Teacher Workshop Makes Estuary Science Come Alive

The Takeaway: Virginia teachers take this priceless experience back to their classrooms and transfer knowledge to their students.

Dozens of fourth-through-sixth-grade educators experienced the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem firsthand during the “Estuary Science for Elementary and Middle School Teachers” workshop. They collected water temperature data, pulled a “seine” net to collect tiny aquatic animals, and tested how runoff reacts with different surfaces. A record 92 percent of the participants say they will use workshop resources in their classrooms, impacting at least 1800 students.

“This has been a priceless experience,” says Gabrielle Hurst, a Virginia Beach Public Schools teacher. “I want to take it back to my kids so they will be the beneficiaries of my enthusiasm, but also of the great ideas that we got here.”

The 2016 workshops, part of the reserve’s Teachers on the Estuary series, were 100-percent funded by the Virginia Department of Education and took place at the Chesapeake Bay Reserve – Virginia. More than 55 middle school and high school teachers have expressed interest in an upcoming workshop. (2017)

More Information: Teachers on the Estuary video

Partners: Chesapeake Bay Reserve – Virginia, Virginia Department of Education, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Virginia Sea Grant