Hatchling and Turtle Conservation Headstarting (HATCH) Program in the Classroom

Zoo New England will bring a turtle conservation education program into 14 fifth grade classrooms in the Boston public schools and the Perkins School for the Blind. The Hatchling and Turtle Conservation Headstarting Program is designed to expose students from a diverse range of socio-economic backgrounds to the importance of wildlife in their community, giving them an opportunity to participate in a hands-on conservation project. Each classroom will receive three indoor sessions and one field trip at the end of the year, as well as two turtle hatchlings to raise in the classroom. Teachers will be trained to raise and care for the turtles. Presentations will be tailored to the age group of the students and will include opportunities for hands-on STEM-inquiry-based learning in alignment with the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Frameworks. Pre and post classroom and field trip evaluation will be conducted to assess the cognitive and attitudinal changes among participating students and teachers.