Emily Ellsmore

Hello! My name is Emily Ellsmore and I have been teaching 7^th and 8^th grade science at NCSA since 2018. I have a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Botany from Humboldt State University and worked as a field botanist in the National Forests. Later, I earned my teaching credential and worked for 10 years at Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts, a 7-12 college prep, art school teaching 7-8^th science, high school chemistry and AP Environmental Science. When I am not teaching, I enjoy gardening and adventuring with my geologist husband and two sons.

In my classes, we explore science concepts through interactive hands-on learning to experiment, collect data, research and engineer. Students learn the skills to be successful in high school science such as keeping a scientific notebook, collaborating in groups and communicating explanations based on evidence. We are so fortunate to have a 150 acre campus to explore! I treat this area as an outdoor classroom with hikes to the Deer Creek watershed, vegetation monitoring in a long-term scotch broom eradication study, to collecting pond water samples for analysis. In 7^th grade science, we study Arctic ice melt, air pollution, chemical reactions, combustion, crystals, Earth processes, groundwater, natural resources, ecology, biodiversity and conservation. In 8^th grade science, we study magnetism, electricity, renewable energy, sound, digital technologies, adaptations, genetics, history of life on Earth, forces and space. Every spring, 8^th graders attend the Death Valley Field study where the art and science classes collaborate to make an amazing experience for students.