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NEW FROM
THE ECHO BLOG

ARE THERE FISH IN YOUR BEER?

POSTED JANUARY 18 AT 5:00 PM

As a craft beer lover and avid home brewer I was thrilled…

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SCHOOL
PROGRAMS

ECHO Education programs model inquiry-based teaching by facilitating student activities, prompting investigations, and encouraging dialogue during intentional exhibit exploration. And, of course, they’re lots of fun!


ECHO TEACHER'S CHOICE PROGRAM OPTIONS

ECHO provides teachers with a broad range of topics for deeper immersion and clearer connection to their curriculum for students in grades K-12. All ECHO programs are linked to Vermont Science or Social Studies Standards and Grade Expectations and are taught by ECHO Education Staff or by supervised pre-service teachers interning at ECHO.

Signing up for Teacher’s Choice Programs

  • Using the chart below, review programs for students in your grade level. Click on the title for a brief overview, PDF version of the program description.
  • ECHO will match your program choices to an appropriate ECHO Inquiry Trek for a complete program experience.
  • For trips of more than 25 students, the group will be divided into sessions and the same program will be repeated so all students can participate in the same experience using a session rotation. ECHO will assist you with planning the number and length of programs for a well-orchestrated experience with ample time for exhibit exploration, ECHO Encounters, lunch, and visits to the gift shop.
  • Preschool Programs for children 3-5 years old are led by ECHO’s Youth Education Specialist. Pre-registration is required by contacting the front desk.
A student conducts a streak test as part of the Teacher's Choice program Rocks Rock.
Program Title (PDF desc.) Grade Range Duration Description
Wetland Wonders K - 6 45 min It’s a sponge, it’s a filter, it’s a nursery… it’s a wetland! Explore the living and non-living elements of a wetland through model-making, experimental inquiry and an engineering solution to preserve this unique ecosystem.
Creature Feature K - 6 45 min What makes a fish a fish or a frog a frog? Investigate five vertebrate groups, their form and function, and the key to classification. 
Amphibians All Around K - 6 45 min Explore life cycles, characteristics, and behaviors of amphibians found in the Lake Champlain watershed… and beyond. Sketch, call and hop your way to understanding this unique group of vertebrates.
Lake Champlain in a Bag K - 6 45 min How is Lake Champlain like a bathtub? Your students will play key parts in a flowing watershed diorama.
Rock and Roll Geology 3 - 6 45 min Explore 10,000 years of geologic history and both human and natural impacts.  Explore rapid and gradual geologic change and perform actual geologic tests. 
Native American Artifact Inquiry 3 - 6 45 min Use scientific inquiry and games to illuminate the sophistication of Native American ingenuity, learning styles and values.
Properties of Water in the Lake Champlain Basin  3 - 6 45 min Surface tension, solutions, and states of H20.  Where does water flow?  What’s at stake for our Lake?  
Properties of Matter in the Lake Champlain Basin 3 - 6 45 min Explore concepts of volume, density, chemical and physical change, and how states of matter can influence our environment.
Zoom in on Zebra Mussels 3 - 6 45 min Uncover characteristics that allow invasive species to adapt to conditions in the Lake Champlain Basin. We will focus on Zebra Mussels to understand how some adaptations for survival can cause havoc in the watershed.

 

ECHO SELF-GUIDED PROGRAMS

Experience all the learning at ECHO with support from ECHO’s Volunteer Education Interpreters:

  • Movie shorts, games, crafts, experiments, and hands-on activities.
  • Daily Animal Feedings and Demonstrations.
  • ECHO Treks: Choose either our "paper/pencil" ECHO Treks that guide student exhibit exploration gathering data, estimating, drawing, etc. (we provide the clipboards and pencils!) OR and ECHO Inquiry Trek that guides student exhibit exploration through small group inquiry question prompts and discussion.
     

LAKE CHAMPLAIN BASIN PROGRAM RESOURCE ROOM

  • Dive deeper into Lake Champlain at the Resource Room, located on the top floor of ECHO.
  • An excellent teacher or student resource for Lake and watershed curriculum or project planning across disciplines using website links, maps, charts, pamphlets and multimedia.
  • A quiet space for small group preschool stories, games and puzzles.
     

UPPER LEVEL HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGES

ECHO is happy to help customize a visit for high school, college, university students. We welcome the opportunity for more advanced exploration and discussion. For more information, please contact Director of Education Molly Loomis.

Suggested Presentations and Discussion Topics

  • What are the benefits of partnering with a science center?
  • Orientation to informal education in science centers.
  • What is inquiry-based science all about?
  • What goes into making an exhibit? 
  • What are the barriers and solutions to reaching under-served populations in a science center?

Opportunities for Personal Growth at ECHO

  • Get involved through internships, work-study, service learning, or as a volunteer.
  • Link field work, lab work, or research results to informal learning in a science center.
 

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