BHEC

2005 Boston Harbor Educators' Conference

Want to learn more about mud snails, New England shipwrecks, ocean tides, and satellite buoys, and how to use what you learn in the classroom? If so, take a look at this year’s annual Boston Harbor Educators’ Conference. The conference will be held on Saturday, October 1, 2005 at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The theme of the conference for this year is Boston Harbor: A Link to the Past and a Promise for the Future. The day will feature dynamic workshops, exciting exhibits, and field trips to some of the Harbor Islands. Join educators and researchers at the UMass Boston campus overlooking the beautiful (and now much cleaner) Boston Harbor for a day of fun and learning!

During the conference scientists from the New England Aquarium, the University of Massachusetts, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will ``tell their story,’’ about their experiences as researchers as well as sharing their latest research. This will also be an opportunity for researchers to meet teachers who may be interested in collaborating. The conference will also feature a ``share-a-thon’’ with project presentations by researchers and educators involved in the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence-New England (COSEE-NE). COSEE-NE has developed the Ocean Science Education Institute (OSEI), an innovative professional development model that fosters interactions between science researchers, middle school teachers, and informal educators, working together to define and achieve common curriculum-based goals. OSEI teams will be sharing the classroom-ready investigations they developed, as well as discussing the benefits and challenges of educator-researcher collaborations. Although OSEI developed projects and curricula for specific school districts, the materials are transferable to any middle school science classroom. Presenters will share classroom-ready materials and show samples of student work.

Proposed OSEI project presentations include:

Mudsnails in the Classroom.

Easy to collect, hardy and easy to maintain in the classroom, the mud snail is a surprisingly engaging and adaptable organism for life-science investigations. The workshop includes reproducible hands-on activities and tips for maintaining mud snails in the classroom. (There will be some opportunity for teachers to pilot test activities. New England Aquarium will provide mud snails.) Presenters: Sukey Padawer, NEAq; Jacqui Steinbeck, URI; BPS Teachers

Plankton Activities.

The workshop will demonstrate curricula on adaptations, life cycles, and ocean food webs using zooplankton. Learn how to collect and maintain plankton for classroom activities. A reproducible zooplankton ID chart and other curriculum materials developed by UMass Boston’s Dr. Juanita Urban-Rich will also be presented. Presenters: Dr. Juanita Urban-Rich, UMass Boston; Sukey Padawer, NEAq; BPS teachers

Ecoscenario: Stellwagen Marine Sanctuary in Massachusetts Bay.

Find out about current research being done on a local ocean ecosystem. Researchers Erik Zettler of the Sea Education Association and Ru Morrison of the University of New Hampshire, along with Boston Public teachers Jodi Calebro and Valerie Saucer, will present information about how to use a local “EcoScenario” investigation unit in the FOSS curriculum. The Stellwagen Bank EcoScenario is consistent with the other FOSS EcoScenarios, and includes abiotic and biotic data, materials addressing environmental issues, web resources, and a mock debate among stakeholders.

Wave Action and Tsunamis.

Plymouth Public Schools and WHOI researcher Ralph Stephen developed curriculum on wave action for middle school students. Experience five hands-on investigation stations for students to rotate through that deal with wavelength, amplitude, and frequency. One of the investigations included is an interactive website designed by Dr. Stephen to explain ocean wave properties.

PDPs will also be granted at the conference. For more information and to download a registration flyer, go to www.massmarineeducators.org.

The conference is co-sponsored by COSEE-NE, MME, NEAq, MWRA, Hull Lifesaving, Boston Harbor Islands National Park, UMass Boston, and the Children’s Museum.