Several teacher workshops are offered at the park each summer, and weekend workshops are offered during the school year. All are accredited through New Mexico State University at Alamogordo. For more information, contact Kathy Denton, Education Specialist, at (575) 479-6124 ex. 231.

Sun, Stars, and Sky: Beginning Astronomy
Wednesday through Friday, June 4. June 5, and June 6, 2008. Class Description.

Conservation Ethics: Leopold Education Workshop and Leave No Trace
Monday through Wednesday, June 9, June 10, and June 11, 2008. Class Description.

White  Sands  National  Monument: The Outdoor Classroom
Monday thru Friday, June 16 through June 20, 2008. Class Description.

 

 

White  Sands  National  Monument: The Outdoor Classroom

Tentative schedule: 8 AM to 5 PM; field trip days (2): 7 AM to 4 PM
College Credit w/ New Mexico State University at Alamogordo: 40 class hrs = 3 credits

Class Description: A five day workshop of interdisciplinary curricula that covers the topics of general geology overview, specific geology of the Tularosa Basin and the White Sands dune field, desert ecology, plants and animals of the desert and of White Sands, and local human history. The workshop is engineered to assist teachers in using White Sands National Monument and other National Park Service areas as outdoor classrooms for their students. Class will include group discussions, presentations, guest speakers, hands-on activities, and several field trips (Lake Lucero and other points within the White Sands National Monument).

 

 

Sun, Stars, and Sky: Beginning Astronomy

College Credit w/ New Mexico State University at Alamogordo: 26 class hrs = 2 credits

Class Description: This program is an interactive workshop of interdisciplinary curricula useful for teachers (K-12 grades) that introduces the topic of astronomy. This course is for anyone who has wanted to learn any aspect of astronomy but did not where to start. Participants will learn a simple star finder method, how to identify the constellations, how to use star charts, and a host of fun activities about the solar system, our sun, and “what is really out there?” Activities are hands-on and participatory in nature and will cover information and reality discovery about the stars, our sun, and the sky; their physical characteristics as well as social and cultural interpretations, both modern and ancient. Field trip to the fantastic night skies at White Sands as part of the course. During this workshop, both teachers and astronomers engage in hands-on activities that are age-appropriate, the sharing of resource materials, and presentations of effective teaching strategies for astronomy topics. Astronomy provides an ideal entrée into the methods of science in general. The emphasis in this workshop is to open the world of astronomy to teachers in a non-threatening and intriguing way so that teachers and students might have fun in exploring this world of science.

 

 

Conservation Ethics: Leopold Education Workshop and Leave No Trace

College Credit w/ New Mexico State University at Alamogordo: 25class hrs = 2 credits

Pre-requisite: Read book: A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold

Class Description:

Conservation Ethics: Conservation Ethnics course will incorporate two well-known and recognized environmental education programs into a three day session. The Leopold Education Project and the Leave No Trace course will be interwoven together for this three day period. These two programs compliment and overlap each other in the formulation of a personal set of ethics and the practice of responsible actions in relationship to the field of conservation.           

Leopold Education Project: The Leopold Education Project (LEP) is a curriculum targeted for grades 6-12 but the program sponsors are currently writing and piloting an elementary curriculum as well. LEP is designed to instill a land ethic among tomorrow’s stewards by providing direct experience with the natural world. The LEP is interdisciplinary in nature and is based on Aldo Leopold’s classic literary work: A Sand County Almanac.   Combining an ecologically sound understanding of science with excellent literary prose, the Almanac serves as a foundation upon which students can build a relationship with the land. “The objective is to teach the student to see the land, to understand what he sees, and enjoy what he understands.” - Aldo Leopold

Leave No Trace:  Leave No Trace is an internationally recognized, principle-based program that teaches minimum impact techniques and skills for camping, hiking, and outdoor recreation. The goals of this program are to introduce participants to wild lands, wilderness, its history and legal foundations, and to assist participants in developing their own ethic in relation to public lands. The curricula is designed to move learners of all ages from basic awareness, appreciation, knowledge, stewardship skills, all the way through the process to result in informed, critical thinking citizens and responsible human action.