CBF is committed to environmental education and equipping teachers with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to lead their students in meaningful watershed educational experiences (MWEEs). Join us for a professional learning adventure! We offer nearly 20 summer courses for educators to explore the health of the Chesapeake Bay and local ecosystems throughout the watershed. Each course provides opportunities for collaboration, outdoor exploration, and ecosystem discovery.
2024 Chesapeake Classrooms Courses
Coming soon! Registration for Summer 2024 programs will begin in February. To get an idea of what to expect take a look at last year's course offerings below.
Important Information
Course Credit
Upon successful course completion, participants are eligible for continuing education credit or contact hours. Graduate credit is also available (requires additional forms and fees). See details on the Professional Learning Credits page.
Orientation
Attendance at one virtual orientation is required prior to the start of your course. 2024 meeting dates will be announced with the course schedule & registration in February.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations made before June 1 will receive a full refund minus a $75 processing fee. No refunds will be granted after June 1; however, we are happy to transfer registration to another course, based on availability. All cancellation requests must be made in writing. Email the Chesapeake Classrooms team to request a cancellation or transfer.
2023 Course List
Following is a list of available courses and educator eligibility, grouped by week. Select the course title to view the description.
June 20-23
- Pennsylvania Capitol Area Watershed Ecosystem Exploration - all PA teachers in IU15
- Exploring Baltimore Harbor and Great Kids Farm
June 26-30
- Montgomery County Our Neighborhood, Our Watershed - all teachers in Montgomery County, MD
- Severn River to the Chesapeake: Art & Science - all teachers in DC, MD, VA, PA
- Virginia Beach Ecosystem Exploration - all teachers in Virginia Beach, VA
July 10-14
- Carroll County Chesapeake Bay Exploration - science educators in Carroll County, MD
- Worcester County to the Chesapeake - all teachers in Worcester County, MD
- Newport News Watershed and Ecosystem Exploration - all teachers in Newport News, VA
July 17-21
- Prince William County Watershed Sustainability and Civic Engagement - all K-12 teachers in Prince William County, VA
- Richmond Environmental Investigations and Storytelling - all teacher in the Richmond, VA area
July 24-28
- Prince George's County Climate Change Investigations and Action - all teachers in Prince George's County, MD
- Montgomery County Climate Change and Environmental Justice - all teachers in Montgomery County, MD
July 31-August 4
- Hampton Roads Ecosystem: Art, Science, & Sustainability - all teachers in DC, MD, VA, PA
- Harrisburg Outdoor Education Exploration - all teachers in PA
- Patuxent River to the Chesapeake - all teachers in DC, MD, VA, PA
- Teachers on the Estuary: Science and Social Emotional Learning - all teachers in DC, MD, VA, PA
August 7-11
- Exploring Chesapeake Bay Island Ecology - all teachers in DC, MD, VA, PA
- Rockingham County Student Inquiry and Civic Engagement - all teachers in Rockingham County, VA
Tuesday, June 20–Thursday, June 22
Pennsylvania Capital Area Watershed Ecosystem Exploration
Open to all Pennsylvania teachers in the Capital Area Intermediate Unit (IU15).
Spark your inquiry through hands-on experiences, study the plants and animals that call the watershed home, and cultivate a genuine understanding of your local environment and its connection to the Chesapeake Bay. Join us as we explore the capital area to identify and investigate local environmental issues. Consider your connection to other parts of the watershed and understand the issues facing our local streams, the Susquehanna River, and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay. This course will walk participants through a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience and how to connect classroom content with local resources to create rich learning opportunities outside of the classroom walls. Participants who complete these three days be eligible for a $300 stipend.
Length & Location: Three consecutive days (June 20-22) of field-based, collaborative learning in and around Harrisburg, PA. Additional components of this course include: a one-day workshop October 7, 2023, writing a MWEE plan, and 8 hours of asynchronous online learning. An additional stipend of $200 provided upon completion of this course work.
Cost: $75, reduced fee due to the partnership between the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education & Training (B-WET) Program and Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Registration Deadline: June 12, 2023
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Tuesday, June 27–Thursday, June 29
Virginia Beach Ecosystem Exploration
Open to all teachers in Virginia Beach, VA.
Dotted with tidal marshes, maritime forests, and estuarine beaches, Virginia Beach is full of natural beauty and ecological diversity. How can we use these amazing outdoor classrooms to spark wonder and curiosity in learning? Join CBF for three full days of field-based studies where we will explore the habitats of Virginia Beach and their connection to students in the classroom. Experience the wonder of watershed ecology firsthand while studying the plants and animals that call our area home. Learn how humans impact the environment and the actions that can improve and strengthen our relationship with the natural world. Find joy in outdoor discovery with your school community.
