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The National COSEE Network has recently increased to include both regional and thematic centers. Please check out the national web site (www.cosee.net) for the most current information on the COSEE Network expansion. We are very pleased to announce that COSEE SouthEast has been funded to continue for the next five years. We want to thank the COSEE SouthEast team, the Board of Advisors, the teachers, scientists, educators, SEPORTs hosts and the many other people who have supported the growth of this Center. We look for your support and partnerships as we strive to meet our regional objectives.
Congratulations to Margaret Olsen who is the COSEE SE Education Specialist on the 2005 GAME (Georgia Association of Marine Educators) Educator of the Year Award!
NOAA Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary’s
Rivers to Reefs
Education Module by Christine Epps
“Water is everywhere. In fact it covers nearly three-quarters
of the Earth’s surface, which makes you wonder why we call our
planet Earth!” And so begins the narration for the hour-long
television documentary that is the centerpiece for NOAA Gray’s
Reef National Marine Sanctuary’s Rivers to Reefs Education Module.
The education module documents the Altamaha River Watershed and how it influences the land it drains, the coastal waters into which it empties, and the offshore waters with which it eventually mingles including the waters that bathe NOAA Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary. The module contains the documentary in DVD format, a CD of short radio reports and still images, a poster and an educator’s manual.
The DVD documentary is divided into 10 video segments, and each segment provides the basis for a lesson: Making the Connection; Headwaters; Altamaha River; Estuaries and Marsh; Barrier Islands and Maritime Forests; Beach, Dunes and Sandbars; Cultural History; Coastal Waters; Gray’s Reef; Technology; and Savannah Scarp and Charleston Bump. A segment of the video can be shown at the beginning of the lesson as a means of providing background information for an activity.
On the CD, each
radio report contributes information on the lesson topic. The radio
reports were first broadcast on WSVH, Savannah’s
local Georgia Public Radio affiliate, during the spring of 1999.
The poster provides visual overviews of the watershed and the area from its beginnings in the heart of Atlanta and Athens through the Piedmont, Plateau and coastal plains into the coastal and offshore waters and throughout the continental shelf to the continental slope. This watershed is the seventh largest on the Eastern seaboard, draining nearly one-quarter of the total landmass of Georgia, the largest state east of the Mississippi River and provides one-sixth of the total volume of freshwater for the South Atlantic Bight (SAB). The SAB is the area of Atlantic Ocean that is bounded by Cape Canaveral to the south and Cape Hatteras to the north.
The educator’s manual provides written background information as well as activities.
The education module will be available on request from NOAA Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary. To request a copy, email graysreef@noaa.gov
Creating an Ocean Literate World
Ocean Literacy is an understanding of the
ocean's influence on you and your influence on the ocean. With a
planet 3/4s water and most
ecosystems dependent on the hydrologic cycle, we have an obligation
to include information about the ocean in all of our educational
venues. Through the hard work of a committee consisting of members
from the
National Geographic, NOAA, COSEE and the College of Exploration,
a summary pamphlet has been developed, which presents seven essential
principles and fundamental concepts about the ocean and also aligns
them with the National Science Education Standards (NSES). The
process of creating an ocean literate world and public is continual.
This
pamphlet
represents the present state of this project.
For more information on Ocean Literacy, visit this website: http://www.coexploration.org/oceanliteracy/. If you are from NC, SC or GA and would like a free, single copy of this pamphlet from COSEE SouthEast, contact Carolyn Robinson (carolyn.robinson@scseagrant.org).
SEPORT -- South East Portal to Ocean Research for Teachers
SEPORT is an initiative from the COSEE-SouthEast to develop an infrastructure through which new ocean sciences information can pass. Teams of Institute teachers partner with a local institution to offer a one-day ocean awareness SEPORT for middle and high school teachers in their area.
SEPORTs develop from partnerships of COSEE-SE, an informal education institution, such as an aquarium, science center, or museum, and the teachers who participate in the COSEE-SE Ocean Sciences Education Leadership Institutes. The three objectives of this effort include:
• Develop new pathways in which
ocean sciences information can reach an education, and public, audience
in specific locations;
• Increase local leadership opportunities for Institute teachers; and,
• Provide support information for local informal institutions in their
efforts to provide exciting new ocean topics to their visitors.
COSEE-SE SEPORTs are partially funded through NSF and South East Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEACOOS).
