Earth Science and Environmental Club Educators:  Bring real-world science into your classroom with City Nature Challenge!

The City Nature Challenge is a global, four-day community science event that invites people to observe and record as many local species as possible. From April 24-27, 2026, educators and students across our region will join thousands worldwide to explore and document biodiversity. Locally, the event is coordinated by Ijams Nature Center, Zoo Knoxville, Discover Life in America, Sierra Club, the City of Knoxville, and Seven Islands State Birding Park. Join us in this teacher training to learn how to bring City Nature Challenge into your classroom. We’ll explore the purpose of the event, walk through an educator-friendly toolkit, and share practical ways to incorporate this experience into science standards while connecting your students to their schoolyard. Strategies included come from Project Credible at UT and Ijam's Nature Center.

Presenters: Paige Crane (Ijam's Education Director), Jennifer Sauer (6-8 Environmental Science & Project Credible), Kathryn Henley (Ecology, IB ESS & Project Credible), and David Krebs (IB Biology & Project Credible).

This training will be held on Monday, February 16th during the KCS in-service day, Time- TBD; information should be sent out to all KCS Science Teachers.

For any questions, please reach out to Jen Sauer (jennifer.sauer@knoxschools.org)