Spring 1996 National Ocean & Atmospheric Administration Page 5
Inside Cover pg. 1 Focus on Volunteers: Bay Net & Sanctuary Stewards pg. 2 Site Characterization pg. 3 SAC Updates pg. 3 Sanctuary News & Notes pg. 4 Mussel Watch Program pg. 4 MARE Program pg. 5 Education Resources pg. 5 Water Quality Education pg. 6 Elkhorn Slough Research pg. 7 Calendar of Events pg. 8	Area Schools Use MARE Ocean Studies Program MARE (Marine Activities, Resources and Education) is a school-wide, interdisciplinary ocean studies program coordinated by the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley. Schools participating in the MARE program have a year-long marine science curriculum that uses marine habitats to bring to life themes of science, culminating in an intensive "Oceans Week." Currently about 400 schools around the country use this program. Recently, New Brighton Middle School and Capitola Elementary School (both in Capitola), used their ocean weeks to focus on the Monterey Bay Sanctuary and its marine life. Both schools' programs were partially funded through the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. At New Brighton Middle School, a kick-off Assembly for Sanctuary Week featured the Boogie-Down Jugglers, entertaining the children while teaching about point-source pollution. The week's activities included fish and squid printing, slide shows, making a coral reef quilt and Inuit mask-making and storytelling. On Friday, a school-wide fair featured local environmental groups who hosted interpretive displays and gave presentations, while students displayed classroom projects, posters, web pages and multimedia reports, and participated in beach clean-ups. Other activities included a "write to your member of Congress booth."
Designed specially for use in ethnically and linguistically diverse classrooms, MARE has seen great success throughout the country, particularly in California, where it is used in bi-lingual and Spanish immersion classes. For participating schools, MARE staff develop the curriculum, provide training to one or more teachers at a summer institute, and can even assist in writing grant applications to help pay for the program. Additionally, they provide on-site work, helping teachers implement the new curriculum, particularly during the oceans week. "We've found that the on-site training is essential; we notice nearly 100% better implementation if we've been able to work with the teachers and get them comfortable with the curriculum," says Roberta Dean of MARE. New Brighton Middle School's experience with MARE has been excellent, according to eighth grade science teacher Sue Sager. "In our school it has given us a curriculum focus," she explains. "A lot of us [teachers] live here because we're environmentalists. This program gives us a chance to teach the process to kids. It gives the kids an idea of how special this area is." For more information on MARE, call (510) 642-5008. Sanctuary Educational Resources The Sanctuary office offers a variety of educational materials for teachers and others interested in marine education. These include science curriculum units, a new resources directory, a video, a teachers' kit and slide shows. "Sanctuary Science" curriculum units (K-2; 3-5; 6-8; 9-12), developed by Long Marine Lab and the Sanctuary, cover four basic themes: what is a marine sanctuary; human impacts on the Sanctuary; wise use of the Sanctuary; and Sanctuary marine life. These are designed to be incorporated into a teacher's regular marine science or life science curricula. The Marine and Coastal Educational Resources Directory for the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Areas is a collaborative effort between the California Coastal Commission and the three northern California National Marine Sanctuaries. The directory is designed for teachers, students and the general public. A video entitled, "Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary: A National Treasure," narrated by Dr. Sylvia A. Earle, is directed at high school students and adults. It describes the Sanctuary's mission, goals, ongoing education programs, working groups and current education and research projects within the marine science community. A compilation of sanctuary resources will be available as a kit for teachers this summer. It will contain some of the above resources, as well as a Water Quality Protection Program pelican poster, a Sanctuary chart, newsletters and website information. For further information about Sanctuary education resources, contact Liz Love at (408) 647-4255 or Kip Evans at (408) 647-4217.
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