We want to celebrate the science teaching and learning going on in your classrooms, schools, and districts! You all keep finding creative and meaningful ways to educate your students. Thank you for the role you have played in making this happen during such challenging times. We are inspired by all the hours, planning, and hard work you put into making sure that each day your students feel safe and engaged. Our hope is that this newsletter and future editions will be one tool that helps us all continue to reconnect.

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to the team with any questions, concerns, or feedback by emailing gemsnet@etal.uri.edu. Thanks again for all you do!

Best!

The GEMS-Net Team

Virtual Zoo Experience For Students and Families

“This was WONDERFULLY engaging for our students… This experience gave life and excitement back to our class. It reinvigorated their interests in science, gave us a jumping off point for studying biomes and adaptations, and made kids show up with cameras on at a rate that they hadn't in months!“

So many of you have not missed a beat! Thank you to the following teachers for engaging in research around innovative science teaching in virtual environments:

Stacy Gale, Grade 4 -- Paul Cuffee School, Providence, GEMS-Net Teacher Leader

Joe Welsh, Grade 4 -- Paul Cuffee School, Providence

Kim Conrad, Grade 4 -- Paul Cuffee School, Providence

Christina Broomfield, Grade 1 -- Forest Park School, North Kingstown, GEMS-Net Teacher Leader

Brenda Glover, Grade 1 -- Forest Park School, North Kingstown

Kristen DeAlmo, Grade 1 -- Matunuck School, South Kingstown

Rachel Droney, Grade 1 -- Matunuck School, South Kingstown

The above teachers participated in a research collaboration between Roger Williams Park Zoo (RWPZ) and GEMS-Net during the 2020- 2021 school year. Environmental educators from the RWPZ provided three virtual field experience sessions to each participating classroom. Each session was tailored to the unique needs of the classroom and lessons were created in collaboration with the classroom teachers to align with their science instruction. Our teacher leaders, Christina and Stacy, shared with us how the virtual zoo experience allowed an interdisciplinary approach which increased student engagement, encouraged student-led inquiry, and provided opportunities for all students including those learning from home.

“... In the past, we've planned field trips to the zoo and it's this exciting either culmination or exploration... But this was really thoughtful planning. We were doing adaptations in science, and so we were able to weave [the virtual zoo experience] into science, but then we also integrated it into our literacy block.”

“A lot of the kids from home were logged in with their brothers and sisters and their families. It became a big family event… [The families were] texting me things like, ‘We're so excited for the zoo trip tomorrow!' That was really cool.”

Starting Early: STEM in Preschool

"I thought the training was AMAZING and I can't wait to add the new curriculum studies into the learning going on in my classroom. Thank you for your hard work and for arranging this for us!"

-Preschool Teacher (North Kingstown)

The GEMS-Net team is excited to continue to grow our early childhood program by working alongside our preschool educators to bring quality STEM experiences to our youngest learners. Cross-district collaboration has often been a highlight for GEMS-Net teachers; we are thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity to our preschool teams when we hold our preschool workshops in April. Together we will share resources, learn strategies to integrate digital literacy and outdoor teaching and learning into instruction, discuss the benefits of an interdisciplinary approach to STEM, and troubleshoot practical challenges. You can start exploring some valuable preschool resources by clicking the Elinor Wonders Why link below. Keep reading for more preschool opportunities below!

What's Happening in Elementary?

During the fall of 2021, the GEMS-Net team focused on reconnecting with our network of teachers through a return to in-person workshops and the launching of a student-centered coaching model!

It's great to be back together again sharing ideas and collaborating across our districts. Our coaching model provides more personalized support for our teachers. Thank you to those districts, schools, and teachers who have already welcomed us into their classrooms and buildings. It has been a pleasure working with you and your students. If we haven't worked with you yet, be thinking of what your students need in terms of science instruction for this school year. We're here to be supportive and to celebrate the work you’re already doing!

We're looking forward to working with you and your students soon!