Length & Location: Three consecutive days of field-based, collaborative learning at sites in and around Virginia Beach, including the Brock Environmental Center.
Cost: $75, reduced fee due to support from generous donors.
Registration Deadline: June 19, 2023
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Monday, June 26–Friday, June 30
Montgomery County Our Neighborhood, Our Watershed
Open to all teachers in Montgomery County, MD.
How can you inspire student action that conserves and protects water? Dive into this topic and your own watershed during a unique professional learning opportunity with the Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Begin with two days of local exploration in and around Montgomery County. Then travel down Maryland's Eastern Shore to one of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's residential island education centers for a fully immersive experience of the Bay's culture and ecology.
Length & Location: Five consecutive days of field-based, collaborative learning. Monday–Tuesday in Montgomery County, MD. Wednesday–Friday at CBF's Smith Island Environmental Education Center for a 3-day, 2-night onsite stay; dorm-style housing provided.
Cost: $75, reduced fee thanks in part to a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through the Inclusive Learning Group.
Registration Deadline: June 19, 2023
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Monday, June 26–Friday, June 30
Severn River to the Chesapeake: Art & Science
Open to all teachers in DC, MD, VA, PA.
How can we deepen our understanding of ecological issues by creating art? On this course, teachers will discover educational resources in the Annapolis area and delve deep into the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge region by exploring the saltmarsh edges and ecology of the Chesapeake. We will use art as a tool to investigate the connections between nature, culture, and history. The natural world will be studied in a way that promotes inspiration in each participant, and in turn, their students and community. Throughout the course, we will develop creative practices to foster environmental literacy and student engagement in the classroom.
Length & Location: Five consecutive days of field-based, collaborative learning. Monday–Tuesday in southern Maryland. Wednesday–Friday at CBF's Karen Noonan Memorial Environmental Education Center for a 3-day, 2-night onsite stay; dorm-style housing provided.
Cost: $375
Registration Deadline: June 19, 2023
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Monday, July 10–Friday, July 14
Carroll County Chesapeake Bay Exploration
Open to science educators in Carroll County, MD.
Can we deepen our understanding of ecological issues by immersing ourselves in Chesapeake Bay ecosystems? On this professional learning experience, teachers will discover local ecology and resources in Carroll County, then delve deep into the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge area exploring the salt marsh edges and ecology of the Chesapeake. Reignite your joy in inquiry through hands-on experiences, boat excursions, marsh walks, and curricular connections. Explore the intersection of air quality, water quality, ecosystems, and human actions. Study the plants and animals that call the Chesapeake home and determine the factors that impact their health and ours. Cultivate a genuine understanding of the current State of the Bay, human impacts on our environment, and authentic actions that can make a difference in our homes, classrooms, and communities. Hone the skills needed to engage your students in opportunities like these by developing an implementation plan for Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences.
Length & Location: Five consecutive days of field-based, collaborative learning. Monday-Tuesday in and around Carroll County, MD. Wednesday-Friday at CBF's Karen Noonan Memorial Environmental Education Center in the heart of Blackwater Wildlife Refuge for a 3-day, 2-night onsite stay; dorm-style housing provided.
Cost: No fee due to support from grant funding.
Registration Deadline: July 3, 2023
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Monday, July 10–Friday, July 14
Worcester County to the Chesapeake
Open to all teachers in Worchester County, MD.
How have estuaries shaped the ecology, culture, and physical characteristics of our region? Join CBF for five days of hands-on, field-based investigations exploring water quality and bay ecology with a special focus on local land use, culture, and history. We will spend two days in the Worcester County area investigating the rivers and coastal bays, then spend three days and two nights on Smith Island in the heart of the Chesapeake Bay. This course will model how student inquiry can lead to sustainability, civic engagement, and action as participants learn to design a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience for their students.
Length & Location: Five consecutive days of field-based, collaborative learning. Monday–Tuesday in Worcester County, MD. Wednesday–Friday at CBF's Smith Island Environmental Education Center for a 3-day, 2-night onsite stay; dorm-style housing provided.
Cost: No fee due to support from partnering school systems.
Registration Deadline: July 3, 2023
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Monday, July 10–Friday, July 14
Newport News Watershed and Ecosystem Exploration
Open to all teachers in Newport News, VA.
All Newport News educators are invited to join us in the field for an ecological exploration. Spark your inquiry through hands-on experiences and cultivate a genuine understanding of your local environment and its connection to the Chesapeake Bay. Study the plants and animals that call the watershed home through hands-on biotic sampling aboard a 40-foot research vessel on the James River. Observe tidal and restored habitats firsthand from the seat of a canoe. Determine the factors that impact watershed health through chemical and physical studies of our local parks and schoolyards. Dive into the current state of the bay by assessing the municipal services that influence our human impact on the environment. Discover authentic actions that can make a difference in our homes, classrooms, and communities. Engage yourself in a week of outdoor learning and hone the skills needed to engage your students by developing an implementation plan for a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience.
