Project Learning Tree offers flexible and engaging lessons that incorporate STEM, language arts, and social studies, and encourage collaborative, inquiry-based learning that can be integrated into your existing curriculum. Students benefit in multiple ways from nature based learning: decreased anxiety, reduced stress, improved behavior, and increased engagement, to name a few. And teachers do too! In this unique teacher workshop, we’ll explore the boreal forest and tundra, learning about the natural history and local environment while being immersed in outdoor teaching and learning techniques. You’ll slow down, heighten your senses, and deepen your understanding of – and connection to – Denali’s environment and the natural world. You’ll leave with a sense of renewal, and a fun book of learning activities to connect your students to the natural world.

Thanks to funding from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s Education Grant for Alaska Project Learning Tree, educators working in Alaska are eligible for a $250 reimbursement after attending this course!

Explore the scenic heart of Prince William Sound by kayak and by foot to encounter glaciers and whales, sea lions and shorebirds. Share new ways to bring the natural world into your classroom while developing curriculum with other Alaska educators. Spend six days camping, kayaking, and discovering with Chugach National Forest Wilderness Manager Tim Lydon. The main purpose of the course is to inspire teachers to connect their students to nature. The human relationship to nature will be a central theme, with an emphasis on America’s public lands and our idea of wilderness. Topics will include the area’s Alaska Native history, early Euro-American activities, evolution of the Chugach National Forest, 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, and the local effects of global climate change. The group will also learn about the area’s flora, fauna and glaciers while base camping at one beach camp for the duration of the program. Educators from communities affected by the Exxon-Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) are highly encouraged to apply and have priority during registration. 

Application period opens February 5th and the first review of applications will take place on February 19th.  Payment due after notice of accepted application. Course credits from UAA ($119) not included in registration cost.

This course is designed to train educators to teach our youth about fire ecology and wildland-urban interface fire protection in our changing climate. While gaining a sense of place, we’ll explore Denali’s boreal forest and tundra and the role wildfire plays on these ecosystems. We’ll join NPS fire ecologists for a hands-on look at past fires in Denali National Park and Preserve to understand interior Alaska’s fire regime, management strategies, and how the ecosystem responds to fire. Educators will receive PLT’s The Nature of Fire Activity collection, and Wildfire and Change in Alaska, as well as be introduced to fire education resources including fire kits that are available to check out throughout the state. Open to K-12 educators, we’ll look at how to adapt lessons to your grade level, and where to find age-appropriate lessons and resources to teach about Fire in Alaska.

Thanks to funding from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s Education Grant for Alaska Project Learning Tree, educators working in Alaska are eligible for a $250 reimbursement after attending this course!

Join us to experience the wilderness and wildlife of Katmai National Park! Engage with scientists and park rangers in the field and develop creative new lesson plans for your classroom. This course will begin with two workshop days in Kodiak, followed by 6 nights on a 97-foot live-aboard boat adventuring along the Katmai coast. Work collaboratively to think of culturally relevant ways to bring ocean issues and scientific research into your classroom. Learn about geology and wildlife biology while observing bears in the park! Discussion topics will include culturally responsive teaching, place-based learning, and inspiring student engagement with science through hands-on learning. This course is presented with the National Park Service’s Ocean Alaska Science and Learning Center (OASLC) and is led by National Park Education Coordinator Fiona North.

Application period opens February 5th and the first review of applications will take place on February 19th. This course is open to all educators. However, priority will be given to Alaska-based teachers, particularly those from nearby communities, and to science educators.

Payment due after notice of accepted application. Course credits from UAA ($119) not included in registration cost.