Join the SEPORT nearest you:
•
Univ. of GA Marine Extension, Savannah, GA – Nov. 5, 2005
•
Fernbank Science Center, Atlanta, GA – March 18, 2006
•
University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA – March 4, 2006
•
Sandy Creek Nature Center, Athens, GA – TBD
•
Discovery Place, Charlotte, NC – October 13, 2005
•
NC Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC – March 18, 2006
•
NC Zoological Park, Asheboro, NC October 22, 2005
•
Public Works Commission Watershed Education Center, Fayetteville, NC
– TBD
•
Sturgeon City, Jacksonville, NC – March 24, 2006
•
Roper Mountain Science Center, Greenville, SC – February 9 and 16,
2006
•
Caw Caw Interpretive Center, Ravenel, SC – TBD
•
South Carolina Governor’s School, Hartsville, SC – TBD
•
South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, SC – March 10, 2006
•
University of Puerto Rico, Mayaquez, PR – November 12, 2005
To learn more,
check the COSEE-SE Web: http://www.scseagrant.org/se-cosee/
or contact Lundie Spence at lundie.spence@scseagrant.org
COSEE SouthEast 2006 Summer Professional Development Opportunities:
COSEE-SE will be hosting three educational opportunities in the summer of 2006. More information about agenda, expectations, stipends, and applications will be available on the COSEE SouthEast website by January, 2006. Please direct any inquiries to the COSEE SouthEast contact person listed by the event.
Ocean Sciences Education Leadership Institute,
July 23 – July 28, 2006 at Trinity Center, Pine Knoll Shores, NC.
For more information contact Margaret Olsen at olsen@uga.edu.
Twenty-five middle and high school science teachers will participate, including 5 facilitating teachers who have participated in previous institutes. The Institute will focus on estuaries and living resources, with many interactions with scientists and access to activities and marine science resources.
In partnership with COSEE-SE, NC National Estuarine Research Reserve System, NC Sea Grant, Duke University Marine Lab, NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, UNC Institute of Marine Science, NCSU Center for Marine Sciences and Technology and NOAA
Coastal Legacy June
18 – June 23, 2006 at the Penn Center, St. Helena
Island, SC
For information contact Elizabeth Rogers at elizabeth.rogers@scseagrant.org
Twenty-four
elementary and middle school teachers from NC, SC and GA will be selected
to participate in an
experiential workshop
to use
coastal heritage
and culturalized science.
In partnership with COSEE-SE, SC GEARUP, Penn Center,
Caw Caw Interpretive Center, Charleston County Park
and Recreation
Commission, Gullah
Geechee Sea Island Coalition and SC Sea Grant Consortium.
Taking
the Pulse of Our Changing Planet June20 – June 25 at University
of Georgia Marine Extension (MAREX), Savannah, GA
For more information contact Katie Greganti at greganti@uga.edu
Fifteen middle and high school teachers who are presently involved in teaching marine science, physical science, physics, earth science/oceanography, will be selected to participate. Check the COSEE-SE website http://www.scseagrant.org/se-cosee/ under “Teacher’s Niche” for upcoming information.
In partnership with COSEE-SE, COSEE Mid Atlantic, University of GA MECA, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, South East Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System and South Atlantic Bight Synoptic Offshore Observational Network.
_____________________________________________________________________
Discovery Retreat 2006: Learning & Teaching in the Context
of Whales
Conducted By The University of Georgia & Ocean Alliance www.oceanalliance.org
July 8th to July 16th, 2006
Who: Eighteen middle school, high school and pre-service teachers, as well as other educators.
What: Retreat for educators interested in learning about teaching & learning in the context of whales and their ocean environments. An article about this class was posted on the University of Georgia website this past spring. http://www.uga.edu/aboutUGA/learn-whale.html
Where: Gloucester, MA. Housing will be at Salem State College in Salem, MA.
Cost: $1,200 per person including accommodations (double occupancy), some meals, local transportation, course & educational materials, shirt, daily whale trips (Airfare & tuition not included).
For More Information: Check the
website http://www.arches.uga.edu/~jschell/discovery/
or contact Dr. John W. Schell, jschell@uga.edu or Ms. Cynde Bierman, cynde@whalelady.com.
