Teachers

Program Overview

Living Classroom is a hands-on environmental education program developed in the Los Altos School District that offers fun, educational lessons in science, social studies, and math using the native and edible gardens at each school.  The program is directly funded by the school district in partnership with the school PTAs and provides important curriculum support to teachers. The standards-based lessons correlate with Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards, and the newly adopted TWIG Science curriculum.  In addition, Living Classroom lessons promote healthy eating habits and set the groundwork for creating environmentally literate adults. All lesson materials and garden prep are provided by Living Classroom.  

Scheduling Lessons

Each year, Los Altos School District staff and trained volunteer docents teach approximately 500 lessons throughout the district.  TK-6 grade students receive 1-3 Living Classroom lessons per season (fall, winter, and spring) that run 60-75 minutes.  This year, teachers can schedule their fall lessons at the start of the school year. Living Classroom staff will reach out to teachers again later in the year to schedule their remaining winter and spring lessons once the newly automated lesson-sign up system has been tested in the fall.

In order to meet our high lesson demand with our part-time staff and current docent pool, we ask teachers to work with their grade level partners to schedule their lessons on the same day.  This really helps to minimize the time/effort required to deliver and set-up materials at each school and makes it easier for us to recruit docents to teach multiple lessons on a given day.  Teachers should note the date range for each lesson and choose dates accordingly.  The earlier lessons are requested, the more likely teachers will get their first choice of date/time for their lessons.  Click the "TEACHER LOGIN" button above to start scheduling your lessons today!

Parent Volunteers

Teachers are asked to recruit between 1-3 parent volunteers to assist with each Living Classroom lesson that they schedule.  Parent volunteers do not require any special training must meet with the lead docent 15 minutes before the lesson begins to receive instructions.  Teachers should contact Living Classroom Program Coordinator, Caroline Chan, as soon as possible if they are unable to recruit parents to assist with a particular lesson.  Often, additional docents can be brought in to ensure that the lesson runs smoothly.

Expectations

Teachers are asked to actively participate in the lessons alongside their students and to revisit what was learned when appropriate during the course of their studies throughout the year.   Teachers should plan to circulate among stations to monitor student behavior and help with timing and facilitating the station rotations. 

Lesson Reminders

Teachers receive a lesson reminder email one week and two days prior to a scheduled lesson.  The reminder email confirms the date, time, and location of the lesson and includes a list of lesson logistics including how many parent volunteers are need, how many groups the students should be divided into after the introduction, potential allergens, etc.   The lesson plan is attached to this email and can be shared with the parent volunteers in case they'd like to read it over in advance.  

Lesson Follow-Up

After each lesson, a follow-up email is sent with a link to a short survey for teachers to provide feedback on the lesson.  A "Family Outreach Letter" summarizing the lesson is attached to the lesson follow-up email and can be used in classroom communications...This is a great way for parents to learn about each Living Classroom lesson that their child experiences. 

Questions?

Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions.  Contact Living Classroom Program Coordinator, Caroline Chan, at cchan@lasdschools.org or call (650) 947-1103.