Understanding Earth’s Cycles: Weather, Climate, and Seasons
A 3-Day Summer Professional Development Institute for Grades K-5 Educators
Explore how seasonal changes shape the natural world as you investigate how natural and human activities influenced terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Hone your observational skills by learning to “read” the natural and built landscape. Investigate how human activities and natural phenomena shape river, stream, and garden ecosystems, influencing water quality, nutrient cycling, and interactions between living and nonliving elements. Explore how plants respond to seasonal changes, examine the effects of weather and climate on forest plants and wildlife, and connect how plant life cycles and weather systems are responding to climate change. Find out how to engage your students in participatory science (citizen science) projects, enabling them to contribute to real-world research on the impact of weather, climate, and invasive species on New England’s urban and natural landscape. Take back to your classroom investigations that examine how the processes of collecting and analyzing data provide a basis for drawing conclusions and posing questions for further inquiry.
Registration Information:
Dates & Times:
July 7th – 9th, 2025 (8:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET)
Course Fee:
$375 per participant
$325 per participant if attending as a team with 2 or more other teachers from your school or district (3-person team minimum).
PDPs and Optional Graduate Credit:
21 PDPs available without graduate credit.
2 graduate credits and 45 PDPs are available from Cambridge College for $150*
2 graduate credits and 45 PDPs are available from Bridgewater State University for $150*
*Additional work is required for graduate credit.
Collaborating Partners:
New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill
Harvard Forest