their surroundings.
NGSS: K-ESS2-2, K-ESS3-3, 1-LS1-1
Conservation on Location (C)
Grades 3-5 | August 1–4
Join conservation scientists at the Nature Museum as they monitor endangered species, and work to improve local ecosystems and increase these animals’ chances of survival.
NGSS: 3-LS1-1, (3-LS4-4), 4-LS1-2, 5-ESS3-1
Plants, Matter, Energy! (C)
Grades 6-8 | August 8–10
Investigate the complex role of plants in their ecosystems. What processes do plants use to cycle energy and matter in their environments? How do interactions sustain both plants and animals?
NGSS: MS-LS1-4, MS-LS1-5, MS-LS1-6
(C) = Connected
Curriculum is designed especially for 1-to-1 digitally-equipped classrooms in which each student has individual access to a digital device in every session. The curriculum relies on direct student engagement with documents, images and media that are included in digital form. These curricula also include hands-on cooperative learning activities and in-person visits by the museum educator.
How to Apply
Registration is now open. Click the button below to get started.
To participate, teachers must apply and be selected to enroll. Priority is given to teams of two or more teachers in historically under-resourced schools. Each teacher must submit a separate application. Application deadline is May 27.
If you have any questions, please e-mail teacherprograms@naturemuseum.org.
Science Teaching Network Teacher Feedback
I love how we were able to connect everything we learned to real life by bringing kids here on a field trip!
I loved that by the end of the unit, students WERE scientists. They were using scientific words they were exposed to and speaking the scientific language in discussions. It really gave them independence and sparked their creativity.
The program breaks the NGSS down in an easy to understand way and shows teachers how to apply them in lessons that are hands on and engaging.
I enjoyed listening to the scientists share their knowledge and their work. ‘Science’ doesn’t seem so abstract to me anymore.
I learned to collaborate and work with teachers from another school. The partnership we created gave me the confidence I needed to become more comfortable teaching science.
