Innovation, Sustainability, and Inclusion in The Classroom - SSEC's Resource Kit For The New School Year - Smithsonian Science Education Center

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Innovation, Sustainability, and Inclusion in the Classroom: SSEC's Resource Kit for the New School
Year
By Olivia Federici (/olivia-federici)
With the new school year upon us, the Smithsonian Science Education Center has created a new Back-to-School Guide
and Resource Kit featuring free curricula and programs built on a foundation of innovation, inclusivity, and sustainable
development. Find a rich variety of K-12 resources, games, and professional development opportunities that can help
educators, students, and community members around the world hit the ground running this fall. There is a little
something for everyone, so you can tackle the daunting parts of entering a new school year with confidence.
Visit our Curriculum and Resources (ssec.si.edu/explore-our-curriculum-resources?

f%5b0%5d=field_is_free%3A1) database to see our entire collection of educational tools, including our Zero Barriers in
STEM Education Workbook (/node/2792) to ensure that every learning space is accessible to and equitable for all
students. Make sure to browse the Smithsonian's educational activity guide “Explore, Discover, Learn: Back to School
with the Smithsonian,” (https://s.si.edu/BackToSchool) as well as a variety of exciting new STEM programs
featured in our Federal STEM Education Community section.
Smithsonian Science for Global Goals

Curriculum | Ages 8-17
(/node/3624)The Smithsonian Science for Global Goals Project

(https://ssec.si.edu/global-goals) provides youth around the world
(ages 8-17) with the knowledge and skills to understand the world’s
most pressing issues and to become agents for change in their own
communities. Through a series of freely available community research
guides in multiple languages, young people use their communities as
their laboratory to investigate the science that underlies the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), some of which are
affordable and clean energy, clean water and sanitation, and
responsible consumption and production.
NESST Youth Ambassador Program

Opportunities for Youth | Ages 14-19
(/node/3937)SSEC is looking for high school students, ages 14-19, to serve on a global Youth Ambassador Team
dedicated to working towards a more sustainable future. Part of the Network for Emergent Socio-Scientific Thinking
(NESST) (https://ssec.si.edu/nesst), young people on this team will be key advisors, collaborators, and implementors
of NESST work. Learn more about the work students can contribute to here (/node/3937). Apply by September 11, 2023
at 11:59pm ET.
Stories of Women in STEM
eBooks | Grades 6-8
(/node/3931)The
Women in STEM
eBook
(/node/3842)
series is a series of
free educational
eBooks for middle
school-age readers.
Designed to
highlight the often
overlooked role of
women in STEM,
the eBooks feature biographies of trailblazing women who made history through their scientific discoveries and
innovation. Check out our latest eBook featuring brilliant women who have been important figures in the study of
energy and lead research today.
Interested in more resources, especially those encouraging young girls to explore STEM? This web page (https://ssec.si.edu/girls-and-women-in-stem) is
designed to provide STEM resources for all students that demonstrate how the young girls of today can become the history-makers of tomorrow.
Smithsonian Science for Makerspaces

Activities | Grades 1-5
(https://ssec.si.edu/makerspaces)Smithsonian Science for Makerspaces

(/node/1304) is a series of free engineering design challenges
about various topics, such as food chains and magnetic forces, for
students to engage with emerging technologies through hands-on
learning. It includes 3-D models and thoughtfully designed lesson
plans that will guide educators and students throughout the
engineering design process by observing, making, designing and
testing solutions to a problem.
Professional Development
Virtual Workshops | Open to educators
In addition to curriculum and digital media resources, SSEC offers free

digital and in-person professional development opportunities for
educators, administrators, and other stakeholders aspiring to
transform STEM education and implement authentic STEM
experiences within the classroom.
Find our latest opportunities below!
Smithsonian Science for Global Goals "Environmental Justice!" in

