School Programs
CBNERR offers field-based programs to provide an introduction to a wide variety of estuarine environments and to provide a meaningful Chesapeake Bay experience. Programs may include wading field trips focused on specific themes such as oyster restoration, shallow water habitats, and fish and shellfish investigations. CBNERR works with schools to leverage the impact of these field trips through the use of classroom programs.
The Reserve's K-12 Estuarine Education Program (KEEP) is committed to increase estuarine and ocean literacy of students and teachers through enhanced knowledge and understanding of essential coastal concepts, data interpretation and strengthening critical thinking, team building and problem solving skills. The Reserve implements KEEP through hands-on, investigative field and laboratory experiences coupled with estuarine science curricula that align with state and national science education standards. Efforts are made to provide students with multiple-exposure opportunities throughout their K-12 education experience and promote a sense of stewardship and individual responsibility. Program offerings focus on the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, and emphasize the interrelationships of coastal habitats and human activities, and the use of technology in earth studies.
Bay Watershed Education and Training (BWET) -
Chesapeake Studies for Gloucester and Mathews County: Linking Field Trips with the Classroom
The objective of the Chesapeake Studies project is to provide every 7th grade student in Gloucester, Mathews, and York Counties with a meaningful Chesapeake Bay experience that is deeply integrated into the classroom. Chesapeake Studies is used to address 7th grade Virginia Life Science SOL’s in an applied context in order to familiarize the students with the estuarine environments that surround them, with marine biology, and with restoration methods. The Chesapeake Bay is the focal point throughout the school year by linking field trips to the classroom with in-class presentations, marine science investigations, and experiments using organisms and data collected in the field. Water quality monitoring is also emphasized in relation to the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve’s (CBNERR) monitoring program. Five middle schools are currently included in this project. Throughout the school year, featured schools receive two classroom lessons given by CBNERR education staff, a field trip to CBNERR educational facilities for each of its students, and classroom aquaria for use in science experiments.
School Field Trip Data Pages:
