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August 2000
Dear Educator:
The teacher curriculum "The Land-Sea
Connection" was developed to complement a
full-color, bathymetric & topographic map of
the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This
curriculum will increase your students
understanding of science and geography, and also
introduce them to the excitement of real-time
underwater exploration. We invite you and your
students to join the Sustainable Seas
Expedition, a deep sea research mission, via
the Internet, discuss marine policy and management
in the classroom, and conduct a monitoring transect
within the Monterey Bay National Marine
Sanctuary.
Some of the content included in this guide was
adapted from the 1999 Sustainable Seas
Expeditions Teacher Resource Book. We highly
recommend use of the SSE Teacher Resource Book as
it contains many more ideas and activities for
enriching and supplementing your science
curriculum. The guide is available at website:
www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/special/special.html#TeacherBook
Curriculum learning objectives include
- using a topographic map as a tool for
recognizing geophysical features of the Monterey
Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and its
biological and cultural resources
- exploring the connection between our
land-based actions and the health of the
oceans
- being introduced to the concept and
technology of Geographic Information Systems
(GIS), and the use of geographic overlays to
answer spatial questions.
Highlights of the state-of-the-art map
include
- special characteristics of seafloor
bathymetry and land topography
- coastal watershed features that connect to
the Sanctuary
- never-before-seen features of the Monterey
Canyon
- urban development and agricultural
areas
- cities & roads, mountains & valleys,
seamounts & canyons
To request a printed copy of the map and
curriculum, please contact the MBNMS at (831)
647-4201 or karen.grimmer@noaa.gov
We welcome your comments, suggestions and
feedback via the included evaluation, by email, or
by phone. On August 16, 2000, a group of teachers
and marine educators met to evaluate and revise
this draft guide, and share their ideas for
additional activities. We hope to build upon those
ideas, and produce a final and more expansive
edition of this curriculum.
The largest and deepest of the marine
sanctuaries, Monterey Bay, spans more than 5,300
square miles of wave-swept beaches, lush kelp
forests, and steep canyons filled with life ranging
from tiny plants to huge blue whales. We hope the
new map and curriculum will help your students
increase their understanding of the extraordinary
environment and resources of the Monterey Bay
National Marine Sanctuary. More information may be
found at http://montereybay.nos.noaa.gov
Best wishes,
Education Staff
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