Here's a peek into how the GEMS-Net team has been supporting our teachers and students through coaching...

What's Happening in Middle School?

In addition to our coaching work, we are excited for our middle school advanced workshop coming up on March 14th. This year we will be hosting our grades 6-8 teachers on the Kingston Campus for a workshop titled Developing Global Competence with Middle School Students. Together with our partners from across URI, The Tomaquag Museum, and The Rhode Island Environmental Education Association (RIEEA), we will focus on how we can engage our middle grades students in developing the global competence they need to take action and meaningfully contribute to reaching the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which are “the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. These goals address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice.”

Helpful Resources!

If you haven't had a chance to explore the GEMS-Net Google Classroom resources, be sure to join your grade level classroom using the linked codes below! These resources are intended to support ALL teachers. We have received positive feedback from veteran teachers who have also found the resources valuable!

Kindergarten: sekx7vd

1st grade: c7l7wc3

2nd grade: 5k4rexu

3rd grade: tfdct7x

4th grade: x77esvz

5th grade: nauofwd

6th grade: l5zjcod

7th grade: eiwwye7

8th grade: c2fet74

"I have multiple grades to teach so this is a very overwhelming time. Once again, Gems-Net has made it a little more manageable! Thank you all!! It will mean a lot of time to go through it all but I am very grateful that I have access to so much support!"

- Special Educator (Chariho)

STEM Teaching Tools: Climate Learning Resources

Interested in incorporating more climate science into your teaching?

Looking for strategies to engage students in climate literacy?

Click on the link below to explore a resource from STEM Teaching Tools entitled Keeping Climate Science Learning and Instruction Focused on Creating Solutions and Building Community Resilience (Brief #68).

Climate Literacy Conversations!

Additionally, the GEMS-Net team will be hosting a virtual "Climate Literacy Conversations" event during spring 2022. Please join the team on either Tuesday, April 12th OR Wednesday, April 13th from 4:00 - 5:00 pm to engage in meaningful discussions around climate literacy. Our goal will be to discuss the importance of addressing climate science in our classrooms. Using the STEM Teaching Tools Brief # 68 (located above) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (located below) as a starting point for our conversation, we'll explore opportunities for integrating climate science into our instruction through equity-focused, solution-based approaches. The GEMS-Net team will provide 1 PLU for attending the "Climate Literacy Conversations" event. Just be sure to check in with your school district for approval of the PLU.

We hope you'll join us for these important discussions! Here's the upcoming schedule for the GEMS-Net "Climate Literacy Conservations" event:

• Tuesday, April 12th (4:00 - 5:00 pm)

• Wednesday, April 13th (4:00 - 5:00 pm)

If you are interested in attending either of these sessions, please sign up by filling out the Google Form below. More information, including a link to the Zoom meeting, will be sent out to participants as we get closer to the scheduled dates. We're looking forward to starting these important conversations!

Achieving Excellence Together Conference (3/19/22)

On Saturday, March 19, 2022, RIDE will be hosting the Achieving Excellence Together Conference at the URI Kingston Campus in the Swan Building from 8:00 am - 2:30 pm.

At this event, the GEMS-Net team will be facilitating a session entitled Research for a More Just and Sustainable World. The session will focus on equipping teachers (grades 6 -12) with strategies and resources that will help students develop Global Competencies for a more just and sustainable world. Specific strategies will support student research that is personally meaningful and globally relevant. Student researchers will be able to consider different perspectives, develop effective communication skills, and take action within their community.

Come join the GEMS-Net team and learn about how to use the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and Global Competencies to drive student-selected research related to your own curriculum goals. Here's a glimpse into what you'll experience at the session:

• Engage in research using the Global Competencies and UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

• Practice effective literacy teaching strategies aligned to CCSS for engaging with multiple modes of text including video, infographics, articles and data displays.

• Identify opportunities within your current curriculum to incorporate the UN's Sustainable Develop Goals and Global Competencies.

