Coastal Connections A SUPPLEMENTAL CLASSROOM CURRICULUM North Carolina Coastal Federation Funding forCoastal Connections was provided by the Toyota Motor Corporation through the Chesapeake Bay Foundation; National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; the Kathleen Price Bryan Family Fund; and NCCF members and supporters. Special thanks to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and its staff for providing the framework and on-going support for the creation and implementation of this curriculum. Graphic Design: Anita Lancaster, Jacksonville, NC Cover Art: Josh Moore, Beaufort, NC Printed On Recycled Paper WINTER 2000 Coastal Connections A SUPPLEMENTAL CLASSROOM CURRICULUM INTRODUCTION TO THE NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL FEDERATION AND CLEAN-NC The North Carolina Coastal Federation (NCCF) is a private, non-profit conservation organization working with citizens for a healthy coastal environment. Founded in 1982, NCCF seeks to protect our coastal environment, culture, and economy through habitat protection and restoration; environmental law and order; and environmental education. NCCF’s Education Program reaches over 5,000 people each year and is a major focus of the organization. In 1996 NCCF began the Children Linking with the Environment Across the Nation – North Carolina (CLEAN-NC) program with the help of a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and Toyota Motor Corporation. CLEAN-NC provides the students and teachers of North Carolina with canoeing field trips, teacher workshops, a student newsletter, action projects and now a supplemental classroom curriculum. The mission of NCCF’s education program is to provide educational experiences and resources that will produce an understanding and appreciation of North Carolina’s coastal areas, motivating participants to make informed decisions and become active stewards. This mission is based on the NCCF’s education program’s commitment to offer educational experiences and resources that are accurate, non-biased, and non-advocacy orientated. Our goal is to create informed decision-makers instilled with a sense of responsibility, ownership, and stewardship toward North Carolina’s estuaries, their tributaries, and all of their inhabitants. If you have any questions or comments please contact NCCF at: 3609 Hwy 24 (Ocean) Newport, NC 28570 Tel: 252-393-8185 or 800-232-6210 Fax: 252-393-7508 Email: [email protected] Website: www.nccoast.org Coastal Connections Introduction 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE CURRICULUM ORGANIZATION OF THE MATERIALS From the streams of North Carolina’s PATHWAYS Piedmont to the coastal communities lining The curriculum is divided into four sections: our estuaries, people in coastal watersheds Streams to Sounds; The Estuary and You; are linked to the land and water through Watershed Worries;and Rising to the their livelihoods, recreational hobbies, and Challenge. well being. From cities like Greensboro to The module is designed ideally for Morehead City the land and our activities on students and teachers to choose a learning it affect the water as it flows from the land pathway of activities that will guide them into ditches and creeks, to fast flowing then through each section and conclude with an action or restoration project from Rising to wide tidal rivers, into the sounds and out to the Challenge the ocean. NCCF’s curriculum, Coastal . This pathway strives to have Connections students:àà make connections gain , allows students to explore how àà these links connect them to the water quality awareness weigh choices and develop and health of their local environment and the solutions. By carefully choosing the activities coast through local and regional and placing them in a series, supplemented environmental issues. with outdoor experiences or another curriculum, the teacher can create a powerful Activities in this supplemental curriculum pathway of learning. guide students as they discover their local Coastal Connections environment, investigate the characteristics is designed to allow the and connections of the different aspects of teacher to pick and choose how many and their environment, discuss case studies of which activities from each section will best habitat, water quality and fishery issues, and be suited to complement their course of become involved with exciting restoration study. Refer to the sample pathways, efforts through meaningful action projects. following this section to begin creating a By developing a sense of ownership of – and pathway for your students. subsequent responsibility for – their local ACTIVITIES land and waterways, students take a big step in helping to improve the quality of the entire Each activity in the curriculum contains the coastal watershed. following structural similarities: Coastal Connections curriculum materials n TEACHER’S PAGES are best used as a preparation or follow-up to a field-based experience, but also work quite This first section of each activity contains well alone. It is written especially for North everything that you as the teacher may need Carolina middle school students, but it is to know about the activity preparation and easily adaptable for younger and older procedure before doing it in the classroom. students. The activities are flexible enough to These pages include: be used with existing courses of study, or in Overview: Briefly summarizes the conjunction with other environmental focus and goals of the activity. curricula. Estimated Time: Coastal Connections Time necessary to consists of teacher complete the activity. Please note that training, curriculum materials, and action these times are based on one teacher and restoration projects. Through one or two completing one whole activity with a day workshops, teachers receive hands-on single group of students. Most training in the concept, activities and activities are in several parts and often projects contained in the module. Teachers one or more parts can be omitted to leave the training with curriculum materials, reduce time commitments. It is also resources, and an individualized plan for how possible in many cases for one activity to implement the curriculum at their school. to be divided among a team of teachers, each of whom take responsibility for covering relevant Coastal Connections 2 Introduction parts of the activity in his or her class. n STUDENT PAGES Objectives: The academic objectives These pages are designed to be reproduced that the activity is designed to and used independently by individual or accomplish. The objectives sections groups of students. Readings, graphic describe the skills and knowledge that organizers, and answer spaces are included. students can be expected to have after Simply make copies of these sheets and hand completing the activity. them out. Teachers may reproduce any part Materials: of the student pages for use in their This list includes the classroom without seeking permission. required and optional materials Activities that contain numerous parts are needed to implement the activity broken up so that you can choose to pass out successfully. Many of these materials and/or collect separate sections without are distributed through training and reformatting the pages. All Student Pages most others – such as milk cartons or include: plastic containers – are easily accessible. Introduction: Background information Vocabulary: that students need to complete the Words found in each activity, and a brief description of the activity that may be unfamiliar to your activity’s content. The student students. You may decide to add more Introduction should be read by all vocabulary terms to these suggested students before beginning an activity. lists. Materials: Background: A list of necessary This section will materials. familiarize you with the subject matter to be addressed in the activity. Procedure: The procedure includes Procedure: complete answer sheets with all In addition to the steps necessary instructions. involved in preparing and conducting the activity, this part of the Teacher’s Attachments: Often, student pages Pages includes any special will include graphic organizers, instructions or hints for success that readings, charts, graphs, or diagrams you might find helpful during that students need to complete the implementation. activity. Journal Entry: Suggests writing COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT exercises to be used as a regular part IMPLEMENTATION of your classroom routine, an occasional creative writing prompt, or as a way to integrate social studies, Who should use this curriculum? math, or science concepts into the Although individual teachers have language arts. implemented this curriculum successfully, it Extension Ideas: These ideas are is best suited for an interdisciplinary team of designed to encourage students to teachers. The integrated activities benefit share what they learn in the from the diversity of knowledge and collective classroom with family members and expertise represented by an interdisciplinary other students, and to apply the team. Because each activity contains concepts presented in Coastal elements of several disciplines, a teacher Connections to their own administering this curriculum alone will need neighborhoods, homes, and to teach outside of his or her discipline at backyards. These can also be some point in the curriculum. questions or assignments for the student who wants to find out more. Coastal Connections Introduction 3 What is my role as a teacher? to apply their skills and knowledge to new tasks and topics. The problems of the estuaries and their tributaries cannot