Professional Development
Including classroom teachers and special area teachers, there are 27 faculty members at Riderwood. Listed below are ways that faculty are actively engaged in environmental learning to support current and future Green School activities and the school's environmental literacy plan. A summary list of the professional development and number of teachers attending is followed by more detailed descriptions.
Including classroom teachers and special area teachers, there are 27 faculty members at Riderwood. Listed below are ways that faculty are actively engaged in environmental learning to support current and future Green School activities and the school's environmental literacy plan. A summary list of the professional development and number of teachers attending is followed by more detailed descriptions.
- Growing Up Wild training (3 teachers)
- Exploring the Efficacy of Elementary Engineering (1 teacher)
- Nature for Teachers: The ABCs of Bluebirds (2 teachers)
- Nature for Teachers: Maryland Science Center "Power Up!" Exhibit Backstage Tour (2 teachers)
- "Bee an Engineer" training (1 teacher)
- Leaf Identification (2 teachers)
- Environmental Mosaic Workshop (1 teacher)
- Outside Artwork Workshop (1 teacher)
- MAEOE Conference 2014 (2 teachers, 1 parent Green Team member)
- Growing Up Wild (full workshop, 1 teacher)
- Green School Update and Garden Tour (all faculty invited)
- Green School Updates at Faculty Meetings (all faculty)
- Growing Up Wild (1 teacher)
- Nature for Teachers: Geology (2 teachers)
- Nature for Teachers: Invasive Species
Growing Up Wild Training
Kindergarten teachers: Heather Buchman, Pat Everett, Dana Levitt
Length of time: 1 hour
December 2012
Riderwood kindergarten teachers attended a training provided by our community partner and Green Center, Cromwell Valley Park, on the Growing Up Wild curriculum. The teachers have taught a unit on black bears for years, but wanted to add new ideas to make the lesson more hands-on for students. As a direct result of the training, the teachers enhanced their lesson plans to include new activities from the curriculum and incorporated materials on loan from CVP (bear skin, skull, laminated food cards and vinyl bear tracks).
The picture above shows the CVP naturalist instructing the teachers on how to use a bear skull as a teaching tool. (See Environmental Issue Instruction and Community Partnerships for additional information.)
Kindergarten teachers: Heather Buchman, Pat Everett, Dana Levitt
Length of time: 1 hour
December 2012
Riderwood kindergarten teachers attended a training provided by our community partner and Green Center, Cromwell Valley Park, on the Growing Up Wild curriculum. The teachers have taught a unit on black bears for years, but wanted to add new ideas to make the lesson more hands-on for students. As a direct result of the training, the teachers enhanced their lesson plans to include new activities from the curriculum and incorporated materials on loan from CVP (bear skin, skull, laminated food cards and vinyl bear tracks).
The picture above shows the CVP naturalist instructing the teachers on how to use a bear skull as a teaching tool. (See Environmental Issue Instruction and Community Partnerships for additional information.)
Exploring the Efficacy of Elementary Engineering
4th grade teacher: Lynn Detter
Length of time: 21 hours
Date: August 13-15, 2013
As a result of her grant application, Lynn Detter was selected to participate in a 2-year research study in conjunction with the Museum of Science in Boston. She attended three days of training at Towson University and became acquainted with the engineering design process and the content of the environmental unit she selected to teach in the fall focusing on the effects of oil spills. As part of the designated unit, in addition to simulating an oil spill and affording the class the opportunity to design unique ways to contain and remove it from a model seashore, the students also completed activities on locating possible points of pollution within a pretend town. The unit was piloted within her classroom with approximately 25 students. Throughout the unit, scientific notebooks were kept by the students. These notebooks were ultimately sent to the Museum of Science for analysis. Ms. Detter was also trained in a bridge design unit and was ultimately selected to pilot that unit as well. The same two units will be taught next year as a part of the research project. Ms. Detter is scheduled to attend a 1-day conference in May 2014 with representatives from the project to discuss the results and observations from year one.
