National Marine Protected Areas Center: MPA Education

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The MPA Center has released a new publication on marine protected area resources and concepts for teaching Ocean Literacy.

This document melds the "Ocean Literacy: Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts" developed by the National Geographic Society, NOAA and partners for K-12 curricula with resources from the MPA Center that illustrate those principles.

The National Marine Protected Areas Center offers links to curriculum and education materials to increase understanding and awareness of MPAs among government agencies, coastal and marine educators, and their audiences.

Selected MPA Education Resources

Current: The Journal of Marine Education Special Edition Focused on Networks and Systems of Marine Protected Areas: Sometimes a single MPA is not sufficient in size or scope to protect all of the resources that reside within its boundaries. Therefore, a network of MPAs – a grouping of smaller MPAs protecting different habitats at various locations within the larger ecosystem - may be required. This issue of Current focuses on networks of MPAs, and includes articles written by authors who have had extensive experience in MPA network management and research. The activities and additional resources at the end of the articles will help you bring the concept of MPAs and networks of MPAs directly into your classroom.

Working Together With Sherman and the National System of Marine Protected Areas; In this set of lesson plans, students will become familiar with the three goals of the national system: 1) promoting healthy ecosystems, 2) conserving cultural heritage resources, and 3) sustaining renewable living resources and their habitats.

How Diverse Is That? In this lesson plan, students will be able to discuss the meaning of "biological diversity," and will be able to compare and contrast the concepts of "variety" and "relative abundance" as they relate to biological diversity.

Exploring National Marine Sanctuaries: In this lesson plan, students will: identify major groups of organisms living in and protected by national marine sanctuaries; describe various habitats found in national marine sanctuaries; list characteristics that define various national marine sanctuaries, including their similarities and differences; identify some of the resource issues threatening the oceans; describe human interactions with the ocean; and explain the importance of marine protected areas.

Biodiversity in an Estuary: In this lesson, students will: describe the physical and biological components of habitats that exist as part of an estuary; explain the relationships between primary producers,consumers, and secondary consumers; describe some adaptations of living organisms to the changing conditions within an estuary; and explain why biodiversity is important and worth preserving in an estuary.

MPA Education Resources on the Web
The following websites have education resources particularly relevant for those interested in MPAs:

The National Ocean Service Education Web site contains online educational portals, resources for students and teachers, professional development opportunities and educational activities relating to oceans, coasts, and charting and navigation.
A nationally recognized ocean science Web site for teachers is the BRIDGE Web site. The links that are referenced in the site have been reviewed by scientists for scientific content, and by teachers for usefulness of the content. The BRIDGE Web site provides a comprehensive list of marine education curricula and activities.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Education Web page provides teachers with resources and training to support ocean literacy in America's classrooms. On this site, you will find curriculum, lesson plans, and activities that will excite students about science and technology.
Estuaries 101 is an online curriculum that feature hands-on learning, experiments, field work and data explorations created by the National Estuarine Research Reserve Program. The curriculum consists of four modules, Life Science, Earth Science & Physical Science each using estuaries as the context for developing content knowledge and skills relevant to that domain.
NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program's Coral Reef Educational Resources CD includes education and outreach materials on a wide-range of topics related to coral reefs, including basic coral biology, coral reef ecosystems, human use, threats, and conservation efforts.

Additional Education Links:

NOAA Education Resources
NOAA Ocean Explorer Education Resources
COSEE
National Marine Educators Association
National Geographic Society EdNet

Other MPA Education Resources Include:

National System Sherman's Lagoon^© Poster by Cartoonist Jim Toomey

The National System of MPAs poster, developed with the generous support of Sherman's Lagoon cartoonist Jim Toomey, highlights the three conservation goals of the national system. The poster is available for educational purposes by contacting mpainfo@noaa.gov. Corresponding lesson plans to go with the Sherman's Lagoon poster are available here.

Information Exchange for Marine Educators
This monthly e-newsletter, supported by the NOAA Office of Education, is intended to improve the availability of education information to MPA practitioners and the public, encourage exchange of information and programs, and promote collaboration among educators. It includes information about marine education programs and activities, professional development opportunities, and funding sources. It also includes a section for the educators to post requests for information. The email provides a brief overview of each program along with a website or contact information for more information.

This information has been compiled from many different public sources, including web searches, extracting from Listservs such as NSTA Express, edinfo at FREE, CREEC, EEinGEORGIA, EE-NEWS @NAAEE, and others. The Department of Commerce/NOAA does not necessarily endorse the views expressed or the facts presented on the program sites. While every attempt has been made to verify the website addresses when the monthly email is sent, we cannot guarantee the continued accuracy of website addresses.

The posted version of each file is formatted for convenient printing. The monthly email update is sent out as a Microsoft Word© document, containing active links to the different websites. If you'd like to receive the monthly update, please send a blank message to requests@willamette.nos.noaa.gov with "subscribe infoexchange" in the subject field.