Length & Location: Five consecutive days of field-based, collaborative learning in and around Newport News, VA.
Cost: No fee due to support from local sponsors.
Registration Deadline: July 3, 2023
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Monday, July 17–Friday, July 21
Prince William County Watershed Sustainability and Civic Engagement
Open to all K-12 teachers in Prince William County, VA.
How do our actions in Prince William County impact the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay? Join us for a week of field-based water quality and ecological investigations to answer this question and more. The first two days of the course will be spent exploring our local neighborhoods and waterways before traveling to Port Isobel, an island in the middle of the Bay. There we will spend three days and two nights investigating our connections to the Chesapeake Bay, its island communities, and unique ecology. Participants will learn outside with their colleagues and develop the skills and confidence needed to lead student investigations that are place-based, cross-curricular, and inspire civic action.
Length & Location: Five consecutive days of field-based, collaborative learning. Monday–Tuesday in Prince William County, VA. Wednesday - Friday at CBF's Port Isobel Environmental Education Center for a 3-day, 2-night onsite stay; dorm-style housing provided.
Cost: No fee due to support from partnering school system.
Registration Deadline: July 10, 2023
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Tuesday, July 18–Thursday, July 20
Richmond Environmental Investigations and Storytelling
Open to teachers in the Richmond, VA area.
How do we tell the story of our local environment? Who are the characters? What is the plotline? What themes, settings, and points-of-view shift the narrative? Join the Blue Sky Fund and CBF in Richmond, Virginia for three days of local discovery, ecological exploration, and curriculum connections. Field-based investigations will introduce you to the plants and animals that share our watershed. Using the strategies of Next Generation Science Standards Storylines in combination with Virginia SOLs, we will study the factors and human impacts that influence human and environmental health. Dive into the past, present, and future along the fall line of tidal Virginia and determine your student's role as the storyteller of our local environment.
Length & Location: Three consecutive days of field-based, collaborative learning in and around Richmond, VA.
Cost: $75, reduced fee due to support from generous donors.
Registration Deadline: July 10, 2023
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Monday, July 24–Friday, July 28
Prince George's County Explores Climate Change Investigations and Actions
Open to all teachers in Prince George's County, MD.
How can Prince George's County schools use their local environment to lead efforts in saving the bay and addressing climate change? Come spend five days in the field with CBF investigating watersheds, ecosystems, and their integration with environmental justice, regenerative agriculture, and climate change. Explore the vast resources in Prince George's County that can help you create lessons to elevate student voice and engage your students in hands on learning. Work with other course participants to explore and implement a seamless immersion of inquiry, student voice, and climate action into your existing curriculum.
Length & Location: Five consecutive days exploring the urban, forested, and agricultural lands of Prince George's County by boat, canoe, and on foot.
Cost: $375
Registration Deadline: July 17, 2023
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Monday, July 24–Friday, July 28
Montgomery County Climate Change and Environmental Justice
Open to all teachers in Montgomery County, MD.
How can we engage students in the story of a changing climate and environmental justice in Montgomery County and the Chesapeake Bay? Join the Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in this study of our local environment and the people who call it home. This immersive course is designed to provide hands-on exploration of local ecological and social impacts, resiliency surrounding climate change, and model the practice of student inquiry and problem-solving.
Length & Location: Five consecutive days of field-based, collaborative learning in and around Montgomery County, MD
Cost: $75, reduced fee thanks in part to a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through the Inclusive Learning Group.
Registration Deadline: July 17, 2023
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Tuesday, August 1–Thursday, August 3
Hampton Roads Ecosystem: Art, Science, & Sustainability
Open to all teachers in DC, MD, VA, PA.
Where do art, science, and sustainability intersect? Join us for three days of creative inquiry and field-based exploration. The unique habitats, human development, and environmental concerns of the southern Hampton Roads region will provide the foundation for multiple days of innovative cross-curricular professional learning. Through hands-on experiences, participants will study both the area's natural and social systems to identify the link between humans and the environment. Art will be used as a tool to inform our studies and connect current environmental issues with innovative solutions. Discover ways to encourage creativity, sustainability, and environmental literacy in ourselves, our classrooms, and our school communities.
Length & Location: Three consecutive days of field-based, collaborative learning in and around southern Hampton Roads, VA.
Cost: $75, reduced fee.
Registration Deadline: July 24, 2023
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Wednesday, August 2
Harrisburg Outdoor Education Exploration
Open to all teacher in Pennsylvania.
