SLEWS Academy

Curriculum

The SLEWS Academy will prepare participants for implementation, or enhancement, of their local program. Content, delivered in an interactive team setting, will include administrative and in-the-field techniques for program development and delivery.

The SLEWS Academy training and support spans three years, and includes a series of trainings in multiple formats designed to best serve the needs of individual organizations while developing a community of resources for ongoing support.

3 Day Intensive Training

Held in Winters, CA, this training will cover all critical SLEWS Program elements and prepare teams for implementation in their communities.

Participants will receive comprehensive SLEWS Program development materials:

  • SLEWS Administrator and Coordinator Manual
  • SLEWS Classroom Curriculum
  • SLEWS Field Guides
  • SLEWS Program Activities Toolkit

Six Monthly Group Sessions

Following the 3 Day Intensive, once a month group trainings will provide additional in depth examples and field trips. The format will vary depending on the topic: in-person, online and via phone. CLBL will schedule a site visit with each organization.

One Year of Customized Individual Program Support

Ongoing individual support will help teams successfully launch or enhance their own program. CLBL will provide custom technical assistance such as meeting facilitation, project and school selection, fundraising support and evaluation.

Topics will include:

  • SLEWS Program objectives and philosophy
  • Developing essential partnerships with restoration professionals, teachers, students, mentors and landowners
  • Field day structure and elements
  • Funding your program, contracts vs. grants
  • Budgeting, program expenses and sharing costs
  • Habitat restoration with high school youth
  • Program evaluation
  • Engaging culturally diverse audiences
  • In-class curriculum connections, Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards
  • Yearlong program elements
  • Recruiting, training, and recognizing volunteers
  • Taking SLEWS Home: community action and public participation in science
SLEWS students standing near a creek bed listening to an instructor

"The programs offered by the Center for Land-Based Learning, not only provide hands-on venues for learning and applying science concepts, they also create a perfect opportunity for students to engage in rich conversations in a variety of settings with different people, directly addressing the College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards of the Common Core."
— Anne Stephens,
Assistant Professor
California State University, Chico
Department of Science Education

a SLEWS student holding out her hand covered in mud