Current Issue of Information Exchange for Marine Educators - September (pdf, 59 kb)

Education Programs, Activities, and Websites A-G (pdf, 726 kb)
Education Programs, Activities, and Websites H-O (pdf, 624 kb)
Education Programs, Activities, and Websites P-Z (pdf, 700 kb)
Grants and Funding (pdf, 751kb)
Internship and Temporary Opportunities (pdf, 141 kb)
Journals (pdf, 40 kb)
Marine Protected Area Information (pdf, 58 kb)
Requests for Information (pdf, 120 kb)
Workshops and Professional Development (pdf, 558 kb)
Conferences (pdf, 187 kb)

Archived Newsletters

For More Information
mpainfo@noaa.gov

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Resources Library Resouces MPA Center Publications Education FAQs Multimedia News MPA Training Webinars Glossary Archives	MPA Education > Resources > MPA Education The MPA Center has released a new publication on marine protected area resources and concepts for teaching Ocean Literacy. This document melds the "Ocean Literacy: Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts" developed by the National Geographic Society, NOAA and partners for K-12 curricula with resources from the MPA Center that illustrate those principles. The National Marine Protected Areas Center offers links to curriculum and education materials to increase understanding and awareness of MPAs among government agencies, coastal and marine educators, and their audiences. Selected MPA Education Resources Current: The Journal of Marine Education Special Edition Focused on Networks and Systems of Marine Protected Areas: Sometimes a single MPA is not sufficient in size or scope to protect all of the resources that reside within its boundaries. Therefore, a network of MPAs – a grouping of smaller MPAs protecting different habitats at various locations within the larger ecosystem - may be required. This issue of Current focuses on networks of MPAs, and includes articles written by authors who have had extensive experience in MPA network management and research. The activities and additional resources at the end of the articles will help you bring the concept of MPAs and networks of MPAs directly into your classroom. Working Together With Sherman and the National System of Marine Protected Areas; In this set of lesson plans, students will become familiar with the three goals of the national system: 1) promoting healthy ecosystems, 2) conserving cultural heritage resources, and 3) sustaining renewable living resources and their habitats. How Diverse Is That? In this lesson plan, students will be able to discuss the meaning of "biological diversity," and will be able to compare and contrast the concepts of "variety" and "relative abundance" as they relate to biological diversity. Exploring National Marine Sanctuaries: In this lesson plan, students will: identify major groups of organisms living in and protected by national marine sanctuaries; describe various habitats found in national marine sanctuaries; list characteristics that define various national marine sanctuaries, including their similarities and differences; identify some of the resource issues threatening the oceans; describe human interactions with the ocean; and explain the importance of marine protected areas. Biodiversity in an Estuary: In this lesson, students will: describe the physical and biological components of habitats that exist as part of an estuary; explain the relationships between primary producers,consumers, and secondary consumers; describe some adaptations of living organisms to the changing conditions within an estuary; and explain why biodiversity is important and worth preserving in an estuary. MPA Education Resources on the Web The following websites have education resources particularly relevant for those interested in MPAs: The National Ocean Service Education Web site contains online educational portals, resources for students and teachers, professional development opportunities and educational activities relating to oceans, coasts, and charting and navigation. A nationally recognized ocean science Web site for teachers is the BRIDGE Web site. The links that are referenced in the site have been reviewed by scientists for scientific content, and by teachers for usefulness of the content. The BRIDGE Web site provides a comprehensive list of marine education curricula and activities. The National Marine Sanctuaries Education Web page provides teachers with resources and training to support ocean literacy in America's classrooms. On this site, you will find curriculum, lesson plans, and activities that will excite students about science and technology. Estuaries 101 is an online curriculum that feature hands-on learning, experiments, field work and data explorations created by the National Estuarine Research Reserve Program. The curriculum consists of four modules, Life Science, Earth Science & Physical Science each using estuaries as the context for developing content knowledge and skills relevant to that domain. NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program's Coral Reef Educational Resources CD includes education and outreach materials on a wide-range of topics related to coral reefs, including basic coral biology, coral reef ecosystems, human use, threats, and conservation efforts. Additional Education Links: NOAA Education Resources NOAA Ocean Explorer Education Resources COSEE National Marine Educators Association National Geographic Society EdNet Other MPA Education Resources Include: National System Sherman's Lagoon^© Poster by Cartoonist Jim Toomey The National System of MPAs poster, developed with the generous support of Sherman's Lagoon cartoonist Jim Toomey, highlights the three conservation goals of the national system. The poster is available for educational purposes by contacting mpainfo@noaa.gov. Corresponding lesson plans to go with the Sherman's Lagoon poster are available here. Information Exchange for Marine Educators This monthly e-newsletter, supported by the NOAA Office of Education, is intended to improve the availability of education information to MPA practitioners and the public, encourage exchange of information and programs, and promote collaboration among educators. It includes information about marine education programs and activities, professional development opportunities, and funding sources. It also includes a section for the educators to post requests for information. The email provides a brief overview of each program along with a website or contact information for more information. This information has been compiled from many different public sources, including web searches, extracting from Listservs such as NSTA Express, edinfo at FREE, CREEC, EEinGEORGIA, EE-NEWS @NAAEE, and others. The Department of Commerce/NOAA does not necessarily endorse the views expressed or the facts presented on the program sites. While every attempt has been made to verify the website addresses when the monthly email is sent, we cannot guarantee the continued accuracy of website addresses. The posted version of each file is formatted for convenient printing. The monthly email update is sent out as a Microsoft Word© document, containing active links to the different websites. If you'd like to receive the monthly update, please send a blank message to requests@willamette.nos.noaa.gov with "subscribe infoexchange" in the subject field. Current Issue of Information Exchange for Marine Educators - September (pdf, 59 kb) Education Programs, Activities, and Websites A-G (pdf, 726 kb) Education Programs, Activities, and Websites H-O (pdf, 624 kb) Education Programs, Activities, and Websites P-Z (pdf, 700 kb) Grants and Funding (pdf, 751kb) Internship and Temporary Opportunities (pdf, 141 kb) Journals (pdf, 40 kb) Marine Protected Area Information (pdf, 58 kb) Requests for Information (pdf, 120 kb) Workshops and Professional Development (pdf, 558 kb) Conferences (pdf, 187 kb) Archived Newsletters For More Information mpainfo@noaa.gov (top)

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