Overview

The Science Docent Program is a wonderful new science education program designed for 5th graders and taught by parents and other community members. The Science Docent Program helps teachers effectively cover Earth Sciences Standard Set 3 (Earth’s Water).

• Children love the Science Docent Program because the activities are playful and fun.
• Docent volunteers enjoy the Science Docent Program because it gives them a meaningful role to play in their school while enriching their own knowledge.
• Schools value the Science Docent Program because students are learning hands-on natural science in direct support of education standards.
• The Science Docent Program trains parents and community members to be directly involved in the classroom.

Each docent-led lesson will give students the opportunity to learn science concepts framed in the context of our local waterways, while developing their skills for observing, communicating, investigating, and thinking critically about the environment. Most lessons include an outdoor component to allow students to experience the natural world first-hand and apply what they have learned in the lesson out in the field.

back to top

Who are the Docents?

Each participating classroom will have a team of 2 volunteer docents who visit their classroom monthly with a one-hour interactive science lesson. We ask teachers to help recruit these volunteers since parents make ideal docents, but the Science Docent Program will recruit docents from the community to fill any vacant positions.

back to top

How Does it Work?

The Science Docent Program provides 8 monthly training sessions for the volunteer docents. Each workshop teaches the docents to present a fun, hands-on lesson about the water-related 5th grade Science Content Standards. After each seminar, the docent teams visit their partner classroom to present this interactive lesson to the students.

back to top

Testimonials

“Programs like this Science Docent Program are helping improve the quality of Science education in our County, both by involving the community in the classroom and by addressing State Science Standards and complements other programs offered by the County like the Bridgeport Natural Science Center and the Imaginarium,”
Leslie Smith, Science Resource Coordinator for the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools.

“With most curriculum focused on Language Arts/Math, there is less time available for science. This volunteer program takes financial burden off the schools, and supplies necessary educational material.”
Barbara Jones, a parent and Science Docent at Deer Creek Elementary.

“This program has been great. It really gave me a meaningful way to participate in the classroom.”
Larry Kinkor, a Science Docent at Scotten School.

back to top

References

Leslie Smith – Science Resource Coordinator for Nevada County Superintendent of Schools: 478-6400 x211
Susan Rossman – Participating teacher at Scotten School: 273-6472
Steve Darden – Participating teacher at Deer Creek Elementary: 265-1870

back to top

News Release—Watery Wisdom? Science Docents Have It!

Today at Deer Creek Elementary School, students are running energetically around the field laughing and shouting. After a closer look though, we can see that this isn’t gym class, it’s science!

Students acting as water molecules are rolling huge colorful dice to determine where the whims of the sun, wind, and gravity will take them on their next step through the water cycle. They run from station to station collecting beads to track their journey from clouds to ocean to soil and beyond. Shrieks of enjoyment fill the air “I get to go to the animals again! I’m inside a horse!” shouts one fifth grade girl. “Oh no, not groundwater again!” groans another.

This fun lesson is part of a new Science Docent Program, run by the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL). SYRCL pilot tested this new program in ten 5th grade classrooms this spring. Modeled in many ways after our local Art Docent Program, the Science Docent Program trains local volunteers to work with teachers to expand science education in local 5th grade classrooms.

How does it work? This spring, ten classrooms each paired with a different team of two volunteer Science Docents. The Science Docent Program provided three monthly training sessions for these 20 volunteer docents. Each training session taught the docents to present a fun, hands-on science lesson. These lessons were all structured around the 5th grade California Science Content Standards. After each seminar, the docent teams visited their partner classroom to present this interactive lesson to the students.

Through this pilot program, sponsored by a $5,000 grant from the EPA and an additional $5,000 raised from local donors, volunteer Science Docents reached 296 fifth graders with three different science lessons this spring.

“I am thrilled to see such a groundswell of support for this program – both from our wonderful volunteers and from teachers and administrators in the community,” said Carlyle Holmes, SYRCL’s RiverTeachers Director. “The program built an amazing connection between the community volunteers, parents, and local classrooms.” This spring alone, volunteers donated over 600 hours of time, both in the classroom and in the office, to bring this program to life.

Among these volunteers is Leslie Smith, Science Resource Coordinator for the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools. “Programs like this Science Docent Program are helping improve the quality of Science education in our County, both by involving the community in the classroom and by addressing State Science Standards,” says Smith, who volunteers on the Advisory Board for the Science Docent Program. “It also complements other programs offered by the County like the Bridgeport Natural Science Center and the Imaginarium,” she added.

This program comes just in time. This year, for the first time ever, California Standardized testing will test our local fifth graders on California’s Science Content Standards. With the current focus on meeting the requirements for math and English, many teachers are struggling to find ways to incorporate science into their classrooms.

“This is perfect timing,” said one local teacher. “With most curriculum focused on Language Arts/Math, there is less time available for science” said Barbara Jones, a parent and volunteer docent. “This volunteer program takes financial burden off the schools, and supplies necessary educational material.”

SYRCL was one only of four organizations in Northern California to win a grant through this EPA program. “These grants represent our smartest investment in the future,” said Wayne Nastri, administrator of the EPA's Pacific Southwest Office.

“Ultimately, we would like to be able to offer this program to all interested 5th grade classrooms in the County. Through this pilot test, we were able to involve10 teachers from 7 schools around the County,” says Holmes “but so many teachers were interested, that we ended up having to turn some away.”

This summer, SYRCL will be raising funds to continue and hopefully expand this new and exciting program. If your business would like to sponsor a classroom, please contact Carlyle Holmes at (530)265-5961 x204.

Back in the classroom the lesson is winding down. Students are writing stories in their “Water Log” journals about their journey through the water cycle. “This program has been great” says Larry Kinkor, one of the Science Docents. “It really gave me a meaningful way to participate in the classroom.”

back to top

To Participate

If you would like to become involved with our Science Docent Program, either as a classroom teacher or a volunteer docent, please e-mail carlyle@syrcl.org or call 265-2606.