Join us at our next Book Club meeting on  

 Monday, March 15th at 8:00 pm ET

to discuss:

The Sea Around Us

by Rachel Carson

Published in 1951, The Sea Around Us is one of the most remarkably successful books ever written about the natural world. Quite simply, she captures the mystery and allure of the ocean with a compelling blend of imagination and expertise. 

Find all upcoming Planet Stewards books and upcoming book club meetings here.

The discussion is open to all. To join us, dial 866-662-7513 (toll free!) .

Then, use the pass code: 1170791#

Share this invitation with all interested colleagues and networks.

Long-time NOAA Planet Steward Kottie Christie-Blick was a long time 5th-grade teacher in New York. During those years, she obtained real-world experience in teaching elementary students about climate change, and teach climate change she did! Today Kottie serves as an Instructor at the University of San Diego and a Climate Education Consultant who helps educators design lesson plans on climate change and sustainability.

She was recently interviewed about the pedagogy of teaching climate change to elementary students on The Sweaty Penguin podcast, Episode 35 – Antarctica's hottest podcast! Tune in to the podcast then be sure to check out Kottie's website, Kids Against Climate Change.

Typically, the U.S. has about four hurricanes or tropical storms make landfall every year. In 2020, we had twelve! It was an unfathomable year in the Atlantic. In total thirty named hurricanes and tropical storms formed in 2020. All of this happened during the second hottest year on record. And educators, this video supports the Next Generation Science Standards. Watch it here.

Black History Month is observed every February to recognize the history and achievements of African Americans and their central role in our nation’s history. As we celebrate this year, NOAA would like to highlight the extraordinary research and important contributions of some of our African Americans employees. 

In addition, NOAA would like to recognize Vince Leggett - the founder and president of the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation (BOCF), whose work brings to light the maritime history of African Americans in the Chesapeake Bay. Here he tells of African American ties to history, culture, and waterways of the Chesapeake Bay Region.

Feb. 23, 3 pm EST: Understanding the Interconnectedness of Climate Change, Salt Marsh Resilience, and Nuisance Mosquitos

March 3, 3 pm EST: The Biden-Harris Transition and the Year of the NOAA Workforce

March 4, 12 pm EST: Four Steps for the Earth: mainstreaming the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

March 9, 2 pm EST: Ten Ocean Prophecies

Friday, Feb. 26: Introduction to the Humpback Whale

Friday, March 5: Humpback Whale Behaviors  (feeding, pooping, and more!)

Friday, March 12 Meet Big Mama: A very special whale!

Friday, March 19: Studying Sound and Whale Vocalizations

Click on the event and date to register for the webinars above. All showings will occur at 1 pm EST..

This 11-part lecture series covers a broad range of botanical disciplines. Delve into the historical legacy of formally trained and self-taught Black Botanists who inspired others to pursue a career in plants, and highlight pathways toward diversity and inclusion in botanical sciences. With this series, the organizers and contributors seek to shine a light on the Black roots within botany, foster a community of Black Botanists, show that diversity is found within this community, and inspire others who may not have considered Botany as a career choice. 

The talks will take place on Zoom with a livestream to YouTube. The talks are free to view, but guests must register in order to view the live talks. 

Short lesson plans based on each talk, are provided for use by teachers and parents. The videos, along with the educational materials, will be made permanently available on YouTube for public viewing after the live event has ended. The YouTube video description will contain a link to a Holden webpage describing and hosting the Educational Materials. These materials will be aimed at grades 7-12, focusing on the comprehension and connection to the biological concepts and lived experiences of the speakers as presented in the talks.  View the series and educational resources here.

The future for the global ocean must be one that is radically inclusive of all who seek to drive positive change to preserve it. Seaworthy Collective embraces this in its ANCHORED values. Join a panel of leaders creating a more diverse, equitable, and accessible ocean & climate science landscape. Access the registration plan here and learn more!

February 23, 2020 – 3:30 to 4:45pm EST: Delaware Sea Grant will host a 75- Minute Science Teacher Webinar on marine invasive species. Click the event link for details.

