To kick-off the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, 100 classes from 15 schools public schools from Oakland Unified School District participated in Google Field Trips! With generous funding from Google, these special events include free admission, complimentary bus transportation, and healthy lunches for all kids and chaperones who attend! Additionally, these events help the Academy reach towards our goal of creating science learning opportunities for all students in the Bay Area.
Science learning is important for everyone. The relevant, real-life skills that people develop when learning science help make everyone better problem-solvers and citizens. Events such as these help teachers connect their students with opportunities to learn science in larger context, which is important because just like learning another language, science fluency requires immersive learning opportunities.
A teacher from Grass Valley Elementary shared about the importance in this way: “I work diligently to expose my students to the science NGSS standards, but I cannot give them the hands-on experiences and real exhibits and observations that they experienced at the CA Academy of Science!”
Additionally, a teacher from Bella Vista Elementary said, “Many of my students only think of science as things they see in text books. It was amazing that they learn how ALL life are comprised of cells.”