Gain hands-on inquiry life science experience while studying plants, birds and insects alongside a research scientist in beautiful Itasca State Park

If you love the north woods of Minnesota and would like to gain experience in hands-on, inquiry biology, this workshop in beautiful Lake Itasca State Park is a great choice. The workshop offers two free credits, free room and board at the University's Biological Research Station, classroom resource materials, and expert instruction from Bell Museum research scientists. Itasca State Park, famous as the headwaters of the Mississippi, is just four hours northwest of the Twin Cities. One teacher last year said about this workshop, "Thank you for offering this course, it was well organized, and I learned so many hands-on activities that I'm very excited to teach science next year!"

The ten day workshop is divided into three sections-plants, birds, and insects. Each section is lead by a research scientist who will cover the basics of their content area in lecture/discussion and then take teachers into the field to help them design, record, and analyze data on their own research plots.

After the summer workshop there will be a mandatory roundtable in Itasca in February. You will study winter ecology with two of the scientists from the summer workshop and our lead teachers will work with participants in creating or supplementing classroom lessons.

Course Dates and Location: DON'T KNOW UNTIL FEB 6 WHEN WE MEET WITH ITASCA FOLKS. Itasca State Park at the U of M Biological Research Station.

Instructors: Dr. Anita Cholewa, Michelle DaCosta, Dr. Ann Kessen (scientists), Jane Greenberg and Kevin Williams (Bell Museum educators and project facilitators).

All course fees, materials, meals, lodging and two graduate credits will be covered by a grant from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, Improving Teacher Quality Program.