Professional Development
During the period of May 2016-March 2019, teachers and staff at Bodkin Elementary were involved in professional development and training activities at a number of levels. These activities, workshops and projects increased staff knowledge of environmental issues and topics, introduced new and creative instructional strategies and enhanced overall environmental literacy. The following activities are provided in support of this requirement:
Camp Woodlands/Downs Park
Kristin Goodwyn, Amy Cochran, Stephanie Sissock, Laura Palermo
Every year the Kindergarten teachers (Amy Cochran, Kristin Goodwyn, Laura Palermo, Stephanie Sissock) meet with an Arlington Echo representative to decide on the activities that will be completed at the annual Camp Woodlands field trip. This meeting takes about 45 minutes to an hour. Once the activities are decided, we then make a list of materials needed, rotation times to each outdoor activity station, lessons for the instructors (parent volunteers) to learn, and review the lessons that need to be taught prior to the field trip.
Environmental Literacy Curriculum Integration
Colleen Mack, Jerry Groves
Tawnya Jones, Elizabeth Sturgeon
The purpose of this course is to analyze, develop and integrate the Maryland Environmental Literacy standards with Math, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies curriculum to support the Common Core and the Teaching and Learning Cycle. Teachers will work together to formulate units and lessons to be integrated throughout the academic year, increasing rigor through multidisciplinary projects, relevance through local environmental issues, and engaging students through hands-on outdoor learning.
Science Lead Teacher Professional Development
Brian Vandegrift and Nina Regan
Science Lead Teachers will have the opportunity to
examine and discuss the Voluntary State Curriculum for Science and build
strategies to align and implement curriculum, instruction, and assessment in
preparation for the MSA in science. This workshop will positively impact
student achievement by ensuring that instructors are utilizing curriculums that
meet the VSC and approaches that are more conducive to student learning.
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Paperless Classrooms
Maria Kelly and Kristen Duffy
Participants in this course will learn how to use their AACPS Google Drive account and how to make the most of the Chrome browser. Google users will be able to get access to Google’s suite of productivity tools (doc, sheets, slides) as well as access to all of their files from any device, at any time of the day.
This PD helps to encourage paperless learning within our classrooms by:
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Bringing the Environment to the Classroom
Donna Rush and Kristen Duffy
2016-2018
Through this course, participants will examine resources for environmental literacy instruction. Participants will explore local resources and research specimens such as fish, turtles, and plants that can be kept in the classroom for integration as part of student research and instruction. Participants will analyze, develop Math, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies curriculum to support the Common Core and the Teaching and Learning Cycle. Teachers will work together to create and review units and lessons, that utilize differentiated instruction, to be integrated throughout the academic year, increasing rigor through multidisciplinary projects, relevance through local environmental issues, and engaging students through hands-on outdoor learning.
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Arlington Echo Overnight-
Kristen Duffy and Kim Beasley
This course is for 4th grade teachers participating in the Arlington Echo Environmental Literacy Outdoor Educational overnight experience. Participants are expected to spend three hours outside of the regular class hours preparing for this program. The participant will spend two days and one night on the designated date supplied by AACPS with the fourth graders from their school at Arlington Echo. The participant is also responsible for planning and implementing an after-hours program, with the help of an Arlington Echo representative that will take place at Arlington Echo.
From this experience the students will gain an appreciation of our natural environment and will gain a better understanding of how to be stewards of this environment. |
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eCoach In Service Elementary
Kim Pellar/Beasley 2016-2019The purpose of the eCoach In-service day is to prepare the eCoaches to deliver instruction to their school staff. The technology has allowed school staff to create paperless classroom time. We have been using Blackboard, QR Codes, Google Docs, and other technologies to allow us to learn, produce, and display student’s knowledge digitally, which means we are using less paper. It is us doing our part to create a Green school atmosphere.
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Leadership Development Institute
Sandra Nee-Jackson
The Leadership Development Institute (LDI) is a program jointly established by the 21st Century Education Foundation and AACPS to cultivate collaborative leaders and enhance partnerships between the school system and business sector. Participants, selected from all areas of the AACPS organization as well as from community organizations, participate in challenge sessions to explore leadership through connections between businesses, community, government, and the school system.
As a culminating project Mrs. Nee-Jackson worked to create a community garden to build upon and strengthen the school-community relationship while teaching about the nutritional benefits associated with a community garden. |
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Initiative and Confidence Training
Michelle Corey
The Initiative and Confidence course at Arlington Echo Out is designed for students and adults to build communication and cooperation skills. Through a series of field games and low elements, participants work as a team to solve problems and overcome challenges. These team building activities help participants become more self-confident as individuals and more collaborative as members of a team. Completing these activities is also a great way for participants to build trust. This course works well with students at the beginning of the school year, faculty groups, clubs and sports teams. All groups must be led by a certified instructor. Certification requires a two-day, 16-hour workshop, which is offered at Arlington Echo three times a year.
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Full School Faculty and Student AssemblyA full student and staff assembly was held in October, 2019 with Kelly Mackall from the Anne Arundel County Recycling Center to ensure that all students and staff were knowledgeable about current recycling guidelines to be implemented at both school and home.
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Committee Meetings
Green School Committee Meetings are held monthly to discuss grade level responsibilities and school wide behaviors to support our Green School Initiatives and application process. Each grade level team is represented at these meetings in order to promote whole school awareness. Feedback from grade levels and new initiatives are welcomed and discussed.
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Whole School Meeting
All Aboard! During our full staff morning meetings, Bodkin Teachers and Staff are continuously updated on the Environmental Literacy requirements and the MAEOE Maryland Green School Application process.
Collaborative Lesson Planning/Modeling
Clear Shark H20
This year, Bodkin Elementary has teamed up with Clear Shark H2O to collaboratively plan lessons with our Art Teacher (Jacki Cockcroft) to implement with her four, 3rd grade classes (97 students). These lessons bring awareness to the importance of oysters in our Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Tower Garden
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Sandy Dunmyer, presented the idea of a Tower Garden on behalf of Juice Plus to our full staff in order to bridge the nutritional gap and increase food awareness within our students. Our Green Committee thought it would be good idea for students to have an indoor system to watch plants grow and try new foods.
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Maryland Environmental Service
The Maryland Environmental Service is collaborating with our 2nd Grade Team to implement four, 60 minute rotations involving 95 students.
Felt Board Storytelling: Dredging and Habitat Restoration Learn about the connection between dredging in the Chesapeake Bay and the restoration of Poplar Island, Hart-Miller Island, Masonville Cove, or the Swan Creek Wetland through interactive felt board stories. In classroom presentations, videos can also be shown to reinforce the concepts of dredging and habitat creation. Design a Diamondback In this popular activity students learn about turtle adaptations as they “design” a diamondback terrapin using a volunteer as a life-sized model. The entire class is involved as students read aloud adaptations to build a terrapin piece by piece. Students will explore:
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Masonville Cove