To make a reservation, call (708) 688-8372.

Ready for a change of pace? Take a teacher workshop at Brookfield Zoo!

Our expert educators will inform, entertain, and engage you as you explore a wide range of topics. The following classes carry ISBE credit (at no additional charge) for teacher recertification, and many provide optional college credit (for an additional fee).

Participants will receive a list of the corresponding Illinois State Standards for each class. For class lists, Illinois State Standards, and descriptions, check below, call Lanis Petrik at (708) 688-8372, or e-mail lanis.petrik@czs.org. Teachers outside suggested grade levels may attend and adapt materials for their own use.

 
Important Information

Optional graduate credit is available for all classes.
Aurora University credit is available for $100 per hour. (Some classes carry science credit.)
Benedictine University science credit is available for $115 per hour.
Please register with National Louis University. (Many classes are offered.)

Continuing education credit is available free for all classes.

Graduate classes offer three CEUs per graduate hour. (Three CEUs = 15 CPDUs = 15 hours of professional development.)
Classes and events that are fewer than 15 hours offer one CPDU per contact hour.

Refund Policy

All class fees include a $25 nonrefundable registration fee. Class fees, minus the $25 registration fee, can be refunded or transferred to another teacher class if we receive notice of this request at least five days prior to the date of the original class.

For more information, contact Lanis Petrik at lanis.petrik@czs.org.

Teachers outside the recommended grade ranges are welcome to attend and adapt materials for their own use. Please note: cost includes a $25 non-refundable registration fee. Optional graduate credit ($100 per hour through Aurora University) is available for most classes for an additional fee. All courses offer free CEUs. 

Have you checked out our new Advanced Inquiry Program Master’s degree?

 

It’s fun and exciting, includes travel abroad, and is very affordable. Check it out at www.czs.org/aip.

 

 

Spring/Summer Teacher Classes

  

ANIMALS OF THE NIGHT

March 12 (4:30-10:00 p.m.) and 13 (8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.), Grades Pre-K – 4, $140, 1 optional graduate credit ($100 through Aurora University), CPS Lane Credit, 15 CPDUs.

 

Is Halloween your favorite day? Then you need to learn more about bats, owls and the other creatures that fly, swim, slither and crawl through the darkness! Have fun as we focus on animal information and reading/writing activities. Participate in tactile and kinesthetic activities that might be great tools for the wide range of inclusion to gifted kids that you serve! Receive a CD of animal images and materials.

  

LEARNING CENTERS IN THE PRE-K AND PRIMARY CLASSROOM

March 27 (8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.), Grades Pre-K – 1, $100, 6 hours of professional development credit, 6 CPDUs.

 

Learning centers are the main avenue for organizing the environment and presenting curriculum content in the Pre-K and Primary classroom. Participants in this workshop will discuss designing and organizing learning centers and will investigate how integrated content teaching comes from well organized centers. Hands-on activities will be a part of the class. Participants will receive numerous ideas and a “new bag of tricks” for use in their own Pre-K or Primary classroom. For Grades Pre-K and 1.

 

TEACHER TALK IN THE PRE-K AND PRIMARY CLASSROOM

April 24, (8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.), Grades Pre-K – 1, $135, 6 hours of professional development credit, 6 CPDUs. Fee includes lunch. This workshop meets at the Joliet Area Professional Development Association, 2705 McDonough St, Joliet.

 

A teacher's language is her or his best teaching tool. Participants in this class will explore the four types of teacher language, how to ask questions, and how to use the environment to encourage language and critical thinking in young children. Fun, games and activities will round out a delightful day of learning.

 

INVASIVE SPECIES: VISITORS WITH NO BAGGAGE!

May 7 (4:30-10:00 p.m.) and May 8 (8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.), all grades, $150, optional graduate credit ($115 through Benedictine University), CPS Lane Credit, 15 CPDUs.

