Bring the NASA-supported "Future of Forests" curriculum into your classroom to explore patterns of landscape change following wildfires.

As wildfires continue to ravage the west, burning more and more of the landscape, many are left wondering, how will these fire-affected forests will recover? In this FREE teacher workshop, University of Colorado Boulder curriculum developers lead participants through The Future of Forests, a MS/HS curriculum connected to NGSS life science standards that explores patterns of post-fire recovery (or lack thereof) across the west and inspires classrooms to engage in citizen science using NASA's GLOBE Observer land cover app. Participants will engage with online interactives from the National Forest Service, authentic datasets, and App-based labs in this 2-day online teacher workshop. For additional information about the workshop, please refer to the course syllabus or course flyer.

WHO: Middle and High School Science Teachers

WHAT: Virtual Teacher Professional Development Course for content and curriculum connected to NGSS Life Science standards.

WHEN: Wednesday, July 13th AND Thursday, July 14th from 8 am - 12 pm PT/9 am - 1 pm MT/10 am - 2 pm CT/11 am - 3 pm ET each day

WHY: The goal of this course is to introduce educators to NGSS Life Science standards in the context of the NASA-supported curriculum, “The Future of Forests”. At the end of the course, participants will be able to effectively facilitate each lesson, connecting concepts and standards back to the unit driving question, “How do landscapes recover after a wildfire?”

HOW: This interactive workshop will be conducted virtually via Zoom. Facilitators will lead participants through each lesson of the curriculum following the approach below: 

1. Utilize the main Zoom meeting room for lesson instructions. Participants engage with lesson resources either individually or in small groups via Zoom breakout rooms.
2. Everyone returns to the main Zoom room to wrap up and reflect on the lesson.