To make a reservation, call (708) 688-8372.
Ready for a change of pace? Take a teacher workshop at Brookfield Zoo!
Our expert educators will inform, entertain, and engage you as you explore a wide range of topics. The following classes carry ISBE credit (at no additional charge) for teacher recertification, and many provide optional college credit (for an additional fee).
Participants will receive a list of the corresponding Illinois State Standards for each class. For class lists, Illinois State Standards, and descriptions, check below, call Lanis Petrik at (708) 688-8372, or e-mail lanis.petrik@czs.org. Teachers outside suggested grade levels may attend and adapt materials for their own use.
2008-2009 Brookfield Zoo Teacher Classes
How to Register
Send a check (made payable to Brookfield Zoo) to: Teacher Workshops, Brookfield Zoo, 3300 Golf Road, Brookfield, IL 60513.
Please be sure to include your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address, as well as the name of the class for which you are registering. (Teachers outside the recommended grade ranges are welcome to attend and adapt materials for their own use.)
Important Information
Optional graduate credit is available for all classes.
Aurora University credit is available for $100 per hour or $75 per hour for multiple-hour classes. (Some classes carry science credit.)
Benedictine University science credit is available for $115 per hour.
Please register with National Louis University. (Many classes are offered.)
Continuing education credit is available free for all classes.
Graduate classes offer three CEUs per graduate hour. (Three CEUs = 15 CPDUs = 15 hours of professional development.)
Classes and events that are fewer than 15 hours offer one CPDU per contact hour.
Refund Policy
All class fees include a $25 nonrefundable registration fee. Class fees, minus the $25 registration fee, can be refunded or transferred to another teacher class if we receive notice of this request at least five days prior to the date of the original class.
For more information, contact Lanis Petrik at lanis.petrik@czs.org.
Teachers outside the recommended grade ranges are welcome to attend and adapt materials for their own use. Please note: cost includes a $25 non-refundable registration fee. Optional graduate credit ($100 per hour through Aurora University) is available for most classes for an additional fee. All courses offer free CEUs.
A Special Evening: for Members, Educators, and Friends
October 3 (4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.), All grades, $95, 5 CPDUs
Yes! It is the Teacher Evening, back under a new name to welcome
the non-educators who join us. Tours of the zoo, a great dinner, an after-dinner
speaker and activities fill the evening. Sign up early – activity choices are made
by number, and your number is assigned as soon as you sign up! Come with colleagues from school or bring a friend. Be sure to remember your flashlight
for the optional flashlight tour of the zoo at the end of the evening.
Looking at the Landscape: Who Belongs?
A Science and Literature Series Class: Reading Our Landscapes
October 25 (at Benedictine University) and November 1 (at Brookfield Zoo)
Class meets from: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; $140 per class
1 Benedictine University science credit per class ($115 per class to be paid with a separate check at the first class), 3 CEUs
Incorporate reading into science as you explore our Northern Illinois surroundings and help your students read their own local landscapes and develop a “sense of place” for their natural heritage. Our landscapes are filled with many plants and animals. Some are native but many are non-native residents, which may complement or might overrun our own native species. Learn to lead your students on nature walks and local explorations, appreciating and identifying the inhabitants of the “urban forest” we have created. Teachers receive a book in this class.
Behavior Matters
October 10 (4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and October 11 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
Grades 6-12, $140, 1 Aurora University Credit ($100), 3 CEUs
This curriculum is designed to introduce students to the science and methods of studying animal behavior, emphasizing the connection between behavioral research and conservation actions. You’ll collect real behavioral data on projects you design yourself. Materials include curriculum, video, and software.
Ecosystems on the Edge
October 17 (4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and October 18 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
Grades 6 – 8, $140, 1 Aurora University Credit ($100), 3 CEUs
Activities are designed to guide your students as they explore ecosystems,
fragmentation, edge effects, edge and interior species. Design an African
nature preserve. Receive curriculum and video.
Teachers for Tigers
November 7 (4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and November 8 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
All grades (Curriculum materials emphasize grades 4 – 6.), $140
1 Aurora University Credit ($100), 3 CEUs
Receive the beautiful “Teacher for Tigers” curriculum and join with staff from
the Wildlife Conservation Society (Bronx Zoo) and Brookfield Zoo as we study
the role of predators in ecosystems around the world. Classroom activities are designed for a range of ages—from young children to high school students—with an emphasis on the middle grades. Participants receive a photo CD of predators in our animal collection.
Zoo Topics
November 14 (4:30 to 10:00 p.m.) and 15 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). All grades, $140, 1 Aurora University credit ($100), 3 CEUs
We think you can teach almost any topic here at the zoo! Bring your curriculum ideas or brainstorm them with us as we help each participant develop an individual unit of study based on zoo animals and programs. Take away a fun hands-on bag of resources (to use in your classroom or on a focused field trip!), activities and AV.