 

Look around you! You might be amazed to realize how many of the plants and animals in our landscape are not native to this area! Zebra mussels, garlic mustard, buckthorn, Dutch elm disease, emerald ash borers, sea lampreys and more impact our ecosystems. What actions can you (and your students) take to prevent or solve problems? Staff from the Illinois Indiana Sea Grant and Brookfield Zoo join forces as we explore aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

 

ZOO MATH

May 21 (4:30-10:00 p.m.) and 22 (8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.), Grades 3-9, $140, 1 optional graduate credit ($100 through Aurora University), CPS Lane Credit, 15 CPDUs.

 

Math at the zoo can go beyond just counting the animals! Experience math activities that can be used or adapted for your classroom or focused field trips! Fun activities include animal observations, tallies and graphs of student inquiries, the “Banana Lab," hands-on animal Venn diagrams and more!

 

ANIMALS AND ME

June 4 (4:30-10:00 p.m.) and 5 (8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.), Grades Pre-K to 3, $140, 1 optional graduate credit ($100 through Aurora University), CPS Lane Credit, 15 CPDUs.

 

Primate moms carry their babies in one arm for months, baby giraffes walk only hours after birth, baby polar bears grow from about one pound at birth to nearly 400 pounds in their first year! Compare size, families, homes and other aspects of animal life to our own. Develop an activity for teaching about animals in your classroom and take away pictures, crafts and more!

 

Summer/Fall Teacher Classes

 

ANIMAL DADS

June 18 (4:30-10 PM) and 19 (8:30 AM - 4:30 PM), Grades Pre-K to 8, $140, 1 optional graduate credit ($100 through Aurora University), CPS Lane credit, 15 CPDUs.

 

This is the perfect weekend to talk about animal parents! Discover the range of fatherly behavior in the animal kingdom from penguins who share parenting tasks to dolphin dads who never know their babies, and dads who might kill (and eat) youngsters to devoted protectors of the family group. Discuss how your age range of students can understand animal parenting and get activities that will have kids up and moving and involved in many ways.

 

FORM AND FUNCTION

June 25 (4:30-10 PM) and 26 (8:30 AM - 4:30 PM), Grades 1-10, $140, 1 optional biology graduate credit hour ($100 through Aurora University), 15 CPDUs, CPS Lane Credit.

 

Discover weird and wonderful examples of life in the plant and animal kingdoms with examples from desert, rain forest, and grassland ecosystems.  Hands on investigations will center on animal dentition, the structure of cells, camouflage and taxonomy.  Attention will be paid to structural, physiological and behavioral adaptations

 

AUSTRALIA

June 22 and 24 (8:30 AM - 4:30 PM both days), Grades K to 8, $140, 1 optional graduate credit ($100 through Aurora University), CPS Lane credit, 15 CPDUs.

 

Visit Australia at Brookfield Zoo: the Land Down Under or “Oz” as the natives say. From kangaroo footprints to stories of travel to the great dry continent on the other side of the world, we’ll explore a land that time (almost) forgot. You’ll take away kangaroo pockets for young students, hear wombat stories, do an animal behavior observation and get your very own video of a kangaroo youngster out hopping around for the first time.

 

ART IN THE ZOO

June 28-July 2, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each day.  3 graduate credit hours (Aurora University $300), CPS Lane credit, 45 CPDUs. $350, All grades.

 

From Art deco signage and buildings dating back to the Zoo’s opening in 1934 to the latest in Zoo exhibits and signs of the 21st Century, we’ll explore art, illustrations, statues and photographs.  Our Brookfield Zoo photographer will help you to take your own “award winning” photos and resident artists and exhibit designers will share their expertise and stories.  Plan ways to incorporate art into your science and literacy lessons, ESL classes and focused field trips and more.

 

SCIENCE TALK

July 1 and 8, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each day.  1 graduate credit hour (Aurora University $100), or 1 graduate science credit (Benedictine University $135), CPS Lane credit, 15 CPDUs. $140, All grades. Class meets at the Mayslake and Peabody Estate (a Forest Preserve District of Dupage County facility)  1717 West 31st Street, Oakbrook.

 

We communicate science by talking, writing, texting, drawing, graphs, charts, photos, videos and more. Recording and reporting your results, sometimes the least favorite for students, can be the most fun! Participate in science activities and create interesting ways to share results and assess your students. Staff from the Forest Preserve District of Dupage County, Brookfield Zoo, the Spring Valley Nature Center, Benedictine University, and other partners look forward to spending two great days with you. 

