Structuring around NGSS

The SEA website (www.seaearthatmosphere.org) is an online platform with activities designed to be used by both students and teachers, including background content and instructional guides. Each grade level (3, 4, and 5) has a unit corresponding to NGSS’s Earth and Space Science (ESS), Life Science (LS), and Physical Science (PS), which reflect the NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI).

Units begin with an introduction that describes the relevant NGSS learning goals. The introduction also connects these learning goals to the OLP. Units consist of topics that cover one or more NGSS Performance Expectation (PE). Topics contain photos and visuals written at an educator level, which are intended to provide helpful background information. The three dimensions of NGSS; DCI, Crosscutting Concepts (CC’s) and Science and Engineering Practices (SEP’s) are addressed at the activity level with linking sentences that highlight how the activity addresses each dimension. For example, students address cause and effect in the Eroding Beaches Activity by investigating the influence of waves on a beach. We shared this activity at the Kauaʻi 2022 Youth Climate Summit; students commented that they could, “see how paddling faster makes more waves and more sand erosion” (Figure 2).

Each topic has at least one associated activity written directly for student use (with teacher recommendations and suggested student responses). All activities use the same format to guide students through the investigative process. Activities begin with a phenomenon and inquiry, allowing students to reflect on their own experiences to formulate and answer questions that help make sense of their world. For example, in the grade 5 Physical Science activity “Reappearing Salt,” the PE (5-PS1-1) is to develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen. Students begin their investigation with the phenomenon that their skin stays salty after swimming in the ocean. Teachers can use the phenomenon and background content to introduce the investigation in their own teaching style—which might include alternate examples for students in non-coastal areas, like swimming in a sulfuric hot spring or a chlorinated pool. Students engage in the activity by creating a saltwater mixture and evaporating the water to uncover the remaining salt particles. Each activity also has guiding questions, materials (including student worksheets and teacher guides), procedure, and end-of-activity questions (Figure 3). Student worksheets are printable versions of the procedure and activity questions, providing an opportunity for assessment of student learning. On the worksheets, students reflect, record data, and answer questions. The corresponding teacher guide is a student worksheet with additional notes and example responses.

Each topic and/or activity also contains additional student learning opportunities, such as traditional ways of knowing, videos (e.g., 30-min Voice of the Sea episodes linked to content; www.voiceofthesea.org), National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) content, and Further Investigation suggestions. In the activity “Reappearing Salt,” students are encouraged to continue their exploration in a follow-up Further Investigation that prompts them to widen their search to include water samples from the ocean or other nearby bodies of water (Figure 3). This Further Investigation engages students in authentic learning experiences (Reeves et al., 2002) and problem solving (Bell, 2010), and provides an opportunity for higher-level assessment by having students apply skills learned in the activity to real-world contexts.

Aligning Ocean Science Concepts with NGSS PE

Although the NGSS call for the learning of aquatic science as an essential component to understanding interdisciplinary concepts, aligning NGSS and OLP together is a nuanced task because there is not a direct one-to-one correspondence between the two standards. The Alignment of Ocean Literacy Framework facilitates connections by highlighting critical points in the NGSS where the ocean needs to be integrated in order for science concepts to be fully understood (Strang et al., 2015). The Alignment also provides tools to address examples, gaps, and inaccurate representations of ocean science in the NGSS. We used this alignment in revising the SEA curriculum in order to target the NGSS standards where understanding the OLP is essential for scientific literacy and where the OLP and NGSS have clear connections.

For example, in grade 5 Earth and Space Science, the NGSS PE (5-ESS2-1) states that students “develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.” We connected this PE to Ocean Literacy Principle 3, “The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate,” which has parallel language emphasizing the interaction of the ocean (part of the hydrosphere) and atmosphere. In the SEA activity, “Simulating Sea Level Rise,” students model and compare the melting of icebergs and glaciers to demonstrate the interaction of the warming atmosphere with the resulting rise of sea level in the ocean hydrosphere. Understanding this ocean concept is needed to fully master the NGSS PE.

In grade 3 Physical Science, the alignment between NGSS and the OLP is more subtle. The PE is to “Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.” This standard does not specify ocean concepts, however, the idea can be explored through the well recognized phenomenon of the effect of wind on the movement of sailboats using the SEA activity, “Sailing by the Force of the Wind.” This activity also emphasizes the significance of sailing as a means of important cultural and historical transportation as well as modern recreation. The activity corresponds to OLP 6, concept C, that “The ocean is a source of inspiration, recreation, rejuvenation, and discovery. It is also an important element in the heritage of many cultures.”

Developing a user-friendly online platform with activities that employ readily available and earth-conscious materials

The updated, online SEA curriculum transforms the original PDFs into a format that can be readily searched, explored, and utilized without having to download a large number of documents. The activities are searchable by standard and there is also an Educator Community element, which allows educators to review, rate, comment, provide insights, and connect with each other. At the bottom of each content and activity page, users (who are logged in to the site) can make comments, start a conversation, or ask a question. Comments can be tagged with a variety of labels, like assessment or supplies, and attachments such as images, worksheets, translations, or extensions can be uploaded and shared. Comments are also colated together in the SEA Educator Community (Figure 4). The intent of the community is to encourage educators to collaborate as they implement, modify, and extend the resources to bring meaningful lessons to their students. This type of interactive community is an important aspect of online learning, giving teachers an opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and grow (Shaffer 2020).

One of the aspects we are interested in researching is the adaptation of suggested supplies. In our current world of increased at-home-learning, many students do not have access to typical science classroom supplies. And, even for students learning in-person at school, availability of supplies is not guaranteed. We worked to develop SEA activities to utilize commonly found items, recycled materials, or inexpensive objects. For example, in the 3rd grade, Earth and Space Science topic on Weather Patterns, students “Model the Wind and Clouds” using a long shallow container, paper, water, a jar, matches and ice cubes. Students then “Build a Rain Gauge” to monitor weather patterns in their area using a recycled 2L bottle, scissors, a binder clip, small rocks, a ruler, and a permanent marker. Common household materials, like those shown in Figure 5, are suggested, but students are also encouraged to explore additional design ideas with whatever supplies they have accessible. For example, while testing these activities, we used several tray types (refrigerator, shoe box, baking pan), paper (paper towels, tissue, printer paper), and several clear, recycled bottles (soda, water, vinegar, oil). We anticipate that contributions to the educator community will provide valuable suggestions for alternative supplies; for example, we received queries from educators for the DIY Beeswax Wraps Activity about the use of fabric paint and left-over soy candle wax (see Figure 4).