Mini-Courses

New York Botanical Garden Tour: A History

Through Glaciers

Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Ramona Fittipaldi-Deoraj and Andrew Mittiga

Mucking Around With Oysters

Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Suzette Nelson, Matt Steineger, and Andrew Zimmerman

TUESDAYS, MAY 9, MAY 16, MAY 23

MƒA & OFFSITE  SCIENCE

+ PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A HYBRID COURSE. SESSIONS 1 AND 3 WILL TAKE PLACE AT MƒA . SESSION 2 WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE FIELD.

Once upon a time, oysters covered over 200,000 acres of New York Harbor’s sea floor. Long before hot dogs, pretzels, and pizza, New Yorkers were munching on oysters as the quintessential NYC snack. But years of pollution and overharvesting decimated our oyster population and, with it, the balance of our local ecosystems. Join us as we explore the critical role of oysters as a native species, help our students connect to NYC ecology, and guide them toward citizen science and restoration work. First, we’ll discuss the historical role and importance of oysters as a keystone species in the Hudson Estuary. Then, in session two, we’ll meet out on the water to learn about the Billion Oyster Project (BOP) and explore their first community reef. Finally, we’ll discuss how to use oyster tanks, BOP curricular resources, and local data sets to teach about human impact and engage our students with NYC ecosystems. Throughout, we’ll explore materials from and inspired by BOP’s public resources. Science teachers of any grade looking for citizen science opportunities within the Hudson Estuary are welcome.

Suzette Nelson is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Clara Barton High School in Brooklyn.

Matt Steiniger is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at School of the Future High School in Manhattan.

Andy Zimmermann is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Red Hook Neighborhood School in Brooklyn.

TUESDAYS, MAY 23, MAY 30 OFFSITE

 SCIENCE

+ PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A TWO SESSION MINI-COURSE. EACH SESSION WILL TAKE PLACE FROM 4 - 6 P.M. AT THE NYBG.

People from all over the world visit the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) for its rare plants and phenomenal seasonal displays, however, most remain unaware of its secret geologic history. Join us in this mini-course as we explore the grounds of the NYBG to uncover this geologic history and look for rock outcrops shaped both by the Bronx River and the last period of glaciation. We’ll find evidence of glacial erratics, striations, and even a glacial pothole. In session one, we will walk along the current path of the Bronx River, identifying a variety of rock formations, and looking for signs of weathering and erosion.

During our second session, we will use topographic maps to identify areas of glacial erosion and align topography instruction to the physical features in the Bronx, bringing real-life and local examples to our students. This course is most applicable to Earth Science teachers but all MƒA teachers are welcome.

Ramona Fittipaldi-Deoraj is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Young Women’s Leadership School in Manhattan.

Andrew Mittiga is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Young Women’s Leadership School in Manhattan.

Physical Computing to Inspire Innovations

Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Renne Castro and Sandra Rossi and MƒA Early Career Teacher Nathan Weber

TUESDAYS, FEB 28, MAR 14, MAR 28

MƒA  COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

With advancements in technology, we now interact with physical devices that gather information and communicate with us every day. Innovations from physical computing have revolutionized our world and will continue to do so in the future. By merging concepts from physical science, engineering, mathematics, and computer science with Adafruit’s CircuitPlayground Express—an Arduino and CircuitPython-based microcontroller—we will use the engineering design process to create innovative devices that interact with the world around us. Physical computing can also bring new life to teaching by encouraging student agency, ownership, and identity and by empowering students to pursue projects and problems that are relevant and important to them. This course is best suited for middle or high school teachers interested in engineering or computer science. No prior experience is required.

Renne Castro is an MƒA Master Teacher and computer science teacher at Bayside High School in Queens.

Sandra Rossi is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Bayside High School in Queens.

Nathan Weber is an MƒA Early Career Teacher and science teacher at University Heights Secondary School in the Bronx.

Physics for Mathematics Teachers

Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Courtney Ferrell, Marieke Thomas, and Andrew Wallace

WEDNESDAYS, MAR 1, MAR 8, MAR 15

MƒA  MATHEMATICS

Are you a non-physicist interested in learning about the fundamental principles governing our universe?

Do you want to help students identify as practicing mathematicians by investigating how mathematics applies to their daily lives? Join us as we explore three key topics in physics: one dimensional motion, forces, and projectile motion. In our first session, we will explore the 1D motion of objects, linking acceleration, velocity, and displacement to graphical analysis, algebra, and calculus. Then, we will connect forces to vectors. Finally, we will discuss projectile motion as it relates to quadratics. We will curate topics most applicable to mathematics so teachers can incorporate real-world examples into their classes. This course is