 

THE CYCLE OF INQUIRY

July 12-16, (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day), All grades, $325, 3 optional graduate science credits (credit fee $300 through Aurora University) CPS Lane Credit, 45 CPDUs (Please note: this class can be taken as a part of the AIP Master’s degree program. Contact Agnes Kovacs for details and pricing at Agnes.Kovacs@cps.org.)

 

The Cycle of Inquiry is a user friendly version of the scientific method that emphasizes the inquiry question format to promote thinking and investigation. Science, reading and math are shown as the foundations of inquiry. The Cycle of Inquiry shows teachers how they can engage their students in studies of important curricular subjects, encouraging them to learn by asking questions and using the school’s natural surroundings as a living laboratory. You’ve taken Inquiry classes before, but you’ll leave this one  knowing how to create your own student investigations!

 

SCIENCE SAMPLER

July 13 and 15, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each day.  Class meets at the Joliet Area Professional Development Alliance, 2705 Mc Donough St, Joliet.  1 graduate credit hour (Aurora University $100), CPS Lane credit, 15 CPDUs. $150, All grades.

 

Sample a variety of topics that can be used on focused field trips or in your classroom. You’ll get materials and activities to teach about animals, create and read maps, do an inquiry investigation, and incorporate reading and math into science. If you want to make a Zoo field trip a real learning experience or just add fun to your curriculum, this is the class for you!

 

BIOLOGY SAMPLER

July 19-23, (8:30 AM - 4:30 PM all days), 3 credit hours, Grades 6 to 12, $350, 3 optional graduate credits ($300 through Aurora University), 3 CPS Lane credits, 45 CPDUs.

 

Discover fun, interactive and hands-on ways to engage your students. You’ll hear a love story that reveals a family history, discover how a biological trait is passed along, participate in the origami bird lab to study mutation and natural selection, and build a dichotomous key by using animals right here at the Zoo. From the nature of science to inquiry, this class will sample it all!

 

LIGHTS IN THE NIGHT, SONGS IN THE PRAIRIE

Insects for the Elementary Classroom

July 23 (4:30-10 PM) and 24 (8:30 AM - 4:30 PM), Grades Pre-K to 8, $140, 1 optional graduate credit ($100 through Aurora University), CPS Lane credit, 15 CPDUs.

 

This class meets at Spring Valley Nature Center, 1111 East Schaumburg Road, Schaumburg

Poetry, insect songs (for people to sing!), a night hike, making insect “traps,”  insect games, searching under logs and rocks,  and learning more than you’d ever imagine about bees: this will be a jam packed fun class!  Even if you don’t like “bugs” you’ll love the songs they make and the sight of summer’s favorite: lightning bugs! Plus you’ll learn about some great classroom resources and take away a fun art project.

 

OCEAN EXPLORERS

July 26 -30, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each day. 3 graduate science hours (Benedictine University $345) or 3 graduate credit hours (Aurora University $300), CPS Lane credit, 45 CPDUs. $350, All grades.

 

Focus on the ocean animals at Brookfield Zoo: bottle nosed dolphins, penguins, seals, sea lions, sea stars and more. Carry out a behavioral observation and develop inquiry questions for use with your students.  Fee includes curriculum materials and a book.

 

EXPLORING GRASSLANDS

October 1(4:30–10:00 p.m.) & 2 (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) All grades, $140, 1 optional graduate credit, 15 CPDUs, CPS Lane Credit.

 

From elephants to bison, millions of incredible animals live in the grasslands of the world.  Learn about the amazing plants, animals and peoples that populate the most productive biomes on earth from the savannahs, steppes, prairies and pampas to Illinois, the Prairie State! Receive extensive curriculum materials and AV resources.

 

AUTUMN, TIME OF CHANGE

October 8 (4:30–10:00 p.m.) & 9 (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) All grades, $140, 1 optional graduate credit, 15 CPDUs, CPS Lane Credit.

