Crayfish Curriculum Workshop

•  What: Day-long workshop designed to support educators in implementing the new Investigating Crayfish and Freshwater Ecosystems Curriculum
• Who: 6-12 grade formal and non-formal educators
• When: April 15, 2025, 8:00 am to 3:30 pm CT.
• Where: Dunes Learning Center at Indiana Dunes National Park, 700 Howe Rd., Chesterton, IN 46304
• Cost: Free

Register here by April 1, 2025

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, the Invasive Crayfish Collaborative, and Indiana Dunes National Park have teamed up to offer a day-long workshop designed to support educators in implementing the new Investigating Crayfish and Freshwater Ecosystems Curriculum. Participants will earn six professional development hours during this interactive experiential learning workshop. All of the activities are aligned to Common Core and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

This workshop includes a presentation from an expert aquatic ecologist. Educators will also take part in hands-on science through crayfish sampling at Little Calumet River.

Participants should dress to be outdoors for a portion of the day, and bring water and a laptop for use in the classroom. After completing the workshop, participants will receive a copy of the Crayfish and Freshwater Ecosystems Curriculum, which includes educator guides and student handouts for each of the nine lessons.

Workshop Objectives

In this workshop, educators will:

• Gain knowledge about the role of invasive crayfish in Great Lakes ecosystems and the importance of invasive crayfish management.
• Learn how to implement a participatory science activity in their classrooms by sampling for crayfish and other macroinvertebrates and logging their data using GIS softwares.
• Review and practice at least seven hands-on activities from the Crayfish and Freshwater Ecosystems Curriculum.
• Learn how the activities are aligned with Common Core and NGSS.

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant provides equal opportunities in programs. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Julie Fiorito at fiorito4@illinois.edu or by phone at 217-300-0788. Early requests are encouraged to allow time to meet individual requests.