Hosting BASIS Volunteers

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Hosting BASIS Volunteers

BASIS volunteers are scientists and science enthusiasts who generously donate their time to bring exciting, hands-on science to students and teachers.  Volunteers come to the classroom with widely varying teaching experience and years of involvement with the BASIS program; they could be a retired science teacher, a graduate student making their first visit to an elementary school classroom, or an employee from a private industry company.

Ready to host a BASIS Presentation?

What Teachers can do to ensure a great experience for all

Good communication is vital to the success of BASIS presentations.  Here are a few tips (think: requirements!) for teachers getting ready to host a BASIS volunteer:

  1. As volunteer presentations are scheduled, teachers will receive a confirmation e-mail detailing the lesson title and description, date and time, and volunteer name and e-mail address.  Please add the lesson to your calendar and print or save the confirmation for your records.
  2. Teachers who can not be matched with a volunteer at the current time will receive an e-mail notifying them that they have been added to the waitlist.  If you do not receive a confirmation email, please assume that you are on the waitlist.
  3. Contact your BASIS volunteer at least a week before the presentation to verify that you are ready for the volunteer's classroom visit. Please let volunteers know about the following: getting to and parking at the school; class size; students' prior experience with the topic; special needs students; or other notable details about your classroom.  
  4. Teachers must remain in the classroom when hosting a BASIS volunteer, and should offer support with classroom management if needed. 
  5. Do not schedule a substitute during a volunteer visit. If you are planning to be out of the classroom on the day of your BASIS presentation, e-mail us at teach@crscience.org and we will be happy to reschedule.
  6. Following your BASIS presentation, please fill out the brief, online post-presentation evaluation to provide suggestions to volunteers and help us maintain the excellent quality of our program. 
  7. Remember that CRS is here to support your teaching. We're happy to suggest some follow-up activities, websites, or other resources to build on what your students learn during the presentation and to connect across the curriculum.

Community Resources for Science
1611 San Pablo Avenue, Suite 10 B
Berkeley, CA 94702

 

Phone: (510) 527-5212
Fax: (510) 527-5216
Email: community@crscience.org
EIN: 94-3262587

 

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The mission of CRS is to empower teachers and STEM professionals serving schools in historically marginalized communities to activate TK-8 students’ curiosity about the world, foster critical thinking, and inspire children to imagine future career pathways. We envision a community of educators, scientists, families and partners working together to build school cultures that equip all children to explore the world around them and build the skills needed to become innovators, problem solvers, environmental stewards, life-long learners and leaders. CRS leads a dynamic network, fostering relationships and collaborations that leverage expertise and resources to transform science teaching and learning toward greater equity, opportunity, and success for all students.

 

Our goal is simple: help teachers give students more opportunities to “do science” – to ask questions, test ideas, get their hands on real science activities. We need to inspire the next generation of thinkers, makers, problem solvers, and leaders!