Educator Resource Database

Developed by partners in the Alaska CoastWatch for Action Project

Marine and coastal K-12 educators collaborated to create this database. It is designed to help teachers and informal community educators engage youth in community resiliency, climate change adaptation, and mitigation of coastal hazards.

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  • Next Generation Science Standards—NGSS alignments are available for most lesson plans and activities
  • Grade level
  • Topic—coastal hazard types and other topics
  • Resource type—lesson plan, citizen science data collection protocol/data sheet, poster

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Partners and funding

Bigelow Laboratory: Building a Bloom

In this lab activity from Bigelow Laboratory, students manipulate light and nutrient amounts to analyze the impact on phytoplankton growth.

Link: Visit website

NGSS PE(s):
Grade Band(s): HS, MS
Topic(s): HABs
Lesson Type(s): Lab

Bigelow Laboratory: Building a Bloom

In this lab activity from Bigelow Laboratory, students manipulate light and nutrient amounts to analyze the impact on phytoplankton growth.

Link: Visit website

NGSS PE(s): MS-LS2-4
Grade Band(s): HS, MS
Topic(s): Climate Change
Lesson Type(s): Lab

Bigelow Laboratory: Fitting Plankton Into the Food Web

In this lesson from Bigelow Laboratory, students learn about the basics of food webs and trophic levels. Then they compare more familiar terrestrial food webs with marine food webs, using cards with information about various marine organisms to create their own model of a food web.

Link: Visit website

NGSS PE(s): 5-LS2-1, MS-LS2-2
Grade Band(s): 3-5, HS, MS
Topic(s): HABs
Lesson Type(s): Activity

Bigelow Laboratory: Help, It’s An HAB

Students research different responses to Harmful Algal Blooms, presenting the benefits and drawbacks of solutions designed to detect, prevent, or remediate HABs.

Link: Visit website

NGSS PE(s): Foundational
Grade Band(s): MS
Topic(s): Adaptations to Increase Food Security, Coastal Hazards, HABs
Lesson Type(s): Activity

Bigelow Laboratory: Tracing the Toxins

The ways that toxins move through the food web are demonstrated through an active game, followed by critical reading of research on the impacts HAB toxins may have on other animals.

Link: Visit website

NGSS PE(s): Foundational
Grade Band(s): MS
Topic(s): HABs
Lesson Type(s): Activity

CACS: Bioaccumulation Tag

Lesson plan for a fun, high-energy activity that demonstrates how toxins or plastic particles from marine debris can bioaccumulate through the food web.

NGSS PE(s): 5-LS2-1
Grade Band(s): 3-5, K-2, MS
Topic(s): Food Security, Marine Debris, Marine Fishes, Marine Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Marine Shipping, Oil Spills, Seabirds
Lesson Type(s): Activity
Download

Changing Landscapes, REACH Up curriculum for Bering Straits School District

This online curriculum includes middle school and high school coastal erosion units with student and teacher guides as well as units at lower grades to build understandings about how the Earth and landforms change as a result of the action of wind and water. Learning local indigenous and scientific vocabulary words and inclusion of traditional knowledge and long-term observations of change is emphasized. Middle school and high school lesson plans guide students through calculating shoreline erosion rates using aerial imagery and Landsat remote sensing images on GoogleEarth. These lesson plans could be adapted to be relevant to other regions. Aligned with Alaska state science standards (GLEs) and cultural standards.

Link: Visit website

NGSS PE(s): 2-ESS1-1, 4-ESS2-1, MS-ESS2-2, MS-ESS3-2, MS-ESS3-3
Grade Band(s): 3-5, HS, K-2, MS
Topic(s): Coastal Erosion
Lesson Type(s): Activity, Images & Visualizations

Climate Change and Alaska Fisheries

2016 summary of research about the anticipated impacts of changing weather patterns and ocean conditions on Alaska salmon and marine fisheries, including “take home” messages and recommendations about what fisheries managers, individuals, and communities can do to adapt.

NGSS PE(s):
Grade Band(s): HS
Topic(s): Climate Change, Marine Fishes, Salmon
Lesson Type(s): Article, Teacher Background
Download

Climate Change and Subsistence: What It Means and How Alaskans Can Adapt

Factsheet on the potential effects of a warmer global climate in terms of observable changes such as less ice cover, more wildfires, and thawiing permafrost. Subsistence target species are harder to find, and it is more difficult to travel in some parts of Alaska. Adaptation strategies are alsos discussed. Free download from the Alaska Sea Grant Bookstore.

Link: Visit website

NGSS PE(s):
Grade Band(s): HS
Topic(s): Climate Change, Food Security
Lesson Type(s): Article, Teacher Background
Download

Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST)

Rigorous citizen science project that trains coastal residents in their communities to conduct monthly beach surveys to collect data on beachcast birds, marine debris, and evidence of human use of the beach environment. The data is used by scientists to understand seabird population dyamics and large die-off events. Recommended at the high school level in partnership with local bird experts.

Link: Visit website

NGSS PE(s): MS-ESS3-3
Grade Band(s): HS
Topic(s): HABs, Making Observations, Oil Spills, Pollution, Seabirds
Lesson Type(s): Activity, Citizen Science, Data Set