February 24, 7:30 pm EST: Seaside Chats from the Gulf of Mexico  Remarkable Algae in NOAA's Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Click the event link to learn more and register.

March 4, 12pm EST: EPA Environmental Justice and Systemic Racism Speaker Series: The Mapping Inequality Project. Click on the link to learn more.

March 9, 6:30 PM EST: 2021 Sea Secrets Lecture - "Climate Change 2021: Managing Floods, Heat, and Fires to Keep People and Nature Safe" Click the event link for details.

March 11, 4 pm EST: Inspiring ALL Geoscience Learners Nationwide with PBS – free, ready-to-use resources and services to inspire earth/geoscience students grounded in the science inquiry process, NGSS Science and Engineering Practices, Cross Cutting Concepts, and locally-relevant and authentic phenomena.

"Meltdown" is different than prior documentaries about climate change. It’s not a scientific documentary. It is an intimate exploration of art and science, beauty and tragedy, the personal and the global, set amidst the massive and spectacularly beautiful icebergs breaking off of Greenland at an accelerating rate.
The film is now available on most streaming services, including Amazon, Apple iTunes, Vudu, Xfinity, and other cable networks nationwide. The trailer is available on YouTube here.

Hey teachers! You’ve faced tremendous challenges due to the pandemic, now it’s time for you to have a terrific experience learning more about Weather and Physical Oceanography! Do you need new ideas for using data and hands on experiments in your classroom?

The American Meteorological Society 2021 summer courses, Project Ocean and Project Atmosphere, are accepting applications through 24 March. These competitive professional development courses are open to K-12 teachers and include online and in-person components and field experiences. All travel expenses are covered and participants receive stipends and earn graduate credit upon successful completion of the courses. Don’t miss this chance to learn from the experts, connect with other outstanding teachers, and have the earth science experience of a lifetime!  Find more information here.

This initiative provides an opportunity for fourth and fifth graders nationwide to experience federal parks, forests, and recreation areas in person throughout the school year. Families will have access to their own Every Kid Outdoors pass to provide free access to national parks as well. Good until the end of August 2021 

Print out a paper voucher from the Every Kid Outdoors website. Teachers or adults who engage fourth and fifth graders through a youth-serving organization can print paper passes and find activities and lesson plans here.

The Ocean Awareness Contest is a free, online platform for young people around the world to learn about environmental issues through art-making and creative communication, and become advocates for positive change. This year's theme is "water rising." 

The We All Rise Prize is a new award offered by Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs' Ocean Awareness Contests. A total of 20 awards and equaling $15,000—will be offered to students in the U.S. who identify as Black, Indigenous, or Latina/o/e, and whose entries demonstrate notable artistic achievement

Searching for Sunken Slave Ships

Thursday, Feb. 25 at 10 am ET or 2 pm ET for grades 3rd-8th

 Meet Explorer Tara Roberts, an underwater archaeologist and storyteller on a mission to find, document, and share the stories of the wrecked ships that transported captive Africans across the Atlantic Ocean for the slave trade. Find out more details here for the 10 am showing or  here for the 2 pm showing.

Meet the Youngest National Geographic Explorers

The Recycle Regatta is a fun, hands-on competition that students can participate in from the safety of their own home! Students will build small-scale, unmanned, model sailboats, test them, and calculate their speed. Challenge other students from around the world as you do your part for the environment by repurposing and recycling. Prizes will be awarded to the winners! This event is sponsored by New England Science & Sailing (NESS), Educational Passages, and the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA).

Entry into the 2021 Recycle Regatta is free for students. Submissions will be accepted from March 1-March 31, but building begins now! Winners will be announced mid-April. For rules, building requirements, examples of past submissions, free educational videos, and entry form visit: https://educationalpassages.org/recycle-regatta/. 

BGDF’s mission objectives address three critical issues: (1) the racial and socioeconomic achievement gap that undermines our ideals of freedom, equality and opportunity; (2) limited or restricted sense of youth agency and voice; and (3) cultivating the next generation of scientists, conservationists and planetary stewards. Access the site here.

