Volunteer FAQ
How does this program work?
Science is Elementary visits each classroom once a month from September to May. Each visit (session) is a stand-alone unit created by Science is Elementary and facilitated by a group of 4 volunteers and a Science is Elementary staff person.
What kind of time commitment is required?
Two hours monthly, from September to May (the academic year).
When are the sessions?
During the school day, beginning around 8am, 10am, or noon.
Do I need to commit to the entire year?
Yes. This allows relationships to develop between the students and the volunteers. We are aware that volunteers may not be able to come to all the session so we have substitutes as well.
If you cannot commit to an entire year, you can sign up to be a substitute and we will let you know when we need someone.
What school will I be assigned to?
Participating schools include Castro Elementary, Theuerkauf Elementary, and PACT Stevenson in Mountain View, San Miguel Elementary in Sunnyvale, Flood Elementary in East Palo Alto, and Montague Elementary in Santa Clara (Intel employees only).
If you have a strong preference for a school please let us know and we will do our best to honor it.
When will you let me know what my assignment is?
Placements will be done in late August and you will be notified via email.
What am I expected to do?
- Attend one of our volunteer trainings.
- Read the lesson plan in advance.
- Arrive at the school at the specified time.
- Participate in a brief (15 minute) volunteer training before the classroom session.
- Interact with the kids in a positive way while guiding them through the experiments; encourage questioning.
- Facilitate your station while being flexible. Things don't always go exactly as planned when working with children.
- Provide feedback after the session. This helps us continually improve our program.
Who are the volunteers?
Volunteers are engineers, scientists, healthcare professionals, and graduate students in the sciences and engineering. All share a passion for science and a willingness to work with elementary school aged children.
What do I need to do to prepare for the session?
Review the information you get before the session. This will include an overview of the session including a detailed description of the four stations, basic science concepts to be covered, explanations of the science phenomena to be observed, and potential questions to ask the kids. Additional information will be provided as needed.
What is the classroom format?
Each session lasts about and hour and a half. It begins with an introduction of the concepts covered. The kids then split into three or 4 groups of and rotate through the stations, each staffed by a volunteer. At the end of the rotations, we regroup and a Science is Elementary staff person leads a brief review of the session.
What curriculum do you use?
Science is Elementary develops its own curriculum. It is a small group, hands-on, inquiry based curriculum. We track the state standards as well as the NSTA (National Science Teachers Assn) and NAS (National Academy of Sciences) standards. We are also following the development of the Common Core standards.
How do I sign up?
Sign up here
Other questions?
email tzipor@elementaryschoolscience.org
|