Canada (/node/3915)
Virtual, September 18 from 5:00 – 8:00 PM ET. Register here (https://forms.office.com/r/JxhUqkq429) by September
15. Open to teachers, informal educators, and community members in Canada with students ages 11-18, especially
those based in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.
The Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) is working with educators and young people to build knowledge and
skills around global and local environmental justice issues! We invite interested classroom teachers, informal
educators, and community members to join and take part in this project, implementing the Smithsonian Science for
Global Goals (https://www.ssec.si.edu/global-goals) community research guide, Environmental Justice! How can we
create healthy environments for everyone?
(https://ssec.si.edu/sites/default/files/other/globalgoals/Environmental%20Justice_EN-.pdf)
Exploring Culturally Based Pedagogies Through An International Lens (/node/3552)
Virtual, October 20, 1:00 PM – October 21, 2023, 3:30 PM ET. Register here (/node/3552) by October 19 at 12:00 PM ET.
Open to educators around the world with students from pre-K through age 16.
The Smithsonian Science Education Center is offering the free online professional learning opportunity "Exploring
Culturally Based Pedagogies Through an International Lens" to support educators in utilizing asset-based strategies in
their STEM instruction and classroom activities. This professional development (PD) will create space for a community
of practice focused on applying an international lens to STEM learning and exploring artifacts from around the world to
emphasize the scientific value in ordinary objects.
Coming soon: Strategies to Promote Leadership Among STEM Teachers with Diverse Backgrounds
Applications open September 4, 2023.

The Smithsonian Science Education Center is inviting preK-16 STEM educators to engage in a focused group discussion
about ways to increase diversity among leaders in STEM education. Through this conversation, the Center seeks to
learn more about the innovative approaches education systems and practitioners are using to address the persistent
lack of representation among decision-makers in the STEM education workforce.
Videos
Educational Videos and Webinars | For teachers
Smithsonian Science Education Center provides dozens of engaging

educational videos for both teachers and students. "Good Thinking!”
(/node/473)is popular animated original series and professional
development resource for science educators providing short, engaging
lessons about various scientific phenomena. This October, we will also
be hosting a special webinar about the upcoming "double-header" solar
eclipse, hosted by noted experts Dennis Schatz and Andrew Fraknoi.
Learn more about eclipses via their blog post here
(https://ssec.si.edu/stemvisions-blog/are-you-ready-solar-eclipse-
%E2%80%9Cdouble-header%E2%80%9D).
Game Center
Games and Simulations | Grades K-8
Introducing children to our game center is a great way to help them

transition from the summer playtime mindset into learning mode! Our
games are designed with clear learning objectives, vetted by our team
of curriculum experts, and are used by students around the world.
Check out our Game Center (/node/583) to find the latest games and
simulations including Whale Protection Corp.
(https://whalecorps.fablevision-dev.com/) (left), designed for
classroom use, aligned to national science standards and for free
online or for download on the Apple App Store and the Google Play
Store.
Explore, Discover, Learn: Back to School with the Smithsonian

Educational Activity Guide | Grades K-12
“Explore, Discover, Learn: Back to School with the Smithsonian” (https://s.si.edu/BackToSchool) is the Smithsonian's tenth
educational activity guide produced in collaboration with USA TODAY.
The guide includes content and activities for learners young and young at
heart to harness the joy of learning in our everyday lives including how to
conduct an oral history to have intergenerational conversations about school
memories, cross-curricular activities that blur the boundaries of school
subjects, and profiles of exemplary educators and friends of the
Smithsonian. Learn more about our Smithsonian-wide guide in this article
(https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-
education/2023/08/07/back-to-school-with-the-smithsonian/) from
Smithsonian Magazine.
Programs from the Federal STEM Education Community

