ZooSchool

The mission of ZooSchool at the Birmingham Zoo is to engage and inspire curiosity in 7th-grade students through an innovative, hands-on, standards-based curriculum.

ZooSchool is a one-week integrated program with a focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) practices and concepts, critical literacy skills, and STEM careers. ZooSchool establishes a framework enabling students to explore human impacts on the natural world, the role of conservation organizations, and how students’ choices and voices will affect the future of our planet. The ZooSchool program presents content in a relevant, experiential manner that promotes curiosity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. While learning, students talk with Animal Care Professionals, Zoo staff, and global experts to support STEM studies in school and open students up to volunteer opportunities and career possibilities they might not have previously considered.

A Week of ZooSchool

Throughout the week, attendees focus on the natural world on a local and global scale. The program covers topics such as threats to biodiversity, conservation measures, species statuses, availability of potable water, interconnectedness in ecosystems, and keystone species and their impacts on an ecosystem. Through observation, demonstrations, and teacher-led discussions, students analyze and gain a better understanding of real-life examples of life-science concepts learned in the classroom.