Mostly you need to know that I strive to learn about the natural world in which we live with an emphasis in the incredible variety of life in Northern California.
My Credentials: Now mostly retired. Certified secondary science teacher in Earth Sciences and Biological Sciences. Masters degree in Biology. Retired but enthusiastic curriculum developer. Amateur botanist and informal wildlife conservationist. Certified California Naturalist (2022). Assistant Manager of the Natural History Museum of Cal Poly Humboldt.
Relevant info: For 15 years I taught at South Fork High School, a rural high school in Northern California where I taught both Biological and Earth and Space sciences to students with a wide variety of grade and ability levels. A change in my life was required and I shifted out of the formal classroom and dove into curriculum development where I development a year-long, thematic curriculum for K-6 and I am happy to say, it is still being used through the Lost Coast Interpretive Association. Here is a link directly to the curriculum, now free! https://lostcoast.org/lesson-matrix/
In 2018-19, I was the lead curriculum developer for two teacher modules (grades K-2, and 3-5) centered on the principles of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The end product was a trunk or “toolkit” with assorted curricular activities available and partially funded through the MPA Collaborative. Here is a link to the modules (click on K-5 resources for Humboldt Co): https://www.mpacollaborative.org/project-library/
My largest curriculum project by far was my master’s degree project which is a secondary science curriculum – Forest Ecology 101. My Forest Ecology manuscript is over 400 pages so it is a big intimidating. If you want, check out the three modules. I hope you can appreciate the work involved. Hopefully by gleaning a part here or there, you can share the desire to teach kids about trees, forests, ecosystem services, habitat types, local floral and fauna, biodiversity, and a whole lot of other subjects that are included within the pages. If you read through it, I hope it will connect “people to place” which will help instill an appreciation for the ecologically rich state in which we live – California! There is even an overview of California’s Bioregions for those that desire to present the “big picture” to students.
Nowadays, I continue to work at the Natural History Museum of Cal Poly Humboldt located in Arcata, CA. We are busy developing new exhibits thanks to a Cal grant along with new Teaching Boxes centered on marine biology and climate science. Here is a link to our new and improved website. https://natmus.humboldt.edu/
My sales pitch…. With the adoption and integration of NGSS, my integrated science curriculum is both informative and challenging. This curriculum was designed for middle school and high school students, but can be useful in freshman college classes as well. In addition to lessons packaged full of useful information for kids, each module has a well-researched 30+ page Teacher’s Companion which offers background information often difficult to find anywhere else. It pulls together information from primary literature, technical journals, and other scientific resources. Every grade-level unit integrates scientific research regarding our local forests, adding meaning and value to science education and connects to STEM and critical thinking skills. It is my hope that this curriculum will not only save educators time but will also add many enriching, challenging, and cultivating experiences throughout California classrooms and other environmental education venues. Your feedback is welcome! If there is a glitch getting curriculum documents, please email me.