EaSiE Teacher Benefits

Earth as a System is Essential: Seasons and the Seas (EaSiE)

Selected Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire middle school teachers will become Teacher Resource Agents. They will have the opportunity to:

Work with NOAA partners and attend field trips during Summer Institutes (2008 and 2009), follow-up workshops and online forums.

Gain further understanding of Earth as a System.

Learn instructional strategies that support improved student learning in science, particularly Earth system science.

Provide input and pilot two-week curriculum units developed with NOAA and MMSA staff (one during Year 1, another during Year 2); integrate new resources into instruction to support the transformation of student thinking about Earth as a system.

Support learning goals from state science frameworks.

Expectations

Selected Teacher Resource Agents will participate in the following professional development and project activities:

July 21-25, 2008: Year One Summer Institute (University of New Hampshire, Durham; travel, meal and lodging expenses paid and $500 stipend earned).

Purpose: Gain further understanding of Earth as a system and how parts of the Gulf of Maine system interact; learn instructional strategies that support improved student learning in science; assist MMSA staff and NOAA partners as we begin to develop the first two-week “Earth as a System: Seasons and the Seas” curriculum unit (Topic - Weather and seasons: building a bridge between land and sea).

October 2008: Fall Follow-up Workshop (1 ½ days, date and location TBD; expenses paid).
Purpose: Refine curriculum materials, identify support materials needed.

Fall through Spring 2008-09: NOAA partners and the MMSA will further refine the first “Earth as a System: Seasons and the Seas” unit and develop podcasts and webconference learning options that can be accessed through the EaSiE website. Teachers will provide input on the development of units, podcasts, etc. through an online discussion board and pilot test the two-week instructional unit in their classroom.

July 2009: Year Two Summer Institute (location TBD; travel, meal and lodging expenses paid and $500 stipend earned).
Purpose: As Year One Summer Institute; begin to develop the second two-week curriculum unit (Proposed topic - Seasons and the seas: climate change).

October 2009: Fall Follow-up Workshop (1 day, date and location TBD, expenses paid.)
Purpose: as Year One Fall Workshop, refining curriculum materials and identifying support materials needed.

Fall through Spring 2009-10: Unit development, feedback, and pilot testing of second two-week unit (as Fall through Spring 2008-09).

Spring 2010: Conference (1 day, date and location TBD, expenses paid).
Purpose: Share successful experiences and practices, work with MMSA staff and NOAA partners to consider next steps. In addition, during the Spring of 2010, teachers, MMSA staff and NOAA partners will share the curriculum units with colleagues in their own states and across the country through the project web site and marine & state science teachers associations.