Animals in the Classroom
January 22nd, 2005, 8:30AM-4PM

Directions: Washington Park Arboretum
Graham Visitor's Center

Information and Registration Form (Due January 10, 2005)
Registration Form Only
Workshop Content Information: John Pitts at jlpitts@olympus.net

$25 Registration Fee Required
Participants will receive a certificate for reimbursement on $125 worth of pet supplies

6 clock hours available from the Washington Science Teacher's Association. Teachers also receive a 116-page manual on CD complete with care information and lesson plans. Seating is limited to the first 40 teachers enrolled.

We especially thank the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association (WSVMA) for its generous sponsorship of this program.

"What are the best small mammals for the classroom?"
"What do you think of keeping exotics as pets?"
"What is the best way to set up and maintain a fish tank?"
"How can classroom animals be used to teach science?"

Come have your questions answered by Dr. John Pitts, D.V.M, Workshop Presenter and Veterinary Medical Program Coordinator of the Pet Care Trust. This workshop is designed to assist K-12 teachers with the selection, care & husbandry of appropriate small animals for teaching science, compassion and responsibility. The Northwest Association for Biomedical Research is pleased to present this popular workshop again for teachers in the Seattle area .

Approximately one quarter of US teachers keep animals in their classroom (Phi Delta Kappan, Kids and Critters in Class Together, 2000). There is a great need for programs such as Animals in the Classroom that will help educators select suitable animals, teach responsibility, avoid risks, and encourage compassion for life. Dr. Pitts has reached over 2,151 teachers nationwide with the Animals in the Classroom program since 1998.

Main topics addressed by the workshop include:

• Teacher understanding & selection of appropriate small mammals, aquarium fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and their proper care, management and welfare
  
  
• Avoiding risk in student-animal interaction through prevention, education, and good husbandry
  
  
• Human and animal health management: zoonotic disease, allergy, bites, scratches
  
  
• Student habitat planning, preparation, management, feeding and animal care
  
  
• Biology, ecology, physics, chemistry, math, behavior, geography, and art lesson plan

The manual that teachers receive contains information about keeping classroom animals in addition to providing lesson plans and guides to local resources.

Here's what past participants said about the workshop:

• The workshop will enable me to make a much more informed decision on which animals to have in the classroom, as well as how to integrate them with my curricula.
  
  
• It was very informative. Mr. Pitts was great, not boring like some scientific people can be.
  
  
• I feel confident to bring animals into the classroom. So many interactive, data-driven ideas were given.
  
  
• This workshop was quite useful-most of us have no training in these areas.
  
  
• I will definitely recommend this workshop to fellow colleagues. This was a wonderful all-around workshop.
  

Jeanne Chowning, Education Manager
206.956.3647
jchowning@nwabr.org

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The NWABR web site was made possible by funding from the National Center for Research
Resources and the National Institutes of Health through a Science Education Partnership Award.

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