4th grade teacher: Lynn Detter
Length of time: 21 hours
Date: August 13-15, 2013
As a result of her grant application, Lynn Detter was selected to participate in a 2-year research study in conjunction with the Museum of Science in Boston. She attended three days of training at Towson University and became acquainted with the engineering design process and the content of the environmental unit she selected to teach in the fall focusing on the effects of oil spills. As part of the designated unit, in addition to simulating an oil spill and affording the class the opportunity to design unique ways to contain and remove it from a model seashore, the students also completed activities on locating possible points of pollution within a pretend town. The unit was piloted within her classroom with approximately 25 students. Throughout the unit, scientific notebooks were kept by the students. These notebooks were ultimately sent to the Museum of Science for analysis. Ms. Detter was also trained in a bridge design unit and was ultimately selected to pilot that unit as well. The same two units will be taught next year as a part of the research project. Ms. Detter is scheduled to attend a 1-day conference in May 2014 with representatives from the project to discuss the results and observations from year one.
Nature for Teachers: The ABCs of Bluebirds
Kindergarten teacher: Pat Everett
Reading specialist: Laura Wingate
Length of time: 2 hours
Date: November 2013
Pat Everett and Laura Wingate attended a Nature for Teachers workshop at Oregon Ridge Nature Center. These courses are designed for teachers to explore natural areas in Baltimore County. The course included the history of bluebirds in the U.S., their declining habitat, and the need for bluebird boxes and monitoring programs to ensure their continuation. The teachers returned from the program enthusiastic about adding bluebird monitoring to our future Green School plans and energized about getting the chance to learn about a new topic. See attached emails confirming their registration.
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/13.txt
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/13
Kindergarten teacher: Pat Everett
Reading specialist: Laura Wingate
Length of time: 2 hours
Date: November 2013
Pat Everett and Laura Wingate attended a Nature for Teachers workshop at Oregon Ridge Nature Center. These courses are designed for teachers to explore natural areas in Baltimore County. The course included the history of bluebirds in the U.S., their declining habitat, and the need for bluebird boxes and monitoring programs to ensure their continuation. The teachers returned from the program enthusiastic about adding bluebird monitoring to our future Green School plans and energized about getting the chance to learn about a new topic. See attached emails confirming their registration.
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/13.txt
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/13
Nature for Teachers: Maryland Science Center "Power Up!" Exhibit Backstage Tour
Kindergarten teachers: Pat Everett, Heather Buchman
Length of Time: 2 hours
Date: February 24, 2014
Teachers were taken behind-the-scenes to learn how to generate electricity, build circuits, wire the grid from power plant to home outlet, explore cutting-edge fuels and try to maintain the electrical grid for an entire metro area. They gained an understanding of how changes need to be made to meet our ever-increasing demand for electrical energy.
Click here for registration confirmation for Pat Everett:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_pd_everett_science_center.doc
Click here for registration confirmation for Heather Buchman:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/heather
Kindergarten teachers: Pat Everett, Heather Buchman
Length of Time: 2 hours
Date: February 24, 2014
Teachers were taken behind-the-scenes to learn how to generate electricity, build circuits, wire the grid from power plant to home outlet, explore cutting-edge fuels and try to maintain the electrical grid for an entire metro area. They gained an understanding of how changes need to be made to meet our ever-increasing demand for electrical energy.
Click here for registration confirmation for Pat Everett:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_pd_everett_science_center.doc
Click here for registration confirmation for Heather Buchman:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/heather
"Bee an Engineer" training
2nd grade teacher: Marie McDonnell
Length of time: 3 hours
Date: October 29, 2013
Grade-level chair Marie McDonnell completed this training at the Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture and Farm Park to prepare for her "Bee an Engineer" science unit. (See Environmental Issue Instruction, 2nd grade.) She is excited to teach the lesson beginning in Spring 2014 and was particularly interested to learn about Colony Collapse Disorder and its effect on our ecosystem.
The picture above shows Mrs. McDonnell with her list of completed training courses on her County employee record, with this course highlighted. Below is a close-up of the highlighted training course.
2nd grade teacher: Marie McDonnell
Length of time: 3 hours
Date: October 29, 2013
Grade-level chair Marie McDonnell completed this training at the Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture and Farm Park to prepare for her "Bee an Engineer" science unit. (See Environmental Issue Instruction, 2nd grade.) She is excited to teach the lesson beginning in Spring 2014 and was particularly interested to learn about Colony Collapse Disorder and its effect on our ecosystem.