Programs and Resources | Grades K-12
As a quasi-federal institution, the Smithsonian Science Education Center is proud to be part of the Federal STEM
Education community, providing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs from across the federal
government for K-12 students and educators.
National Institutes of Health’s STEM Teaching Resources (https://science.education.nih.gov/) has an online

clearinghouse of free science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) resources that educators and parents
can use to engage K-12 students in health science.
NIH Kahoot! page (https://create.kahoot.it/profiles/e2704dfe-cfda-4b92-bb23-666f2463fe29) features
interactive quizzes that test students' knowledge of important health science topics.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a wealth of free STEM educational resources and games,
including Generate: The Game of Energy Choices (https://www.epa.gov/climate-research/generate-game-
energy-choices), EnviroAtlas Educational Suite (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-educational-
materials), and Nature’s Benefits: The Card Game (https://www.epa.gov/eco-research/natures-benefits-card-
game).
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (https://www.noaa.gov/education/back-to-
school) (NOAA) provides back-to-school resources and a rich database of educational tools in their NOAA Sea to
Sky (https://www.noaa.gov/education/resources) resource hub.
NASA Artemis (https://beta.nasa.gov/stem-content/apply-for-an-artemis-moon-tree-seedling/) and the
Forest Service (https://www.fs.usda.gov/learn/conservation-education/moon-trees) encourage you to learn
about "moon trees" and invite you to submit a proposal for an Artemis Moon Tree Seedling through NASA’s
Artifacts Module Program.
More to come!
Be sure to follow us throughout the year as we add more resources (https://ssec.si.edu/explore-our-curriculum-

resources) designed to transform the teaching and learning of science. Stay connected and show us how
you implementing these tools in your learning spaces with the #BackToSchoolSSEC!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marketing & Communications Intern

Olivia Federici is Smithsonian Science Education Center's Marketing and Communications intern. She is a junior at
New York University majoring in Media, Culture, and Communication and minoring in the Business of Entertainment,
Media, and Technology. On campus, she works as an Admissions Ambassador for the Office of Undergraduate
Admissions and as a Writing Tutor for the Writing Center. Off-campus, she enjoys embarking on photo walks and
learning from those she meets along the way. Previously, she worked for a media buying company and in social media
marketing.
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Visit our Curriculum and Resources (ssec.si.edu/explore-our-curriculum-resources?

Smithsonian Science for Global Goals

(/node/3624)The Smithsonian Science for Global Goals Project

NESST Youth Ambassador Program

Smithsonian Science for Makerspaces

(https://ssec.si.edu/makerspaces)Smithsonian Science for Makerspaces

In addition to curriculum and digital media resources, SSEC offers free

Find our latest opportunities below!

Smithsonian Science for Global Goals "Environmental Justice!" in

Exploring Culturally Based Pedagogies Through An International Lens (/node/3552)

Applications open September 4, 2023.

Smithsonian Science Education Center provides dozens of engaging

Introducing children to our game center is a great way to help them

Explore, Discover, Learn: Back to School with the Smithsonian

Programs from the Federal STEM Education Community

National Institutes of Health’s STEM Teaching Resources (https://science.education.nih.gov/) has an online

Be sure to follow us throughout the year as we add more resources (https://ssec.si.edu/explore-our-curriculum-

Marketing & Communications Intern

ALSO ON SMITHSONIAN SCIENCE

8 months ago a year ago 7 months ago a year ago

G Start the discussion…

LOG IN WITH OR SIGN UP WITH DISQUS ?

 Share Best Newest Oldest

Be the first to comment.

Subscribe Privacy Do Not Sell My Data

It’s All About the Tilt: Seasons Misconceptions Debunked (/stemvisions-blog/it%25E2%2580%2599s-all-about-tilt-

Brian Mandell, PhD (/stemvisions-blog?f%5B0%5D=field_author%3A115)

About Us (/about-us) STEMvisions Blog (/stemvisions-blog)

© 2024 Smithsonian Science Education CenterPrivacy (http://www.si.edu/Privacy) | Terms of Use (http://www.si.edu/Termsofuse)

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