This is a FREE professional learning opportunity for RI educators. Parking and lunch will be provided. For session information and the event schedule, please visit Achieving Excellence Together Schedule and Sessions.

Register for the Achieving Excellence Together Conference by completing this REGISTRATION LINK by Friday, February 18, 2022.

RIEEA's PD Series: Building Climate Literacy in All Students

RIEEA's wildly successful teacher professional development series, Building Climate Literacy in All Students, is back for 2022!

RIEEA is now accepting applications for the 2022 Professional Development Series, Building Climate Literacy in All Students.

ALL K-12 teachers AND those enrolled in a teacher preparation program in a Rhode Island college or university are eligible and invited to apply.

Selected teachers will participate in a virtual 2-hour early evening workshop in the spring, attend a full day of professional development during the summer, be invited to RIEEA's Annual Meeting and various other events, and receive a 2022 RIEEA membership - all at no cost! Teachers do not have to miss class time and will receive a certificate of participation for 8+ hours of professional learning units (PLUs) as well as a $100 stipend.

Learn more and apply at http://rieea.org/teacher-pd-2022/

The GEMS-Net team engages in on-going educational research to effectively support our practitioners in the science classroom. Teachers have expressed that being part of a research team is a great opportunity for professional growth, to support student learning, and an all-around rewarding experience. Consider how research might be beneficial to you, your students, school, and/or district.

Research in our early childhood classrooms: The expertise of our early childhood educators is essential and the time teachers devote is always appreciated! Some of our preschool teachers and teacher leaders have engaged in research involving PBS Kids television programming and accompanying curriculum during the past three years (check out the GEMS-Net website for details). We will be exploring preschool teachers' values of, reported behaviors, and perceived barriers connected to STEM education. Preschool teachers will have an opportunity to engage in this research soon!

Do you have an idea for a research project?

Is there a problem of practice that you are interested in exploring more in depth?

Please reach out to the GEMS-Net team (gemsnet@etal.uri.edu). We are always looking for opportunities to partner with educators as researchers!

We are thrilled to have two of our veteran teacher leaders join our leadership team for a tenure as teachers-in-residence! Having teachers directly from the classroom on our leadership team brings a perspective and authenticity that is critical to our partnership. Welcome Holly and Chris, and thank you to their home districts Exeter-West Greenwich and Narragansett for supporting the teacher-in residence program.

Holly Emery is a Teacher in Residence from Exeter/West Greenwich Junior High School where she has taught science for the last 20 years. Her experience includes participation in Fulbright Teachers of Global Classroom and the Trans-Atlantic Outreach Program’s (TOP) study tour of science and environmental education in Germany. Her educational focus is facilitating opportunities that promote climate literacy in students as well as developing global competencies that will prepare students to effectively engage and solve problems in our changing world.

Email: hstone@uri.edu

Christopher Cochran is a Teacher in Residence from the Narragansett School System. Chris has been teaching in Narragansett for the past 12 years, starting out as a K-4 special educator, then working as a classroom teacher in grade 3, and a science teacher in grades 5-6. He also has experience with Digital Literacy working as a Teacher Leader for this program at Narragansett Elementary School as well as taking part in the Digital Literacy Summer Institute hosted by the Harrington School of Communication and Media at URI. With a minor in Film Studies from Rhode Island College, Chris has also participated in Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Give me 5 student film festivals, as a mentor supporting students in elementary and secondary schools who work in small groups for 5 hours to create a 1-minute film with content of their choice, using innovative film-making techniques.

Email: ccochran83@uri.edu

Dr. Sara Sweetman is an Associate Professor at the University of Rhode Island (URI). She effectively bridges research and practice by engaging pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, school administrators, and the community in reform-based STEM programs. Sara is also a children’s media consultant and head advisor for the US Department of Education’s Ready to Learn Children’s Programing grant. She has advised numerous projects with a variety of multimedia platforms connected to Sesame Street Workshop, Electric Company, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That, and other PBS/CBP educational programs. She appeared on Sesame Street exploring science concepts with Murray the Muppet. Through teaching, consulting, advising, and research, Sara builds public awareness and knowledge about the importance and joy of engaging in the nature of science and engineering.