The picture above shows Mrs. McDonnell with her list of completed training courses on her County employee record, with this course highlighted. Below is a close-up of the highlighted training course.
Leaf Identification Training
Kindergarten teachers: Dana Levitt and Lauren Mays
Length of time: 1 hour
Date: November 2013
Mrs. Levitt and Mrs. Mays requested assistance from Cromwell Valley Park staff in identifying the trees and leaves outside the classroom to prepare for their Autumn unit. (See Environmental Issue Instruction, Kindergarten.) Anne Wedgeworth, a Master Naturalist from CVP and Riderwood parent, researched the trees on the schoolyard, collected leaf samples, and met with the teachers to show them the difference in leaves, bark, and tree shape. As a result of the training, the teachers developed a laminated booklet "What is My Leaf" for the students to use after collecting their own leaves. Native trees identified included white pine, white oak, pin oak, willow oak, bradford pear, red maple, and white ash.
The picture above shows Anne Wedgeworth and Lauren Mays reviewing the differences among oak leaves.
Kindergarten teachers: Dana Levitt and Lauren Mays
Length of time: 1 hour
Date: November 2013
Mrs. Levitt and Mrs. Mays requested assistance from Cromwell Valley Park staff in identifying the trees and leaves outside the classroom to prepare for their Autumn unit. (See Environmental Issue Instruction, Kindergarten.) Anne Wedgeworth, a Master Naturalist from CVP and Riderwood parent, researched the trees on the schoolyard, collected leaf samples, and met with the teachers to show them the difference in leaves, bark, and tree shape. As a result of the training, the teachers developed a laminated booklet "What is My Leaf" for the students to use after collecting their own leaves. Native trees identified included white pine, white oak, pin oak, willow oak, bradford pear, red maple, and white ash.
The picture above shows Anne Wedgeworth and Lauren Mays reviewing the differences among oak leaves.
Environmental Mosaic Workshop: "Mosaics with Rick Shelley"
Art teacher: Candice Kirschnick
Length of time: 6 hours
Date: December 2013
Ms. Kirschnick attended a workshop at the American Visionary Arts Museum on mosaics, specifically to learn how to create an outdoor mosaic celebrating Riderwood's Green School efforts.
See attached link for registration confirmation:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_pd_kirschnick_receipt_sheet11.pdf
Art teacher: Candice Kirschnick
Length of time: 6 hours
Date: December 2013
Ms. Kirschnick attended a workshop at the American Visionary Arts Museum on mosaics, specifically to learn how to create an outdoor mosaic celebrating Riderwood's Green School efforts.
See attached link for registration confirmation:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_pd_kirschnick_receipt_sheet11.pdf
Outdoor Artwork Workshop: "Shiny Happy Things"
Art teacher: Candice Kirschnick
Length of time: 3 hours
Date: November 2013
Ms. Kirschnick attended a workshop at the American Visionary Arts Museum on using mirrors, marbles and other items to create eye-catching outdoor artwork.
See attached link for registration confirmation:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_pd_kirschnick_receipt_sheet11.pdf
Art teacher: Candice Kirschnick
Length of time: 3 hours
Date: November 2013
Ms. Kirschnick attended a workshop at the American Visionary Arts Museum on using mirrors, marbles and other items to create eye-catching outdoor artwork.
See attached link for registration confirmation:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_pd_kirschnick_receipt_sheet11.pdf
MAEOE Conference 2014
Two kindergarten teachers: Dana Levitt, Lauren Mays
Length of time: 1 day
Date: February 2014
Dana Levitt and Lauren Mays attended a full day of Saturday sessions at the 2014 MAEOE conference, shown in the picture below. In addition, Anne Wedgeworth, a CVP staff member and Riderwood parent who is heavily involved in the Green School initiative, has attended the MAEOE conference in 2013 and 2014, attending all day on Friday and Saturday each year.
Anne's attendance certificates from 2013 and 2014:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_pd_maeoe_conference_attendance_akw
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_pd_anne_maeoe_2014.jpg
Two kindergarten teachers: Dana Levitt, Lauren Mays
Length of time: 1 day
Date: February 2014
Dana Levitt and Lauren Mays attended a full day of Saturday sessions at the 2014 MAEOE conference, shown in the picture below. In addition, Anne Wedgeworth, a CVP staff member and Riderwood parent who is heavily involved in the Green School initiative, has attended the MAEOE conference in 2013 and 2014, attending all day on Friday and Saturday each year.