_____________________________________________________________________
Rivers to Reefs: A Georgia Teacher Quality
Higher Education Program
with The University of Georgia Marine Extension
(MAREX) and College of Education
July 5-18, 2006
Join educators and research faculty for fourteen days of intensive field and laboratory experience which will prepare teachers for identifying water quality issues and conducting studies in their own schools and communities. Eighteen middle and high school teachers will work alongside research scientists collecting water samples in the field, conducting both field and laboratory assays, and statistically analyzing results to assess water quality. Field work will be done in the Ogeechee and Wilmington Rivers with additional analyses of data previously collected from the Satilla and Altamaha Rivers. The studies will be extended to an offshore survey aboard the Research Vessel Savannah at Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary.
This is a residential program based at the university’s Marine Extension (MAREX) faculty and will include sampling trips aboard the R/V Sea Dawg, the R/V Savannah, and small boats. This class is available for either 6 graduate credits or 10 Professional Learning Unit (PLU) credits through the University of Georgia College of Education. Funding for this course is provided by the Georgia Teacher Quality Higher Education Program.
For more information call Bob Williams at (912) 598-2338 (or email to bobwms@uga.edu) or visit our website at http://www.uga.edu/aquarium/wksps1.html. Graduate applicants should also contact Dr. Malcolm Butler in the UGA College of Education at (706) 542-1763 (email to mbbutler@uga.edu).
Nature Journaling:
Whether you are a chemist, an environmental educator, an
accountant, or an art teacher, nature journaling increases our observation
skills,
our knowledge of the natural world, and can be very relaxing.
As fall approaches and temperatures cool down, many people look for reasons to go outdoors. Natural journaling is a great excuse to do so. You can even do it on your lunch break! You don't need to do it alone, however. It is an excellent activity to do with a school group, church group, friends, co-workers, or family. You'll find a number of web sites about nature journaling on the NC Office of Environmental Education's Web site at: http://www.eenorthcarolina.org/art/journaling.htm
Keeping
a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie and Charles Roth (Storey
Publishing 2003, ISBN 1-58017-493-0). This book is a beautiful
how-to guide. Whether you've never done a nature journal before
or have a shelf-full at home, there is something in this book
for everyone.
The Nature Handbook: A Guide to Observing the Great
Outdoors by Ernest H. Williams, Jr. (Oxford University Press 2005, ISBN
0-19-517194-2).
This new book from Oxford
University Press covers plants, animals, and habitats. Because entries
are generally a half page to a full page in length, it's a great
book to flip through on a
break. Article topics include woodpecker drumming, tree bark patterns,
and poison plants. Each article also contains beautiful photographs.
Nature Drawing: A Tool for Learning by Clare Walker Leslie (Kendall Hunt 1995, ISBN 0-78720-580-X). This book covers everything from the supplies you'll need to basic plant physiology. Even if you avoided Art classes and slept through Biology, this guide will give you lots of ideas to experiment with in your nature journal.
Below are some children's picture books that serve as excellent examples of nature journals. Surrounding the story's narrative are pictures and notes that take the form of a nature journal.
Following the Coast by Jim Arnosky (Harper Collins Childrens Books 2004, ISBN 0-68817-117-6). This book chronicles Arnosky’s trip up the Atlantic Coast, from Florida to Delaware.
An Island Scrapbook: Dawn to Dusk on a Barrier Island by Virginia Wright-Frierson (Simon & Schuster 1998, ISBN 0-68981-563-8). Wright-Frierson is a North Carolina author. This book describes a narrator and her daughter's last week of vacation on a barrier island.
Leave Only Ripples: A Canoe Country Sketchbook by Consie Powell (Raven Productions Inc. 2005, ISBN 0-96770-579-7).
Powell is a
North Carolina
author who frequently
contributes to Wildlife in North Carolina. Leave Only Ripples
is her latest book. It follows a family canoe trip along the lakes
of Minnesota
and western
Ontario.
Why not celebrate the coming fall by starting a nature journaling group?
_____________________________________________________________________
Middle School
Fiction:
Adventure on Dolphin Island by Ellen Prager (Iuniverse
Inc. 2005, ISBN: 0-595-35791-1)
A family vacation aboard a rented sailboat turns into a horrible
nightmare when young Kelly Wickmer is swept off the boat
in a raging storm in
the Bermuda Triangle.
Alone in the wild sea, the timid young girl must struggle
for survival and fight her fears of the ocean and its creatures,
especially
sharks. As darkness
surrounds
her, a nearby wave explodes in shimmering light and a dolphin
appears.
