Teacher Workshops & Courses
Aboard the Erica Lee and inside our ocean education center, we offer professional development workshops for K-12 and informal educators. Non-educators also welcome!
Instructors include Rob & Kate Yeomans, John Halloran, Garry Dow & Mike Williamson.
BOAT CAMP Inc. is a Mass. Dept. of Education approved pdp provider. Graduate credits are from Salem State College Department of Education.
We can help arrange overnight accommodations for teachers traveling from outside northeastern Mass.
April 9, 10, 11 & 30, 2010
Elementary Education Through Ocean Inquiry
This environmental education course explores inquiry-based methods for classroom teaching inspired by the sea. We will explore the concept of Ocean Literacy and use this ocean-themed approach to develop innovative ways to teach fundamental lessons in math, language arts or sciences connected to the natural resources of the Massachusetts coast.
We will spend our time exploring coastal ecosystems in the field and in the classroom in the context of the seven essential principles of Ocean Literacy. (The term “literacy” here is defined not as in reading and writing, but as a demonstrated ability to read the coastal landscape as influenced by the sea and relate it to one’s core teaching area.) A decade ago, hundreds of scientists and educators from around the US participated in the public review of the then-draft Ocean Literacy Principles. These Principles have had a considerable effect on ocean sciences education and funding for new initiatives and curricula in the US. This is an important an innovative way to teach all subject areas. Includes online component.
Class meets Friday 4/10 and 4/30, 4 to 7:30 p.m.; Sat. & Sun 4/11 & 4/12, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
$475 (37.5 pdps) or $675 (3 credits/67.5 pdps) ***THIS COURSE TAKES PLACE ASHORE ONLY.***
April 30, May 1, 8 & 9, 2010
Survey of the Merrimack River Estuary
Welcome spring at the water’s edge! Through field experiences ashore and afloat (as appropriate according to weather conditions), participants in this course will explore the lower portion of the Merrimack River. We will work inside our waterfront classroom, meet at shore sites by the river’s edge, and travel along the calm river waters aboard our 42-foot vessel Erica Lee. Through a variety of environmental education-oriented field experiences (nature journaling, wildlife tracking and map-making), we will get to know the Lower Merrimack River in a more meaningful way. Using scientific sampling equipment and following our own curiosity, we will develop Scientific (biological, physical, and chemical) and Social (historic and modern) profiles of this diverse ecosystem. Teachers will be required to develop inquiry-based, standards-based lessons/unit of study that will engage students and connect them to a notable river in their own backyard. All K-12 educators in all subject areas are welcome. This need not be a science lesson. Includes online component. (Course fee includes boat fee.)
Class meets Friday 4/30, 4 to 7:30 p.m.; Sat. & Sun 5/1, 5/8 & 5/9, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
$695 (37.5 pdps) or $895 (3 credits/67.5 pdps)
June 24 to 26, 2010
Field Marine Study of the Great Marsh
This environmental education course explores the interplay of human and natural systems that have shaped the 5,000-square-mile Merrimack River watershed, influenced local and national history, and changed from an economy of extraction of natural resources to a preservation of those resources. Teachers will be required to develop a standards based lesson/unit of study that will engage students and help them develop a sense of stewardship for their community’s watershed. During this three-day summer intensive course we will examine the concept of a watershed and consider how you might integrate an aspect of your community’s watershed into your own curriculum. Equipped with the knowledge acquired through experiences in our dockside classroom, in the field and online, you will discover how to connect your curriculum to your local watershed.
This two-credit grad course will be led by John Halloran and may be taken in advance of the FMS Coastal Ecosystems course below. Class meets from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m..
$425 (37.5 pdps) or $575 (2 credits/67.5 pdps)
Summer 2011
Field Marine Study of Coastal Ecosystems
Summer fun by the sea isn’t just for kids! Through field experiences ashore and afloat (as appropriate according to weather conditions), participants in this course will explore the lower portion of the Merrimack River, coastal Plum Island and Ipswich Bay, the Isles of Shoals and the near-shore waters of the Gulf of Maine. Particular emphasis will be paid to the rocky intertidal zone, coastal ecosystems along barrier and rocky islands, traditional New England fisheries, and marine mammals. We’ll explore the principles of Ocean Literacy and learn how to apply them to existing curriculum. Through a variety of environmental education-oriented field experiences (nature journaling, photography and developing a sense of place), we will get to know our coastline in a more meaningful way. Using scientific sampling equipment and following our own curiosity, we will develop Scientific (biological, physical, and chemical) and Social (historic and current) profiles of these rich ecosystems. Through an inquiry-based project, teachers will be required to develop standards based lessons/unit of study that will engage students and connect them to life found in and along Massachusetts’ coastal waters. All K-12 educators in all subject areas are welcome. This need not be a science lesson. Includes online component. (Course fee includes boat fee.) Class meets 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
$775 (37.5 pdps) or $975 (3 credits/67.5 pdps from Salem State College Dept. of Education)
Read Summer 2009’s Field Marine Study of Coastal Ecosystems student’s blogs here:
October1,2,3, 15 & 16, 2010
Seawater!
From aboard the Erica Lee, teachers will conduct scientific experiments to analyze the water quality of the Lower Merrimack River and explore the properties of ocean water along the coast. Particular emphasis will be placed on the effects water quality has had on the inhabitants of the river; from striped bass and steamer clams to Coast Guard rescue at the mouth. This course incorporates and reflects upon data from Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory scientists who are also studying the Merrimack River estuary.
$625 (37.5 pdps) or $825 (3 credits/67.5 pdps)
