CRS Honors Teachers for Excellence in Elementary Science
Wide-eyed wonder and the thrill of discovery are frequent experiences in the classrooms of 90 elementary teachers in Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, Fremont, and West Contra Costa who earned recognition from Community Resources for Science this Spring for excellence in elementary science teaching. Through the CRS Science Super Star program, these teachers documented how their students are making meaning of their worlds through science and engineering learning experiences as the teachers transform their teaching to meet the Next Generation Science Standards.
Says Corinn Brown, CRS Teacher Services Manager,
“The Science Super Star Challenge motivates teachers to set the stage for inquiry and engage their students in science and engineering practices. This year, nearly 3,000 elementary children have benefited from the changes these Super Star teacher honorees are bringing to life in their classrooms.”
And, the teachers are often amazed to discover how engaged and empowered their young learners become. One honoree advises fellow teachers:
“Dive in and don’t be afraid of the mess, or that it won’t work! Students learn so much from hands-on science experiences, especially those that don’t go perfectly!”
Along with recognition, the program provides a range of prizes for teachers and students including science-themed books, tickets from the Oakland Athletics, field trips, and “pop-up science festivals” at schools, featuring STEM professionals from UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley Lab, Health Advances, Amyris, Clorox, and East Bay Regional Parks.
To see the list of teacher honorees, and see their advice, examples, tips and suggestions, visit the CRS website.
Thank you to Chabot Space and Science Center for hosting the celebration luncheon to kick off the Spring of science celebration events for the Science Super Star teachers, schools, and students. See photos from the luncheon on Flickr.