WIDSI (Watch It, Don't Squash It!)
Bringing conservation biology into local elementary school classrooms.
2008-09 chair: Patrick Grof-Tisza (pgroftisza@ucdavis.edu).
Who We Are:
WIDSI is UC Davis' homegrown science outreach crew. The group is mostly made up of graduate students in various programs, including Animal Behavior, Ecology, Population Biology, and Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology. However, anyone can join! We are always in search of new members excited about the opportunity to spread enthusiasm about life science, conservation, and environmental literacy to a bunch of great kids.
What We Do:
We plan lessons and activities focused on animal behavior, ecology, environmental science, and physiology. Often, these activities have an artistic as well as a literacy-oriented component. We usually are able to bring in live animals or specimens for a "hands-on" approach.
WIDSI has visited both regular classrooms and after-school programs. For two years, WIDSI visited classrooms at the Harmon Johnson Elementary School in Sacramento during their START program. START is a afterschool program for low-income students, usually ranging from 2nd to 5th grade. Our presence there was often the first introduction to science and "scientists" that these kids got to have.
How to Get Involved:
Time commitment can vary widely, and depends on the requests of the individual teacher or school. Contact this year's chair to get updates on upcoming meetings, workshops, and teaching opportunities.
What They're Saying About Us:
"Thank you so much for last week! It was definitely a highlight of the year for them. Right now we are doing parent conferences (report card time) and almost all the parents said that their child came home talking all about it. We are going to begin our own unit on adaptations soon, so it was nice to have that great introduction. I am sure that this will help them understand it much better... Thanks again!"
-- Mele Echiburu
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