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Turn New York Harbor into your classroom: a three-hour workshop from Billion Oyster Project staff that equips teachers with standalone oyster-based lessons and hands-on classroom strategies. Great for urban educators wanting place-based science and immediate, ready-to-teach materials.
Turn New York Harbor into your classroom: a three-hour workshop from Billion Oyster Project staff that equips teachers with standalone oyster-based lessons and hands-on classroom strategies. Great for urban educators wanting place-based science and immediate, ready-to-teach materials.
Book with Billion Oyster Project
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Operated by Billion Oyster Project · Brooklyn, New York
Governors Island, Brooklyn, sits in New York Harbor and serves as the launching pad for the Billion Oyster Project Standalone Lessons workshop, a focused three-hour session that turns estuary science into classroom-ready curriculum. Offered by Billion Oyster Project Teaching & Curriculum staff, this interactive workshop (next scheduled 8/17/2026 on Governors Island) mixes hands-on pedagogy with place-based ecology. The meeting point is listed as Virtual Zoom Meeting, and the session notes ask participants to bring a laptop for the in-person components, so check confirmation details before arriving.
Participants will be introduced to new standalone lesson plans and gain access to materials designed to use oysters as an anchoring phenomenon for common classroom standards. The workshop invites educators to wear a student hat in classroom simulations and then shift to a teacher hat to unpack assessments and scaffolding. With a classroom cap of sixty, sessions balance large-group demonstrations with small breakout discussions, allowing teachers to test activities, adapt timing, and troubleshoot logistics for diverse student groups.
What makes this program exceptional is its direct link to New York Harbor’s living shoreline. Oyster reefs are a rare form of living infrastructure in an urban estuary: shell and reef structures provide hard substrate for marine life, beds buffer currents, and oysters improve water clarity through filtration. For teachers operating inside city limits, the Billion Oyster Project converts a local natural resource into tangible lessons—not hypothetical case studies but species and systems visible from the island’s shore.
Logistics are straightforward: the session lasts three hours, typically includes digital access to lesson plans and printable materials, and asks attendees to bring a laptop for hands-on parts. Although meeting details show a Virtual Zoom Meeting point, the event description cites Governors Island; confirm format and arrival instructions after booking. The listed address is Governors Is, Brooklyn, NY 11231, USA, and the workshop is suitable for educators across grade levels who want practical, place-based instruction.
Beyond curriculum, the workshop plugs teachers into the Billion Oyster Project community, offering follow-up contacts and pathways to coordinate field trips or student stewardship activities. Pair this professional development with a short shore observation to show students intertidal zones and the working harbor beyond. Teachers leave ready to teach with lesson plans, assessment ideas, and a peer network focused on restoring habitat in New York Harbor—an efficient, high-impact professional development day for urban educators.
Enrollment is open to K–12 teachers, informal educators, and curriculum coordinators; pricing and registration details are available on the booking page. Expect a mix of ready-to-use classroom protocols, extension ideas for field observations, and assessment rubrics that align with inquiry-driven science. Bring questions, lesson goals, and a portable charger. Seats often fill; reserve early to secure your spot today.
easy.
3 hours.
Low physical demand; suitable for educators of all fitness levels. Field observations may include short, flat shoreline walks.
The workshop runs approximately three hours according to the event description.
The meeting point is listed as Virtual Zoom Meeting, but the next scheduled event is on Governors Island; confirm format on your booking confirmation.
Participants are asked to bring a laptop for in-person activities; a notebook, pen, and charger are also recommended.
The workshop is aimed at K–12 teachers, informal educators, and curriculum coordinators interested in place-based oyster lessons.
Attendees gain access to standalone lesson plans, materials, assessment ideas, and connections to the Billion Oyster Project community.
The listed group size is sixty participants, with a mix of large-group instruction and smaller breakout discussions.
The Billion Oyster Project uses oysters as an anchoring phenomenon to teach classroom content while supporting habitat restoration in New York Harbor.
Oyster restoration improves water filtration, creates habitat for marine life, and offers hands-on stewardship opportunities; educators are encouraged to model low-impact field practices and leave no trace.
Billion Oyster Project is a conservation and education initiative focused on restoring oysters in New York Harbor while engaging educators, students, and community volunteers. The Project offers a range of hands-on programs and trainings that combine fieldwork, classroom curriculum, and citizen science. Educator-focused offerings include Oyster Research Tank (ORT) Training—a 6.5-hour session that trains teachers to set up and monitor classroom oyster tanks—and Oyster Research Station (ORS) Training to equip teachers with skills to monitor oyster growth and biodiversity. Short workshops such as Oysters 101 and ORS Refresher provide two- to 2.5-hour refreshers and CTLE-credit opportunities, and some trainings include ferry travel to Governors Island. Public programs invite volunteers to participate in ORS Monitoring, shell cleaning on Governors Island, and community water quality testing events. Volunteer roles range from collecting data on oyster health at Oyster Research Stations to spending five hours preparing shells for restoration. The Project also supports public-facing events such as the Community Water Quality Testing end-of-season celebration, featuring data review, snacks, and a paper-making workshop. Many programs emphasize inquiry-based, place-based education that connects classroom lessons to real-world marine conservation and stewardship. Training sessions promote collaboration among educators, provide hands-on activities for students, and contribute to oyster research and restoration efforts across New York Harbor. Classroom and community participants gain practical experience with oyster life cycles, habitat, monitoring techniques, and water quality testing.
Book with Billion Oyster Project