The dolphin brings Kelly to a mysterious tropical
island, unlike anything she
has ever seen or heard about. Kids on the island befriend
her as they
encounter stingrays, sea turtles, iguanas, giant tortoise,
the fish of a
coral reef, and more. Yet, Kelly longs to go home. As
she searches for a way
off the island and the dolphin that saved her, she will
have the adventure of
a lifetime. If she survives, it will change her life
forever.
In the back of this book is a section on some of the real ocean science incorporated into the story and a list of websites for readers who want to learn more. A portion of the profits from sales will go toward marine education.
Elementary and Middle School Non-fiction:
Carolina's Story:
Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! by Donna Rathmell
(Sylvan Dell 2005, ISBN: 0-9764943-0-2)
This book helps children to empathize with the plight
of endangered sea turtles. This is the photographic
journal of “Carolina,” a critically
ill loggerhead, as she is nursed back to health,
and released from the Sea Turtle
Hospital of the South Carolina Aquarium http://scaquarium.org/ Children realize that the story is true because
of the photographs as opposed to illustrations.
They relate to the turtle as it gets a shot and
other medical treatments. They
laugh when the turtle splashes the worker in an
effort to avoid another medical check-up. They
clap when the healthy sea turtle goes home to the
ocean.
An educational and conservation supplement and craft at the end of the book helps children (and adults) learn more about sea turtles and what they can do to help. The author (Donna Rathmell German, SCA exhibit guide volunteer) and photographer (Barbara Bergwerf, SCA Sea Turtle Hospital Volunteer and Isle of Palms Turtle Team member) are donating a portion of their royalties to the Sea Turtle Hospital at the South Carolina Aquarium to help sick and injured sea turtles.
Exploring the Oceans
Series by John Woodward
(The Brown Reference Group 2004, ISBN 1-40345-130-3)
Investigate some of the most vibrant realms on
Earth. Track sea turtles on their annual migrations,
explore
the Titanic,
or scuba
dive through
underwater
caverns.
Each of the five books sends the reader on
a mission to explore a particular ocean zone and
examine
its wildlife and geography.
The
explorer is
equipped with a route map, equipment, and a
firm base of
scientific facts and
theories explaining
everything from how satellite navigation works
to marine snow. The books are richly illustrated
with
stunning
wildlife photography,
new images
of deep-sea
exploration, and photographs of the equipment
used to explore the oceans, including simple
scuba and
snorkeling gear
and high-tech submersibles.
_____________________________________________________________________
WEBSITE RESOURCES
Project Oceanica Loggerhead Resource
Website http://oceanica.cofc.edu/LoggerheadLessons/LoggerheadHome.htm
Project Oceanica’s Rachel Teller has produced an educational
website titled "Loggerhead
Lessons: A Web-Based Educational Resource." It
is a wonderful tool for teachers, students
and others who want to learn anything about
Loggerhead turtles. It contains
photos of the turtles and their nest sites,
photodocumentaries on their life history
and management, a dichotomous identification
key, standards-based activities
for middle school teachers, and more! Please
visit Project
Oceanica's Lab and Field Resources page
at http://oceanica.cofc.edu/activities.htm and click on "Loggerhead
Lessons" to see this great new web
resource!
NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries Launches Online Marine Life Field Guide http://marinelife.noaa.gov/
NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program has unveiled a new, innovative, online resource that highlights the diverse marine life of America's ocean and Great Lakes treasures. The Encyclopedia of the Sanctuaries is available online and is part of a continuing NOAA effort to enhance public awareness, understanding and appreciation of the ocean environment. This online field guide provides photos, streaming video and important biological information for over 100 marine species from each of the national marine sanctuaries in the United States. The Encyclopedia of the Sanctuaries is currently featured on the NOAA homepage (www.noaa.gov) as the "Top Story" and through a recent NOAA press release. This website is a fantastic resource to better understand the marine environments that thrive in our National Marine Sanctuary System.
"Multicultural Pathways to Ocean Sciences Education," May,
2003
http://www.scseagrant.org/se-cosee/diversity.htm
Proceedings from the 2003 Charrette entitled "Multicultural
Pathways to Ocean Sciences Education" reports the results of
a three day study investigating methods to increase access of ocean
sciences to underrepresented and underserved
populations. Seventeen participants,
mostly from the southeast, were facilitated by Dr. Vivian Williamson,
to share their experiences, passions and expertise.
