Marine Environment Protectors & Community Stewards Program
This program is made possible through funding from the Cargill Cares Foundation. This program serves as enrichment for youth in grades 6-8 in underserved communities in the greater Miami region to educate and activate them to be Marine Environment Protectors. This program supports NAMEPA's mission to Save Our Seas by inspiring this generation to become stewards of the marine environment through hands-on activities.
Educator Toolkit
- Lesson Plans
- Following 5 E's of Inquiry: Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend, Evaluate
- Slides with guided notes
- Assessments & rubrics
- Student certificate template
- Laboratory Equipment List
- Resources List
- Websites, texts, videos
- Other multimedia
- List of contacts for guest speakers
(remote & in-person)
- Field Trip Planning
- Teacher & editable student guides
- Safety protocol
- Professional Learning
- Virtual webinar to learn more about this program
- Network with other educators
Program Goals
- Increase ocean literacy among members of the greater Miami community through hands-on education utilizing the natural environment, scientific instrumentation, and classroom instruction.
- Highlight workforce development by exploring careers in marine conservation and the maritime industry.
- Encourage underrepresented students to be life-long learners and to be proactive in protecting and advocating for the marine environment.
Implementation
This program can be integrated into classroom instruction, offering flexibility for use in after-school programs or during enriching camp experiences.
Scope & Sequence
Students are introduced using an instructional sequence with natural scientific phenomena to engage in science and engineering practices through hands-on lessons.
"Everyone, everywhere is inextricably connected to and utterly dependent upon the existence of the sea."
-Dr. Slyvia Earle
Oceanographer & author of The World is Blue
To this day, the ocean remains a largely uncharted and unexplored frontier. We possess significant knowledge about the vast expanse of outer space but not nearly as much as our ocean. The United Nations has proclaimed a Decade of Ocean Science and Sustainable Development (2021-2030) with the need for transformative ocean science solutions for sustainable development for the ocean we want by 2030. The ocean is home to some of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet, not to mention as the world's largest carbon sink, it acts as a climate regulator. Understanding the ocean's influence on you - and your influence (National Marine Educators Association) on the ocean is a fundamental step towards the development of sustainable science solutions needed to protect the ocean and Save Our Seas.
Lessons Include
Program Contact: Molly Dushay, Education & Outreach Director