Media advisory/Photo opportunity: CSU Little Shop of Physics Trains Poudre School District Teachers on Science Kits Today and Thursday

What/when:

Poudre School District 4th and 5th grade teachers will meet with members of the Little Shop of Physics from 4:30-6:30 p.m., today and Thursday, May 10 at the district’s ITC Building, Aspen 2 Room, 2413 Laporte Ave., in Fort Collins.

Brian Jones, director of the Little Shop of Physics and Cherie Bornhorst and Sheila Ferguson, K-12 teachers who work as Teachers in Residence with the program, will give teachers science kits that CSU students have built for every elementary school in the district and train teachers on using the kits in their classrooms.

The program is part of a Bohemian Foundation Pharos Fund grant to help develop science curriculum in collaboration with the district.

Details:

The kits – including all written materials in electronic format to be adapted as needed, video content, and equipment, enough for a class of 30 students to perform dozens of hands-on investigations – will become the property of the schools.

The university’s Little Shop of Physics program is an educational outreach program that empowers individuals to see the world, and themselves, in a different light through hands-on science. The program allows youth to act as scientists – to freely explore, engage, and discover. Little Shop of Physics is nationally recognized for excellence in STEM education, and much of the program’s success can be credited to deep local connections with students and teachers in the Poudre School District.

DeeDee Wright, the new PSD Science Coordinator, will work with Little Shop of Physics to develop science standards at the elementary level (grades 4-5) while maximizing the positive personal impact on students. They will develop two different kits of science teaching materials with the Little Shop’s trademark blend of open-ended, playful exploration. The project goal is two-fold: for students to learn important science topics, and for students to see themselves as capable of making connections, formulating ideas, and testing them.

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