The group pulled together common
threads of workable strategies, successful projects, student activities
and ideas to recommend for COSEE SouthEast. As Matt Gilligan
from Savannah State University stated
in his presentation to the US Commission on Ocean Policy, concerning
diversity in the ocean science workforce-- "traditional
methods have resulted in traditional
results." Dr. Karen Chandler, College
of Charleston, developed the structure
of the proceedings from hours of videotape and reflection and authored
the text and developed a very extensive bibliography
of resources. This is a report worth
reading! It is presented as a pdf file on the COSEE SE website.
Additional Web Resources
GA Department of Natural Resources
Coastal Resources Division
http://crd.dnr.state.ga.us/
Click on the Education section
and then on to Critters. This
is a great
website
for
learning about coastal
wild critters
of Georgia,
most of
which are also
found in South Carolina and North
Carolina coastal
waters.
Illustrated Guide to Fishes
of the Southeast
http://www.graysreef.nos.noaa.gov/fishguide.html
Careers in the
Marine Science Field:
http://www.oceancareers.com
http://www.graysreef.nos.noaa.gov/student/careers.html
The Dolphin
Project:
http://www.thedolphinproject.org/
The Dolphin Project, Inc.,
established in 1989, is
a nonprofit, all-volunteer
organization
engaged in
conducting
a long-term,
scientific study
of Tursiops truncatus (Atlantic
Bottlenose Dolphin) primarily
in Georgia
(US), but
also in South Carolina
estuarine waters. Regular
collaboration takes place
both formally
and informally with many
research scientists, universities, other
interested organizations
and government agencies.
The Dolphin
Project, Inc. is
NOT an activist
or political organization and is not
affiliated with any
such organizations.
TDP members conduct field
research using 16-35 foot boats in sounds
and tidal
rivers from
Hilton Head,
SC to Fernandina
Beach, FL
Please check out
the COSEE SE website
(http://www.scseagrant.org/se-cosee/)
under "Exploring the South Atlantic Bight" for more information about
marine mammals, sea turtles and sharks.
back to Books and Media
top
of page
New addition at SEACOOS
The South East Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEACOOS) has just hired a new regional educator, Katie Greganti. Katie double-majored in Meteorology and Marine Science at North Carolina State University. She graduated from Duke University in 2005 with a Master of Environmental Management, with a concentration in Coastal Environmental Management.
As the regional SEACOOS educator, she will serve as a liaison between Oceanographers and Educators who are trying to move real-time data use and an understanding of Ocean Observation Systems to K-16 classrooms. Katie is located at the University of Georgia Marine Education Center and Aquarium in Savannah, GA. (email greganti@uga.edu)
Hurricane Poster and Website
COSEE Florida presents the second in the SEACOOS poster series, “Forming
Hurricanes”, a new and exciting classroom resource with a supporting
website of activities and resources about the formation of hurricanes
and the hazards they cause. The poster includes specific facts about
hurricanes and the Southeastern United States.
The website http://seacoos.org/Community%20and%20Classroom/ includes lessons, classroom activities, and hurricane-focused educational links and will be ready within the next couple of weeks.
SEACOOS DVD “Observing
the Coastal Ocean: Buoys, Ships and Science”
By Blake Schaeffer, NCSU (2005)
In partnership with COSEE-SE and the Carolinas Coastal Ocean Observing
System (CARACOOPS), Blake Schaeffer, with funding from SEACOOS, has developed
an educational DVD as an introduction to the science and people involved
with the coastal ocean observing system. The DVD consists of an introduction
to COOS (ppt. format), video clips of deployment and mooring of the instruments,
seven interviews with scientists and graduate students to provide career
insight and a glossary of terms. DVDs are available free of charge to
educators in FL, GA, NC and SC. Contact Carolyn Robinson at carolyn.robinson@scseagrant.org
Editor
Lundie Spence,
Ph.D, Director, COSEE SouthEast
COSEE SouthEast Team
Elizabeth Rogers, Curriculum Specialist
Margaret Olsen, Education Specialist
Carrie Thomas, Research Specialist
Carolyn Robinson, Administrative Assistant
Mare Timmons, GA Sea Grant, Education Associate
Terri Hathaway, NC Sea Grant, Education Associate
COSEE SouthEast
Web Developer
Patty Snow, SC Sea Grant Consortium
COSEE SouthEast is funded through the National Science Foundation,
NOAA/Coastal Services Center and NOAA/Ocean Explorations and is administered
through
the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium.
This newsletter, Passport to the Sea, was funded in part through
a grant from SEACOOS and Office of Naval Research.
––––––––––––––
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0215402. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
© Copyright, 2005 SouthEast Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence