Friends of the Chicago River
The Chicago River

Chimney SwiftWorkshops

Chicago River Boat Tour & Bridgehouse Excursion, 5th-12th CANCELLED

Saturday April 26, 2008 - 9:00 am to noon CANCELLED

Rivers Curriculum, 7th-12th

The Rivers Curriculum workshop is a four-day training, held annually in mid to late July. The upcoming workshop is scheduled for July 21, 22, 23 and 24, 2008 at the DePaul Lincoln Park Campus. This innovative and comprehensive curriculum uses rivers and watersheds as a focus for biology, chemistry, earth science, language arts, math and geography. Each of these subjects has their own manual with lessons, assessments and background information. The lessons are inquiry-based and hands-on, introducing students to complex concepts and issues in a real world approach. Cost per teacher is $90. CPDUs, Lane and graduate credit are available. Contact us for details or print the Registration Form (220k PDF). Full scholarships may be available for this workshop. Please keep checking this space for forthcoming details.

Friends offers teacher workshops in all three of our curricula as well as specially tailored inservice days for your school.

River Citizen, 5th-8th

Friends will organize a River Citizen workshop at your school for five or more teachers. Through a series of lessons and a field trip, students take on the role of scientists and investigate a local environmental issue, the health of the Chicago River and its watershed. Students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills as they conduct research, collect and analyze data, draw conclusions, suggest solutions and take individual action towards improving the river. Lessons include background sections and assessment rubrics and address math, science, language arts and social science standards. Cost per teacher is $35. CPDUs available. Includes copy of the curricula and two accompanying videos. Contact us for details.

Exploring Rivers, K-4th

We will organize an Exploring Rivers workshop at your school for five or more teachers. Exploring Rivers is a series of five curricula, one each for grades Kindergarten through fourth grade. Students delve into the fascinating world of rivers by exploring habitats, cycles, flow and erosion. Engaging hands-on lessons and investigations connect students to the world around them. The curriculum manual includes lessons, background information and assessment rubrics. Cost per teacher is $35. CPDUs are available. Includes copy of the curricula. Contact us for details.

Inservice Trainings

Friends will create a unique training for your next in-service day. Possible topics include: water quality monitoring, service learning, Chicago River history, integrating language arts and science, or the scientific method. Contact us for details.