Anne's attendance certificates from 2013 and 2014:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_pd_maeoe_conference_attendance_akw
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_pd_anne_maeoe_2014.jpg
Growing Up Wild (full workshop)
Kindergarten teacher: Pat Everett
Length of time: 5 hours
Date: May 15, 2014
Pat Everett is registered to attend a 1-day workshop on the Growing Up Wild curriculum at Cromwell Valley Park.
Click here for the email regarding her registration:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_pd_growing_up_wild_everett_email
Kindergarten teacher: Pat Everett
Length of time: 5 hours
Date: May 15, 2014
Pat Everett is registered to attend a 1-day workshop on the Growing Up Wild curriculum at Cromwell Valley Park.
Click here for the email regarding her registration:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_pd_growing_up_wild_everett_email
Green School Update and Garden Tour
Mandatory for all faculty
Length of time: 45 minutes
Date: April 7, 2014
A portion of the all-faculty meeting on April 7, 2014, will be devoted to a Green School update, given by the two teachers on the Green Team and a staff member from our Green Center partner, Cromwell Valley Park. This meeting will take place after this Green School application is finalized, but agenda items will include:
-- Thanking the faculty for their contributions to the Green School application
-- Briefing faculty on the school's accomplishments highlighted in the application
-- Tour of the two renovated native gardens, highlighting the importance of native plants in our landscape and ways that each grade level could further incorporate the gardens into their lesson plans.
It will be a fitting way to celebrate the faculty's hard work on our Green School projects and will initiate additional thinking about future Green projects for the school!
Mandatory for all faculty
Length of time: 45 minutes
Date: April 7, 2014
A portion of the all-faculty meeting on April 7, 2014, will be devoted to a Green School update, given by the two teachers on the Green Team and a staff member from our Green Center partner, Cromwell Valley Park. This meeting will take place after this Green School application is finalized, but agenda items will include:
-- Thanking the faculty for their contributions to the Green School application
-- Briefing faculty on the school's accomplishments highlighted in the application
-- Tour of the two renovated native gardens, highlighting the importance of native plants in our landscape and ways that each grade level could further incorporate the gardens into their lesson plans.
It will be a fitting way to celebrate the faculty's hard work on our Green School projects and will initiate additional thinking about future Green projects for the school!
Green School Updates at Faculty Meetings
Mandatory for all faculty
Beginning in December 2012 - present
All faculty are aware of the Green School application process. Below is documentation showing how representatives from Riderwood's Green Team, either CVP staff or teachers, have kept the entire faculty informed of the process and requirements at three all-faculty meetings. Faculty attendance is mandatory:
All-faculty meetings:
1. December 2012 -- Anne Wedgeworth (CVP) gave introduction to Green School process and outlined 4 BMPs that Green Team would be pursuing. Provided a flyer about Project Wild/Project Learning Tree/Project Wet trainings in Howard County (click here for handout that was distributed at December 2012 faculty meeting)
2. March 18, 2013 -- Anne Wedgeworth (CVP) presented the following Green School update:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_faculty_mtg_update_3-18-13.doc
She also distributed CVP's schedule to make faculty aware of environmental activities and educational opportunities for adults (click here for CVP Spring Calendar of Events that was distributed at March 2013 faculty meeting)
She also discussed with the faculty the requirements for environmental issue instruction and passed out instructions for submitting this information to the Green Team to include in the Green School application:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_teacher_curriculum_requirements.doc
3. October 7, 2013 -- Dana Levitt (teacher) updated the faculty on the status of our Green School projects:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_update_10-7-13.doc
4. April 7, 2014 -- Our Green School application will be submitted before this meeting takes place. See section above.
Grade-level Chairpersons:
In addition, Anne Wedgeworth met with a smaller group of grade-level chairpersons (the Site-Based Committee) in December 2012 and April 2013 and with each individual grade-level chairperson in November/December 2013 to review their information for the Green School application and determine if anything else was needed.