Animal Stories: Children’s Literature and Science
November 21 (4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and November 22 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Grades K – 8, $140, 1 Aurora University Credit ($100), 3 CEUs
Share books and learn about other wonderful books, both fiction and non-fiction, that can be used to enhance science teaching. Search a fiction book for facts and concepts that can be woven into curricula. Journey out into the zoo to discover opportunities for student reading and writing, and then make a book about your zoo exploration. Bring your favorite book for a book talk to the class.
Amazing Drama in the Preschool Classroom
December 5 (4:30 to 10:00 pm) and December 6 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Preschool and Kindergarten grades, $140, 1 Aurora University Credit ($100) 3 CEUs
Use drama in your room to build your students’ self-esteem, improve coordination, and to spark interest in reading and math. Learn how to create the setting for drama, how to introduce drama (even to shy children), and how to use it as a springboard for learning and fun all year long.
Exploring Deserts
January 24 (Chicago Botanic Garden) and 31 (Brookfield Zoo) Grades K-8, $140, 1 optional graduate credit ($100), 3 CEUs, optional CPS Lane credit. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.
Learn about deserts worldwide and the survival strategies and adaptations that have been developed by desert inhabitants. Learn hands-on science and art activities and receive materials and PowerPoint images for use in your classroom.
Biology for Teachers
Wednesdays, Jan. 14, 2009 to March 18 4:30 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. AND Saturday, February 7, 9:00 a.m. to Noon. Grades K-8. 3 graduate credit hours.
For Registration Information contact: National Louis University Center for Professional Development, 847-947-5247.
This course examines content in the biological sciences representative of the K-8 science curriculum using a constructivist, laboratory approach, including the study of organisms and their anatomy, physiology, and genetics. The content is presented in a context that connects course information to Brookfield Zoo resources and specific environments. Opportunities are provided for in-depth investigation of a particular area.
To Save a Species
February 13 (4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and 14 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.),
grades 7-12, $140, 1 optional graduate credit ($115 through Benedictine University), 3 CEUs
Experience a range of integrated math and science activities based on the real work of Brookfield Zoo scientists. Query a data base and learn about Humboldt penguins, genetics, demographics and statistics. Curriculum includes software for use in your school and a video.
Reading Our Winter Landscape
A Science and Literature Series Class: Reading Our Landscapes
February 21 and 28, (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), $140, 1 optional graduate credit ($115 through Benedictine University), 3 CEUs
Winter isn't just cold, wet, and white! Explore winter's incredible variations and colors. Learn what makes winter so important to the plants and animals living in the Chicago Wilderness. Become an expert on mammal adaptations. Use math and science skills to identify animal signs, tracks, and scat. Broaden your observation and descriptive skills while designing a dichotomous key. Become familiar with Illinois winter related resources. Use literature to broaden your experience of seasonal change and take home a sled-full of ideas and activities. Teachers receive a book in this class.
South America Conference
Saturday, March 14 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), and Sunday March 15 (Noon to 4:30 p.m.), all grades, $145, 1 optional graduate credit ($115 through Benedictine University), 3 CEUs
Join us for the latest in our popular annual “Conference” class series. Saturday morning will be spent with teacher activities to use in your classroom. Saturday and Sunday afternoon will showcase a conference-style series of talks by zoo staff including animal care staff and scientists. We focus on the animals of our sister continent, a fascinating mix that may include monkeys, anteaters, llamas and more. Keep a journal of the talks to share with your students!
Animal Alphabet
March 27 (4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and 28 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) grades Pre-K to 2, $140, 1 optional graduate credit ($100), 3 CEUs
From Aardvarks to kangaroos and lions to zebras, the world of animals awaits you at Brookfield Zoo. With classroom activities, slides, videos, and group projects you’ll gain animal information and ways to share it in your teaching. Attention will be paid to methods for teaching special needs
Primary Primates
May 8 (4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and 9 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) grades Pre-K to 5, $140, 1 optional graduate credit ($100), 3 CEUs
Learn about our closest relatives: monkeys and apes. Create a Tropic World Safari for your students as we tour through the rain forest exhibits at the zoo. Share books and resources with other teachers. We’ll discover a myriad of primate adaptations and lifestyles, trace handprints to compare with our own, and receive images of Brookfield Zoo’s own primates.
Africa: The Land, the People and the Animals
May 15 (4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and 16 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) grades 4-6, $140, 1 optional graduate credit ($100), 3 CEUs
Investigate three human cultures surviving in three diverse ecosystems: the rain forest, the desert, and the savannah. Help students appreciate the hugeness and diversity of the African continent. Receive curriculum unit including CD-Rom.
Woodlands
May 30 (at Chicago Botanic Garden) AND June 6 (at Brookfield Zoo) (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), $140, 1 optional graduate credit ($100), 3 CEUs, Optional CPS Lane Credit
Learn about forest ecosystems and their unique features. Both local and worldwide animals at Brookfield Zoo will be featured along with their niche in the woodland ecosystems. The woods at the Chicago Botanic Garden provide opportunity for tree identification and identifying different roles in a woodland ecosystem.