By Dr. Curtis Varnell
Georgia Littleton, Booneville gifted and talented teacher, has been selected by Rutgers University to participate in the prestigious I.D. Antarctica program. Each year, hundreds of teachers from across the U.S. apply to participate in the program. Georgia was one of three, and the only one from Arkansas, selected to be a part of the program.
I.D. Antarctica provides curriculum and materials to the teacher and students of selected schools. The materials allow students to work closely with research scientists as they explore life in the Southern Ocean. During Jan-Feb, students participate in a weekly blog session facilitated by research scientist Andrew Corso. During this time, students explore the unique organisms that exist in polar climates. Each week students are provided a challenge and task to complete as part of the course. During the blog, students will be able to interact with the scientist and explore the data as they discover answers to such questions as how do whales find food, how do glaciers change over time, how are oceans changing, and how does pollution such as plastic cycling affect life in Antarctica.
The complete program promotes students’ science, literacy, data interpretation (math), and history while assisting in solving “real world” problems.
Booneville 5th and 6th grade students will begin the program following the Christmas break. Even before the program begins, students are busy collecting information and preparing to actively participate in the research effort.
The program is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Other teachers participating are Sandra Stamos of Bayonne, N.J. and Jessica Packard of Kansas City, Kansas. Georgia and Booneville are to be congratulated for becoming the first school and instructor selected from Arkansas.
