Kansas City, Mo. – Children are fascinated by nature at a young age, and the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Discover Nature Schools program can help them understand the world outdoors. MDC is hosting a free workshop for kindergarten and first grade teachers interested in Discover Nature Schools from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26, at the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center in Kansas City.

The Discover Nature Schools instruction units provide teachers with the tools to help children learn about Missouri plants and animals while meeting state science education standards. This workshop will explain how the curriculum is aligned to all Missouri Learning Science (MLS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The curriculum includes the four components of Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, Life Science, and Engineering and Technology Science.

This curriculum follows the school year. All lessons use the 5E instruction model beginning with Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate and tie into Missouri-focused phenomena and investigative questions such as “What causes something to get warmer?” or “How do crickets make sound?”

Registration is required. To register, visit https://education.mdc.mo.gov/workshops/dns-kindergarten-and-first-grade-teacher-training. For more information, contact Courtney Green, MDC conservation educator, at Courtney.Green@mdc.mo.gov or 816-759-7305, ext. 1148.