Email: sara_sweetman@uri.edu

Caroline Stabile first worked with GEMS-Net as a middle school science teacher in Exeter-West Greenwich. She has been on the GEMS-Net leadership team since 2006. Caroline completed her master’s degree in professional learning and program development in 2015 and earned her Ph.D in 2021 with a dissertation focusing on how teachers and students engage in sensemaking through scientific modeling. Caroline appreciates working with teachers, district leaders and the GEMS-Net team to continually improve STEM education for all students.

Email: carolinestabile@uri.edu

Kelly Houle joined the GEMS-Net team over 10 years ago as a teacher leader while she was teaching kindergarten and second grade in the North Kingstown School District. Kelly became the Teacher in Residence in 2014 and later accepted the Education Specialist position which she still holds today. She received her M.S. in Developmental Science from URI and is currently a Ph.D. candidate. Kelly is passionate about early childhood STEM education and looks forward to her dissertation research, Early Childhood Educators’ Values, Behaviors, and Perceived Barriers of STEM Education, taking place this spring. Kelly is also passionate about outdoor teaching and learning and works to support teachers with strategies and pedagogical practices that help children connect school learning to the real world by exploring outdoors. Along with supporting teachers with professional learning opportunities, Kelly supports the goals of our partnership through grant writing and research.

Email: kellyshea@uri.edu

Stephanie Good has been on the GEMS-Net staff for about 10 years. Stephanie's work focuses primarily on logistics and communication to support the partnership. Prior to working for GEMS-Net, she was the head teacher at a preschool in Warwick and then a classroom teacher in Narragansett for more than 20 years, working at both the elementary and middle school levels. While a teacher in Narragansett, she was a member of GEMS-Net's Teacher Leader team for several years. If you have questions and aren't sure which team member to contact, feel free to reach out to Stephanie. She'll either help directly or will pass your message along to a team member with the needed expertise.

Email: stephanie_good@uri.edu

Zack Orefice recently joined the GEMS-Net team as an education specialist. He primarily works to provide virtual support for teachers through remote coaching and the creation of digital resources that support science instruction in the classroom. For the last 10 years, he has been involved in public education while serving a few different roles. Zack has been an elementary school teacher (3rd and 5th grade) in North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Virginia. He also worked as an instructional coach at Captain Isaac Paine Elementary School in Foster, RI for 3 years. In this role, he supported teachers' integration of science pedagogy, technology, and personalized learning in their classrooms. He also developed a school-wide STEM program which integrated design challenges, Project Lead the Way courses, coding, keyboarding, and Makerspace usage into the general education curriculum. Additionally, Zack previously worked with the GEMS-Team as a Teacher-in-Residence from 2017 - 2020.

Email: zacko@uri.edu

Joy Erautt joined the GEMS-Net team 2 years ago. Joy is responsible for managing the science materials needed to support the team. She also leads the development and maintenance of the GEMS-Net database. Prior to working for GEMS-Net, she worked as a computer software consultant for 10 years. She then went on to get her elementary education certification and worked in elementary schools for 5 years before joining the GEMS-Net team.

Email: jerautt@uri.edu

Lisa Jones has dedicated 20 years to working in the education field. She joined GEMS-Net in 2018 as a Material Management Specialist. In 2020, she accepted a Research Assistant position through which she supports research and writing. Lisa received her M.A.T. in Early Childhood Education and is currently a first-year Ph.D. student at URI in the School of Education. Lisa is passionate about equitable practices in early childhood education, STEM, and outdoor learning.

Email: lisa_jones@uri.edu

As always, please reach out with any questions, concerns, or feedback!

Email: gemsnet@etal.uri.edu
Website: https://web.uri.edu/gemsnet/
Location: 8 Reactor Road, Narragansett, RI, USA
Phone: (401) 874-6008
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gemsnet/
Twitter: @gemsnet10