Earth as a System is Essential: Seasons and the Seas (EaSiE)
EaSiE is a three-year project funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Environmental Literacy Program for K-12 Education.
The overarching goal of EaSiE is to transform the traditional middle school study of seasons and weather into an exploration of the dynamic interactions between Earth’s land, oceans, atmosphere and living world.
Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire middle school teachers will work with NOAA scientists and the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance to develop a relevant, unifying systems theme that bridges the gap between existing materials and concepts related to seasonal and climatic changes in the Gulf of Maine. Through workshops, field trips and online discussion, teachers will gain further understanding of Earth as a system, learn instructional strategies that support student learning, and help to develop and pilot two units that integrate NOAA resources into instruction to support student thinking about Earth system science.
See Teacher Benefits and Expectations for a description of the professional development opportunities and project commitments.