January – April 2022: 10 teachers from around the state got to get their hands dirty during this truly immersive professional development experience, co-hosted by the Florida Museum of Natural History. While digging for ancient specimens at an active excavation site in Levy County, teachers learned how to identify the fossils, why they are important to understand ancient life, and how they can use them in their lesson plan development. At the end of the four-month program, teachers were tasked with developing a lesson plan and implementing it in their classrooms.  

Testimonials:  
“This is one of the most useful and informative PDs I have attended in my ten years of teaching. I got answers to questions from experts in the field. I can connect the information to different standards that I teach across the various classes I have.” 
 
“I am confident that my students have developed problem-solving and critical thinking skills through this hands-on experience. It has opened up their eyes to the flora and fauna of things that were here long ago.”