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| Faculty from MERSD aboard the Schooner Adele! Read below to learn more about this exciting opportunity! |
Maritime Gloucester Expands Ocean Explorers Program to
All Cape Ann Students
Maritime Gloucester is expanding its core marine science education program, Ocean Explorers, to include the Cape Ann communities of Manchester, Essex and Rockport, as well as Gloucester. More than 1400 third, fourth and fifth grade students will participate in this hands-on and experiential marine science program.
Maritime Gloucester’s Ocean Explorers program is built around a series of six contacts for each of the participating classes. Each class comes to Maritime Gloucester for two field trip days – one in the fall and one in the spring – to participate in marine and physical science activities in classrooms and the laboratory, as well as aboard the Schooner Ardelle. The program also includes four visits to the students' classrooms by Maritime Gloucester educators.
“This proven program has grown and evolved over the years based on the input of students and teachers in the Gloucester schools, as well as feedback from fishermen, scientists, volunteers and members of our extended Maritime Gloucester family,” said Tom Balf, Executive Director of Maritime Gloucester. “We are thrilled to now offer students from all of Cape Ann a program that provides common marine experiences and classroom activities that connect them to their ocean world in a meaningful way.”
The expansion is made available through a 3-year educational grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Additional funding is provided by local organizations, such as the Educational Foundation for Rockport, and regional foundations such as the McCarthy Family and Amelia Peabody Foundations. Maritime Gloucester continues to seek funding to support the initiative.
Scott Morrison, Director of Curriculum and Instructional Technology at Manchester Essex Regional School District, said “we welcome an opportunity to use a schooner, built in Essex by the Burnham Family Boatyard, as a research and educational vehicle and to connect our students to the marine science and maritime heritage assets found at Maritime Gloucester.”
According to Balf, Maritime Gloucester offers a wide variety of educational programs throughout the year in addition to Oceans Explorers. These programs, which last year exceeded 4,500 students, include field trips, weekly and daily programs on topics such as robotics, biomimicry, schooner sailing and marine art, fisheries and seafood related workshops, and boat building. We also offer internships for high school and college students. For a full list of programs visit Maritime Gloucester's web site at www.maritimegloucester.org.
Background on Ocean Explorers and Maritime Gloucester
With respect to field trips at Maritime Gloucester, each class rotates through three one-hour learning units, including life science sessions in our classroom, digital microscope lab, and touch tank aquariums, and physical science sessions in our boat house. Students also sail in Gloucester Harbor aboard our research equipped schooner the Ardelle, which is berthed at our docks, and is designed, built and captained by noted shipwright and Essex resident Harold Burnham. In the winter, Maritime Gloucester educators present four one hour in-class “learning sessions” or “units” for each of the classrooms. The purpose of these lessons is to further develop and reinforce the subjects explored during the site visits. Content is integrated with the 3rd, 4thand 5th grade science content and pacing based on interactions and communications with teachers.
Third grade units focus on science content, how to pose questions for scientific study, field observations and development of science process skills. Fourth grade units focus on the introduction of scientific field methodology and equipment and basic water analysis. Fifth grade units focus on data collection and analysis, habitat monitoring, and human impacts on coast ecosystems.
