On Tuesday, November 17, the Smithsonian Science Education Center's Katherine Blanchard and Alexa Mogck will be presenting at the Minnesota Science Teacher Association's Conference on Science Education, providing a workshop on the SSEC's COVID-19 module for elementary strand teachers.
As schools and districts develop plans for their 2020-21 school year, science educators will play an important role in educating students about COVID-19 and the underlying science and social science of the pandemic. At the Smithsonian, we believe that students are more likely to engage in protective behaviors if they understand the science of WHY they are being asked to engage in these behaviors (e.g., wearing face masks, physical distancing, contact tracing, sorting through claims and evidence, etc.) To that end, the Smithsonian Science Education Center and its collaborators developed a free hands-on guide for youth and their families, available in 25 languages to support English Learners: https://ssec.si.edu/covid-19. This webinar will demonstrate some of the practical hands-on activities science educators and caregivers can use with students to help them better understand how to protect themselves and others from COVID-19. For more information, contact BlanchardKP@si.edu.