Site-Based Committee agenda from December 2012:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_pd_site_based_agenda.jpg
Sample email that went to all grade-level chairs to set up individual meetings:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_pd_grade_level_mtgs
Mandatory for all faculty
Beginning in December 2012 - present
All faculty are aware of the Green School application process. Below is documentation showing how representatives from Riderwood's Green Team, either CVP staff or teachers, have kept the entire faculty informed of the process and requirements at three all-faculty meetings. Faculty attendance is mandatory:
All-faculty meetings:
1. December 2012 -- Anne Wedgeworth (CVP) gave introduction to Green School process and outlined 4 BMPs that Green Team would be pursuing. Provided a flyer about Project Wild/Project Learning Tree/Project Wet trainings in Howard County (click here for handout that was distributed at December 2012 faculty meeting)
2. March 18, 2013 -- Anne Wedgeworth (CVP) presented the following Green School update:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_faculty_mtg_update_3-18-13.doc
She also distributed CVP's schedule to make faculty aware of environmental activities and educational opportunities for adults (click here for CVP Spring Calendar of Events that was distributed at March 2013 faculty meeting)
She also discussed with the faculty the requirements for environmental issue instruction and passed out instructions for submitting this information to the Green Team to include in the Green School application:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_teacher_curriculum_requirements.doc
3. October 7, 2013 -- Dana Levitt (teacher) updated the faculty on the status of our Green School projects:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_update_10-7-13.doc
4. April 7, 2014 -- Our Green School application will be submitted before this meeting takes place. See section above.
Grade-level Chairpersons:
In addition, Anne Wedgeworth met with a smaller group of grade-level chairpersons (the Site-Based Committee) in December 2012 and April 2013 and with each individual grade-level chairperson in November/December 2013 to review their information for the Green School application and determine if anything else was needed.
Site-Based Committee agenda from December 2012:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_pd_site_based_agenda.jpg
Sample email that went to all grade-level chairs to set up individual meetings:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_pd_grade_level_mtgs
Growing Up Wild
Kindergarten Teacher: Pat Everett
Length of Time: 6 hours
Date: May 15, 2014
Held at Cromwell Valley Park./uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_2014_pd_everett_growing_up_wild_5-15-14.jpg
Kindergarten Teacher: Pat Everett
Length of Time: 6 hours
Date: May 15, 2014
Held at Cromwell Valley Park./uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_2014_pd_everett_growing_up_wild_5-15-14.jpg
Nature for Teachers: Baltimore Area Geology Sampler
Kindergarten Teachers: Pat Everett and Heather Buchman
Length of Time: 2 hours
Date: October 22, 2014
Pat Everett and Heather Buchman attended this Nature for Teachers Workshop at Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum. Participants learned that the Baltimore area has a variable and complex geology, as would be expected for a place with rocks that lay out a billion-year history! The teachers were introduced to the geology of the Baltimore region and hikes to see a few examples of the diversity of local rocks. They learned to interpret the geologic saga within those rocks.
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/buchman
Kindergarten Teachers: Pat Everett and Heather Buchman
Length of Time: 2 hours
Date: October 22, 2014
Pat Everett and Heather Buchman attended this Nature for Teachers Workshop at Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum. Participants learned that the Baltimore area has a variable and complex geology, as would be expected for a place with rocks that lay out a billion-year history! The teachers were introduced to the geology of the Baltimore region and hikes to see a few examples of the diversity of local rocks. They learned to interpret the geologic saga within those rocks.
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/buchman
Nature for Teachers: Boulder Boogers to Frankenfish: Maryland's Invasive Species
Kindergarten Teacher: Pat Everett
Length of Time: 2 hours
Date: September 22, 2014
Pat Everett attended this Nature for Teachers Workshop at Oregon Ridge Nature Center. Kerry Wixtead, MD Department of Natural Resources, discussed a wide variety of animal and plant invasive species.
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_2014_pd_everett
Kindergarten Teacher: Pat Everett
Length of Time: 2 hours
Date: September 22, 2014
Pat Everett attended this Nature for Teachers Workshop at Oregon Ridge Nature Center. Kerry Wixtead, MD Department of Natural Resources, discussed a wide variety of animal and plant invasive species.
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_2014_pd_everett