 

Incorporate the subject of change into your curriculum throughout the year. This course provides classroom activities, background information for teachers, in-zoo and outdoor experience and exploration, and follow-up activities. Learn about seasonal change and human induced changes as well as changes in ecosystems caused by natural events such as hurricanes, drought, El Nino, and fire.

 

ANIMAL TRAVELERS

October 15 (4:30–10:00 p.m.) & 16 (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) All grades, $140, 1 optional graduate credit, 15 CPDUs, CPS Lane Credit.

 

All over the planet animals are on the move. Thousands of wildebeest and zebras cross crocodile infested rivers in the Great Migration, flocks of geese and cranes wing through the skies above Chicago, storks nest in Europe and winter in Africa. There can be safety in numbers: a swarm of bees, a school of fish or a herd of reindeer moving through the air, the sea and across the land. Discover the challenges they face with games, animal observations, and discussion.

 

HANDS-ON CLASSROOMS

October 22 (4:30–10:00 p.m.) & 23 (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) All grades, $140, 1 optional graduate credit, 15 CPDUs, CPS Lane Credit.

 

This class will help teachers understand how to move from the role of "knowledge owner" to that of "facilitator" in their classrooms. Participants will learn the differences between student-centered and teacher-centered approaches, as they experience student-centered activities at the Zoo. Participants will then learn how to turn their classrooms into student-centered environments, and develop practical lessons and activities that they can implement in their classrooms. 

 

GREAT BEAR WILDERNESS

November 5 1(4:30–10:00 p.m.) & 6 (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) All grades, $140, 1 optional graduate credit, 15 CPDUs, CPS Lane Credit.

 

It’s Brookfield Zoo’s latest exhibit: grizzly bears, polar bears, bison and bald eagles— some of the most exciting animals of North America. Observe engaging animal behavior and learn about the theories of animal care, biology and physiology that helped to shape this exhibit.  Take away the Zoobooks Bears issue and activities for your classroom or outdoor exploration.

 

GREAT IDEAS

November 12 (4:30- 10:00 p.m.) & 13 (8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.); Grades K-8, $140; 1 optional graduate credit through Aurora University $100, 15 CPDUs, CPS Lane credit.

 

Capture your students' interest, strengthen your science literacy and learn to integrate science into all of your teaching.  Five conceptual themes (unifying concepts) from the National Science Standards are introduced in this series.  These themes provide powerful ideas to help students understand the world around them, and they work across grade levels and across subject areas.  Explore Form & Function, Change & Constancy, Systems & Organization, and Models & Explanations. You'll be introduced to each concept through hands-on activities for use in either the classroom or zoo setting.  Come prepared to enjoy the experience of discovery!

 

ZOO STORIES

November 19 (4:30-10:00 p.m.) & 20 (8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.); Grades K-8, $140; 1 optional graduate credit through Aurora University $100, 15 CPDUs, CPS Lane credit.                                                        

Do you know how two orphaned baby brown bears came to Brookfield Zoo? Why Tapeko Dolphin raised her grandson?  Where most zoo animals come from? Hear stories about our great animals and tell your own animal stories. We’ll make books and explore techniques for teaching reading and writing.

 

EXPLORING DESERTS

December 4 (at the Chicago Botanic Garden) and 11 (at Brookfield Zoo) 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each day. Grades K-8, $140, 1 optional graduate credit through Aurora University for $100, 15 CPDUs, optional CPS Lane credit.

 

Learn about deserts worldwide and the survival strategies and adaptations that have been developed by desert inhabitants: both plant and animal! Participate in hands-on science and art activities, get assessment ideas and receive materials and PowerPoint images for use in your classroom.

 

 

Registration and Contact Information
To register by phone with a credit card, call Lanis Petrik at 708-688-8372.

 

To register by mail with a check, send:

 

  • Your Name
  • Phone and e-mail
  • Grade or subject taught
  • Name of the class you want to register for, and
  • Your check (made payable to Brookfield Zoo)

To:

Teacher Workshops

Brookfield Zoo

3300 Golf Road
Brookfield, IL 60513

 

Want additional information? Contact Lanis Petrik at 708-688-8372 or Lanis.Petrik@CZS.org.

 

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