Black History Month presents an opportunity for communities to honor and reflect upon achievements made by African-Americans throughout U.S. history. In recognition of this important month, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego is celebrating the incredible contributions of our Black faculty, staff, and students. Find the feature here.

Relevant due to current events in Texas, this new interactive lesson from the UNC Institute for the Environment has students explore how extreme weather events impact the electrical grid and identify energy sources, technologies and innovations that promote grid resilience in response to extreme weather events (including extreme cold, ice, and rising seas). This lesson can be supplemented with news articles about power outages during extreme weather events. Access the lesson here.

EarthX's virtual field trips are:

5-10-minute videos leading students to contemplate possible environmental solutions

Designed as extensions to their free K-12 Environmental STEAM Curriculum

Curated from many EarthX partners

New additions to library added monthly January-April, 2021

Check out the virtual field trips here.

Check out NSTA’s newest resources for K-12 educators—NSTA Daily Do Playlists! NSTA Daily Do Playlists are suggested instructional sequences of NSTA lessons that can be used to help students coherently build science ideas over time.

The coming year's Earth Science Week to be held October 10-16, 2021. It will emphasize the importance of learning how to understand, conserve, and protect water, Earth's most vital resource. Earth Science Week offers opportunities to discover the Earth sciences and engage in responsible stewardship of the Earth. Learn more and get involved at Earth Science Week 2021.

Engage elementary and middle level students, classrooms, and schools in actions to care for the planet with activities from Canada’s Earth Rangers School Clubs. School Club missions address environmental issues that were adapted as distance-learning “eco-activities” for students to complete at home with family or locally while social distancing during the pandemic. While teachers can immediately access the collection of eco-activities, free registration is required. Register here.

iPlan is an online environmental modeling simulation where players construct, investigate, and solve simulated urban and regional planning problems. Developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin Center for Education Research, the interdisciplinary simulation/game challenges students to create a climate adaptation plan for a chosen region of the United States that pleases as many stakeholders as possible while meeting the community’s overall goals. The game works on laptops, smartphones, and tablets and has applications in environmental studies, biology, chemistry, geography, civics, and language arts. Play it Now!

These three resources on climate change are good to put in an educator's tool chest for learners of various ages:

Climate Central, is an independent climate change think tank of scientists and communication experts that  research and report credible and well researched data. They recently published a media library that puts  climate change information at your fingertips. Find it here.

Educators seeking a clear short primer on climate change will appreciate Jeff Bennett's Global Warming Primer for middle school and older students and adults. This primer helps to understand and make sense of the truth behind the headlines. The Primer is available here.

Young Voices for the Planet (YVFP) aims to limit and mitigate the magnitude and impacts of climate change by empowering youth, through uplifting and inspiring success stories, Their award-winning documentary films feature diverse young role models on the front lines of climate change, with accompanying curriculum. Access the films from their website here.

EPA's environmental justice screening and mapping tool. EJSCREEN uses high resolution maps and a methodology for combining datasets to identify environmental burdens on vulnerable populations.

A new feature is the addition of climate change indicators. Users can now add flood and sea level rise data for the first time. EPA will continue to expand the climate change indicators in upcoming updates. EPA’s Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) data is also now an available map layer.  Visit the EJSCREEN website for more information.

In this time of disinformation, the truth of our personal stories matter—at the virtual Talk Climate Institute you will develop your own climate story. This innovative program incorporates a whole-person approach through poetry, storytelling, music, art, and science. Together, participants will learn and experience why connecting the head and the heart on climate change is essential to sparking and sustaining action. Registration fee is $200. Apply for a scholarship! 

 Register here.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting economic crisis, national protests about racial injustice, and after the Fall 2020 election, Americans’ climate change beliefs and attitudes have remained steady at near all-time highs. The report includes many more important results, including Americans’ risk perceptions, personal and social engagement with global warming, emotional responses, and beliefs about how global warming is affecting the weather. Access the report here.