VIMS Teachers on the Estuary: A Field Course on Virginia's Coastal Ecosystems

June 24-27, 2019
VIMS Eastern Shore Lab
Wachapreague, VA

Audience |

Requirements |

Logistics |

Sample Agenda |

Application

VIMS Educators have been leading classroom science teachers in explorations of the diverse habitats of Virginia's Eastern Shore and its barrier islands since 2001. The home base for these learning adventures is the VIMS Eastern Shore Lab, an active coastal research facility in Wachapreague, VA. This year educators from VIMS/Virginia Sea Grant Extension Program and the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (CBNERR) team up to once again offer science teachers a field-intensive survey of Mid-Atlantic coastal ecosystems with a focus on Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs).

The objectives of the VIMS Coastal Ecosystems Field Course are to:

• enrich teachers' understanding of coastal and estuarine science content;
• enhance teachers' skills and confidence in planning and conducting MWEEs;
• prepare teachers to successfully integrate coastal and estuarine content into their existing curricula;
• introduce teachers to research-based and multidisciplinary lessons and experiences as tools for teaching science; and,
• promote discussion and development of additional classroom and field applications of research-based lessons.

Participants receive: Virginia SOL-relevant content in marine biology, chemistry, physics, earth and ocean sciences, and technology; teaching resources for the classroom and field; and a meaningful outdoor educational experience that both models a MWEE and generates data they will be able to use in the classroom. Using high-tech and low-tech methods, teachers will sample the ecosystems with various types of oceanographic equipment, including:

• Otter trawl
• YSI salinity/DO/temp probe
• Refractometer & hydrometer
• Secchi disk
• Van Dorn bottle
• Transect lines
• Chemical test kits

Participants investigate habitats on both ocean and bay sides of the Eastern Shore, including:

• Tidal creek
• Mud flat
• Barrier island
• Sea grass bed

Field site maps:
Sea-side
Bay-side

Participants are also able to explore the coastal community of Wachapreague, the Little City by the Sea, which includes a successful working waterfront.

Teacher Resources
The classroom and lab portions include content supporting Virginia Standards of Learning and integrating existing environmental education curricula and online resources. Participants receive teaching materials, laboratory and field activity outlines transferable to their own students and individual regions of Virginia. Examples of the references and curricula provided are: Life in the Chesapeake Bay; Estuaries 101; WILD Science & Civics; Healthy Waters/Healthy People and research-based activities authored by VIMS scientists and tested in VIMS partner classrooms. Teachers also receive guidance and VRUEC resources to build teacher confidence and competence in planning and conducting Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences.

Target Audience
This course is designed for educators who:

• Teach middle and/or high school science
• Enjoy, or are willing to endure, early mornings and long hours in the field under the typical summer weather and insect conditions of coastal Virginia
• Will maintain communications throughout the school year for the purposes of collegial sharing and course evaluation
• Have a basic understanding of coastal biology and ecology
• Are comfortable using basic computer and Internet-based applications and communications (e.g. Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer/Firefox, email)

Participant Requirements
Participants will be expected to:

• Fully participate in the 4 day/3 night residential program

• With their students in the appropriate classes, conduct and assess two lessons or activities using content and resources from the workshop during the 2019-20 school year
• Complete follow-up questionnaires regarding their implementation of content and activities from the workshop (we anticipate no more than two online surveys during the 2019-20 school year)
• Provide feedback on the implementation of lesson plans

Agenda
This sample agenda (pdf) is meant to provide a basic outline for the course. It is subject to change.

Lodging
Lodging is included at the Eastern Shore Lab's dormitory. It is a large older house that has been renovated for group living. The second story consists of two large bunkrooms, each with its own bathroom. Additional bunkrooms and bathroom facilities (including handicapped accessible facility) are available on the first floor. The dorm also includes a large kitchen and dining area, small den with satellite tv and a picnic area with gas grills.

Hotel accommodations are also available, at the participant's expense, approximately 20 minutes from the Lab.

Tuition
There is no cost for this program thanks to support from the Chesapeake Resoration Fund. You can support this and other Chesapeake Bay education, conservation and restoration projects by purchasing a "Friend of the Chesapeake" license plate from the Virginia DMV.

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Publications 
Clark, V., C. Hopper Brill, and C. Petrone. 2008. Two Boats, Three Summers, Five Universities, One Dozen Instructors, and Sixty-Five Teachers: A Collaborative Oceanography Field Program for Earth Science. The Journal Of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations. Vol 10: 43-53.

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Course Application 

APPLY NOW

Applications are due by March 15, 2019. Selected participants will be notified by March 30, 2019.

If you have questions not answered by this page, please contact Carol Hopper Brill or Lisa Ayers Lawrence at VIMS Marine Advisory Services or Sarah Nuss at the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (CBNERR).