All Access Pass
to the Wonder and Magic of the Tremont Experience
We knew the pandemic would be a challenge for all of us—with some schools virtual, some in-person, and some in a hybrid model. How can Tremont continue to help teachers make the magic of experience, deep teacher-student relationships, and of course, healing connection to nature a part of their school year?
We believe that through effective training, resources, and connection, more teachers will spend time learning outside of the classroom. We have compiled many of our teacher favorites, and we will continue to add more periodically. Check back often and keep in touch with us as your needs evolve.
All-Access to…
We created the Tremont Schoolyard Adventure to help you recreate the Tremont experience right at your school. The experience includes lesson plans in the spirit of a Tremont three- or five-day program, complete with music, video, and plenty of outdoor investigation and exploration. Enjoy!
Teacher Facilitation Guide: Tremont Schoolyard Adventure
This guide is meant to accompany Tremont Schoolyard Adventure in either format, Google Slides or the ArcGIS version. Teachers – READ THIS FIRST. Using this guide and your natural teacher spidey skills, you will be able to put together your own unique school-based Tremont experience. It contains links to all of the student-facing resources, plus lesson plans, extra materials, and other teacher-friendly resources to help teachers navigate and facilitate their own trips.
The schoolyard adventure is HERE! We included a lot of your favorite Tremont lessons and learning routines in two interactive options. While these formats contain essentially the same materials, the format and accessibility may be different and you will likely prefer one over the other for your students.
Choose between one of the two options below:
View the StoryMap
Google Slide Version — you will be prompted to make a copy of the google slide for your use. This keeps you from accidentally editing or deleting it for others!
Lesson plans provide a general framework for teachers to adapt to their setting. We believe the best lessons are ones that include learning routines that can be used over and over in various settings and to investigate multiple topics. These include activities (such as I Notice, I Wonder, It Reminds Me of…) and routines that foster curiosity, discussion, reflection.
I Notice, I Wonder, It Reminds Me of…
Our friends at the Beetles Project of Lawrence Hall of Science created this wonderful lesson routine that can be used as an introduction to almost any content at any grade level. Take time to learn this one well, and it will serve you and your students over and over.
Sound Mapping
This short lesson couples well with episode 4 of Tremont’s Weekly Wonder program. Watch the video. »
A Watershed Story
A Watershed Story follows a drop of water from a ridgeline in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, down through creeks and streams across the state of Tennessee and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way, you can click on specific sites that reveal conservation and cultural issues, and also provide prompts for you or your students to respond to.
Teachers have social and emotional needs that must be met in order to thrive and continue delivering relevant, necessary outdoor experiences for their students. And so, during this pandemic year, we began a new kind of online professional network – a supportive community of practitioners, combining mindfulness practice, new content, and time to discuss challenges and share best practices. As we continue to host these gatherings and workshops, we will post edited recordings for viewing on this page.
Community for Schoolyard Teaching and Learning
Join this group for that shot-in-the-arm inspiration and fun that happens when teachers and Tremont staff take time to discuss and share the art of teaching.
Deep Dive into iNaturalist- Educator Workshop, April 2021 (~1hr)
Guest speaker Graham Montgomery, PHD student at UCLA, leads educators through the iNaturalist community science and research hub. iNaturalist is more than just uploading sightings! Watch the recording linked above to learn more about this program, including how to download observation data from the site for use in your classroom. Find more resources such as practice data sets, step-by-step download instructions, and the powerpoint slide here.
Phenology and Project Budburst – Teacher Workshop, March 2021 (~35min)
Led by Dr. Sarah Jones of the Chicago Botanical Gardens, this workshop allowed teachers to explore various activities related to phenology: the study of the timing of natural events. From personal phenology wheels to phenophase scavenger hunts, you can find templates, activities, and resources on our workshop padlet here.
Civil War in the Smokies – Teacher Workshop, Feb. 2021 (~35min)
This workshop highlighted an NPS presentation that is available to teachers and their young students. It explores the divided allegiances of the people of the Great Smoky Mountains during the Civil War and how this impacted their daily lives.
Engaging Nature through Multiple Lenses – Teacher Workshop, Jan 2021(~30 min)
Watch the Weekly Wonder Episode, Pocket Worlds
Using a free episode of Weekly Wonder, Tyler and John will lead you through a basic learning routine aimed at getting students to investigate diversity where they are, using stories, graphics, or mapping.
Read the saved zoom chat from this workshop and check out our Jamboard for a look into our collaborative conversations.
