Pierce Cedar Creek Institute Teacher Training Hub

About these programs

We have developed a series of asynchronous trainings for teachers, in addition to in person and virtual synchronous trainings that are held throughout the year. Each module that is available on this website consists of a Google form with embedded questions and videos for you to work through. Each module should take about one hour. Some videos are in a series, and while these videos can be viewed alone, they will be more meaningful as a part of the larger series. Each training includes a resource list at the end. To receive SCECHs, be sure to include your PID number in the Google Form. Funding for these programs were provided by the Institute's ScienceStrong donors as well as the Michigan Space Grant Consortium. The materials for ScienceStrong have largely been developed by a team of staff and volunteers at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, including Education Director Sara Parr Syswerda, PhD; Community Program Manager Ellen Holste, PhD; long time Institute volunteer and retired elementary and middle school educator Debra Kilmartin; and Field Station Manager Matthew Dykstra. Additional review and revision assistance  has been provided by teachers (both in service and retired) from Barry County, Michigan. 

NOTE: To see the videos in the training as full screen, click on the YouTube logo in the right corner of each video, and you will see the video in a format that can be viewed full screen.

General Science Teaching

• Formative Assessment: Learn different techniques for assessing student thinking.

• Michigan Women in Science: Learn about women who were pioneers in their fields of scientific research. 

• Nature-based Learning for Young Children: Learn strategies for integrating nature into your teaching.

• Readworks: Learn how to use digital nonfiction resources to enhance your science teaching.

• Science Storytelling: Integrating Science and ELA: Learn strategies for integrating writing and reading into science instruction.

Earth Science

• Clean Water Engineering: Use local environmental problems to address content and engineering goals.

• Gravity in Watersheds: Learn how to integrate argumentation and use models while also learning about the movement of water through watersheds.

• Michigan in Transition 1: Learn to integrate social studies and Earth Science by exploring the history of Michigan through a lens of natural resource development and landscape changes. This session covers Michigan history from 1600-1820.

• Michigan in Transition 2: Learn to integrate social studies and Earth Science by exploring the history of Michigan through a lens of natural resource development and landscape changes. This session covers Michigan history from 1800-1900.

• Michigan in Transition 3: Learn to integrate social studies and Earth Science by exploring the history of Michigan through a lens of natural resource development and landscape changes. This session covers Michigan history from 1900-2000.

• Weather and Climate: Learn how to teach students to analyze data and notice patterns in weather and climate data.

• Weather and the Water Cycle: Learn how weather happens, with a particular focus on the movement of water through the water cycle.

• Women in Conservation: Learn about Michigan women who influenced the conservation movement.

Life Science

• Amphibians and Reptiles: Learn about the amphibians and reptiles that live in Michigan. 

• Birds: Learn about the birds that live in Michigan.

• Invertebrates: Learn about the major groups of invertebrates and how to include them in your science instruction.

• Mammals: Learn about the mammals of Michigan.

• Plant Diversity: Learn about the major groups of plants of Michigan.

• Plant Structure and Function: Learn about the structures that plants have and how they function to enable plants to live and grow.

Physical Science

• Forces and Motion: Learn the basics of forces and motion.

• Light and Sound: Learn the basics of waves, and in particular light and sound. 

• Solar Oven Engineering: Learn about heat, light, and energy transformations while building a solar oven.

Space Science

• Solar System Tour: Learn about the solar system and how to use models in your science classroom.

• Space Science Engineering: Learn about how to integrate engineering into their space science curriculum.

• Patterns in the Sky: Learn to help students to recognize patterns related to space science, including day and night, the seasons, and the movement of shadows.

Making and Tinkering with STEM Book Study: Participants will complete readings and building challenges to learn about making, tinkering, and engineering.

• Making and Tinkering with STEM Book Study Session 1: Learn about the differences between tinkering, making, and engineering.

• Making and Tinkering with STEM Book Study Session 2: Learn about creating STEM experiences for your students.

• Making and Tinkering with STEM Book Study Session 3: Learn about setting up your Maker's Space.

• Making and Tinkering with STEM Book Study Session 4: Learn about designing challenges for your students.

• Making and Tinkering with STEM Book Study Session 5: Learn about how to include families in STEM learning.

• Making and Tinkering with STEM Book Study Session 6: Learn about assessment and documenting STEM learning.