School and Group Programs
Classroom Connections: Classroom Visits
Headlands Institute now offers free pre- and post-trip classroom visits for schools located within 50 miles of campus. Field science educators from Headlands Institute will visit your school to:
- Help better prepare students for their trip to Headlands Institute
- Deliver relevant, standards-based science content
- Create meaningful connections between students' experiences at Headlands Institute and their home communities
Audience size: 120 students maximum
Visit duration: 45 minutes
For further information about our Classroom Connections Program, please call 415-332-5771 or email classroomconnections@yni.org. To schedule a classroom visit, download our classroom visits form.
Pre-trip lesson goals
Post-trip lesson goals
Pre-Trip Lesson Goals
Learn what to expect and how to prepare
To this end, Headlands Institute educators:
- Introduce Marin Headlands geography and Headlands Institute's campus
- Introduce basic ideas and vocabulary related to their program
- Demonstrate activities students might experience
- Lead an activity that demonstrates what to pack
- Answer students' questions about the trip to Headlands Institute
Learn about Headlands Institute's academic curriculum
To maximize the standards-based content delivered to students, pre-trip visits include activities that prepare the students for the material they will learn at Headlands Institute. Depending on the area(s) of study chosen by the teachers, Headlands Institute educators teach lessons that introduce scientific concepts and vocabulary in a fun, hands-on way.
Make connections between their environment and that of the Marin Headlands
Pre-trip visits include activities that place the science content that students learn in the context of their communities. For example, watershed activities are put into the context of local creeks and other bodies of water. Also, students are shown how their communities are connected to the Marin Headlands, whether by bodies of water, geologic processes, or by the presence of the same plants and animals.
Understand the value of teamwork
Pre-trip visits often include a team building initiative. These activities encourage students to work together to achieve a common goal. The teamwork built during these activities helps to prepare students for their Headlands Institute trip, as cooperation is a key component to successful programs. team building activities also encourage collaboration and respect, which the students will be able to use as they encounter challenges in their lives.
Post-Trip Lesson Goals
Reinforce content taught at Headlands Institute
Post-trip activities review and reflect upon the academic lessons that students learned at Headlands Institute. By revisiting topics studied at Headlands Institute, students' retention of new knowledge is increased.
Apply lessons learned at Headlands Institute to local communities
During post-trip lessons, the science content that students learned at Headlands Institute is transferred and applied to the students' schools, neighborhoods, and cities. This context makes the lessons more concrete nad tangible and enables students to take an active command of hteir new knowledge.
Practice taking care of the environment
Post-trip lessons may include stewardship activities that give students hands-on experiences taking care of their communities. These activities empower students to practice action strategies and show them the value of working together. Stewardship activities can include creek or beach cleanups, invasive plant removal, or community education projects.