Spend a day with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as we explore a freshwater ecosystem by foot and canoe and discover how you can make learning come alive with your students. Spark your inquiry through hands-on experiences and build efficacy of field investigation techniques as we identify local environmental issues and their connection to the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay. Determine how investigating environmental phenomena can help you address the new Pennsylvania science standards while working within the NGSS and MWEE frameworks. Gain proficiency in using and implementing field methods in an outdoor setting to create rich learning opportunities outside of your classroom walls. All participants will receive materials and resources to continue this learning throughout the school year.
Length & Location: One day (August 2, 2023) of field-based, collaborative learning at Laurel Lake within Pine Grove Furnace State Park.
Cost: $25 registration fee.
Registration Deadline: July 24, 2023
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Monday, July 31–Friday, August 4
Patuxent River to the Chesapeake
Open to all teachers in DC, MD, VA, PA.
Come explore the beautiful and diverse ecosystems of Maryland's Patuxent River and Smith Island. Connect with colleagues and discover how to bring the magic of these ecosystems back to your classroom. Join CBF for five, full days of field-based studies. The exploration begins at CBF's Claggett Farm learning about regenerative agriculture and how food justice connects to a saved Bay. The journey continues down the watershed exploring the Patuxent's freshwater wetlands by canoe. Finally, travel by boat and engage with the unique culture and ecosystem of Smith Island, MD. Throughout the course, reconnect with the joy of learning and design opportunities to connect your students to outdoor investigations and environmental actions.
Length & Location: Five consecutive days of field-based, collaborative learning. Monday-Tuesday in the Upper Marlboro area. Wednesday-Friday at CBF's Smith Island Environmental Education Center for a 3-day, 2-night onsite stay; dorm-style housing provided.
Cost: $375
Registration Deadline: July 24, 2023
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Monday, July 31–Friday, August 4
Teachers on the Estuary: Science and Social Emotional Learning
Open to all teachers in DC, MD, VA, PA. If you are a non-formal educator interested in attending, please sign up using our waiting list on the registration page. We will contact you by early July if a spot is available. Priority will be given to classroom teachers.
How can Meaningful Watershed Education Experiences enliven learning and support social-emotional learning and wellness for students and teachers? Join the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and Maryland's Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve during this dynamic five-day program to explore cultural coastal habitats and iconic communities. Practice mindful engagement with the environment and conduct field investigations with local scientists and community leaders. This course is designed to model a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience through participant-driven field experiences and authentic research conducted by a community of educators in an immersive, joyful, and supportive environment. To best utilize our time together, participants are encouraged to complete the MWEE 101 online course prior to the in-person event.
Length & Location: Five consecutive days of field-based, collaborative learning at CBF's Karen Noonan Memorial Environmental Education Center for a 5-day, 4-night onsite stay; dorm-style housing provided.
Cost: $75, reduced fee due to support from generous sponsors.
Registration Deadline: July 24, 2023
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Monday, August 7–Friday, August 11
Exploring Chesapeake Bay Ecology
Open to all teachers in DC, MD, VA, PA.
How can we deepen our knowledge of the Chesapeake by immersing ourselves in the Bay's historic communities? Join us for a weeklong exploration in the heart of the Chesapeake. Teachers will enjoy time with colleagues exploring the waters, beaches, and marshes of Smith and Tangier Islands. We will engage in hands-on and field-based investigations by boat, canoe, and on foot to study the critters and ecology of the Bay. We will discover firsthand how the watershed impacts the Chesapeake Bay and develop a plan to bring these concepts back to our students by encouraging sustainability and fostering environmental literacy.
Length & Location: Five consecutive days of field-based, collaborative learning at CBF's Smith Island and Port Isobel Environmental Education Centers. Dorm-style housing will be provided Monday–Friday.
Cost: $375
Registration Deadline: July 31, 2023
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Monday, August 7–Friday, August 11
Rockingham County Student Inquiry and Civic Engagement
Open to all teachers in Rockingham County, VA.
How do the streams and valleys of Rockingham County create a unique story that connects us to our local environment? Join us for five days of hands-on, field-based investigations as we explore land use, water quality, and the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Gain an in-depth understanding of our connection to the watershed by spending three days on a remote island in the heart of the Bay. This course will model how student inquiry can lead to sustainability, civic engagement, and action as participants learn to design a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience for their school community.
Length & Location: Five consecutive days of field-based, collaborative learning. Monday–Tuesday in Rockingham County. Wednesday– Friday at CBF's Port Isobel Environmental Education Center for a 3-day, 2-night onsite stay; dorm-style housing provided.
Cost: No fee due to support from partnering school system.
Registration Deadline: July 31, 2023
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