Last night NOAA Planet Stewards from across the country got together to discuss The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness. It was a wonderful eye opening conversation. If you missed it, there's one more chance to join us this year - Monday May 16, 2022 at 8:00 PM ET. We'll be hosting the last book club of this academic year. (Join us to talk about cod - and trade recipes! Seriously.)

Join us on Monday, May 16 at 8:00 PM ET when we'll get together to talk about:

 Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World

                                       by Mark Kurlansky

All are welcome! Discussion questions will be posted prior to the meeting on our Website.

To join the discussion dial 866-662-7513 (toll free) then use the pass code 1170791#. Learn more here and see many of the books from past events.

If you're looking for educational resources or ideas to plug into your academic planning, check out archived issues of The Watch! Our team has reviewed all content for use by formal and informal educators working to increase their own ocean, climate, and environmental awareness as well as their students and audiences.

If you have an item you'd like to share with our education community, email us at: oceanserviceseducation@noaa.gov. Be sure to include:

• Event/Item announcement title
• Date and time if applicable
• One paragraph description
• Clear thumbnail image
• Link for more information

Tsunamis pose a threat to our coastal communities and can have devastating impacts to lives and property. These powerful forces can be caused by earthquakes, landslides, and even volcanic activity - like the January 2022 eruption in the Tonga Islands region. Although they can’t be stopped, detecting and monitoring these waves when they occur can help warn of possible danger. In this podcast, NOAA speaks with Paul Fanelli, Lead Oceanographer for NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services to learn how water-level stations provide critical data to help issue alerts, and about the unique wave caused by the Tonga eruption. Listen to the podcast. Available anytime!

More than ever, conversations are happening about how to increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) in our society. Educators have a special responsibility to consider how lessons and classroom affect their students. Prior to the webinar, registrants will need to read three short articles to help  build understanding of how to support more inclusive environments across intersections of gender, race, and ability. During the webinar, small and large group discussions will allow us to stretch our thinking, learn and reflect with each other, and consider next steps as individuals. Find out more about the webinar, access the pre-event readings, and register here.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology's K–12 Education offers free webinars each month. These events provide background content, highlight new educational resources, and discuss methods for successful implementation of activities. You can access all their archived webinars through K–12 Education Cornell Lab's YouTube channel. You can also receive letters of completion or Continuing Education Units. Find out about and register for all upcoming webinars here.

This course, is is provided by eCornell and intended to engage students of all ages striving to learn how to tackle climate change. The course is designed to 1) help participants assess the causes of climate change and its potential impacts on their organization, occupation, and personal life, 2) improve their ability to talk about climate change and incorporate the language into their daily dialog, culture, and decisions, 3) define and analyze risks and opportunities related to the supply chain, and 4) gain insight, inspiration, and hope from fellow students.

The month-long course is fee-based, however this promo code (CORNELL100) reduces the cost to $149.00. For more information and how to register see Climate Change Leadership.

TERC, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, invite high school teachers to apply for a one-week, all-expenses-paid institute on Climate and Equity Education on the coast of Maine. Teachers will share best practices for learning and teaching; become founders of a national network of colleagues; have conversations with scientists; explore the inequitable impacts of climate change; and earn a $1,000 stipend. Apply here.

Inland Seas Education Association is once again hosting their Great Lakes Watershed Field Course (GLWFC) teacher training. The GLWFC is a 4-day professional development experience for teachers throughout the Great Lakes region. Training includes watershed and environmental concepts, place based education and environmental education pedagogy, and time for curriculum development. Educators will learn how to engage students in local environmental issues, investigate solutions, devise a plan, and take action during this course. There is no cost for this experience, but space is limited to 30 participants.

Join Climate Generation, the NOAA Climate Office, and 14 other amazing climate change education partners virtually at the Summer Institute for Climate Change Education! Gain the skills to bring climate change into your educational setting, whether it be a classroom, nature center, or museum! Learn more and register here.

B'More Climate Literate is a FREE virtual professional development program for middle and high school teachers in Maryland, Delaware and Illinois that focuses on teaching about climate change through science and engineering practices of the Next Generation Science Standards!

iSTAR is an in–person professional development program that focuses on inclusive science teaching and authentic research for high school science teachers in Maryland! Learn new inclusive teaching strategies while engaging in an authentic research experience that studies organismal form, function, and performance using a high–speed camera to analyze movements. You can find more information here. Note - Applicants will need to receive support from their school principals to participate in the course and receive full course benefits.. 

Participants will earn a stipend of $900 and 4 CPD credits through MSDE. Apply now!

Calling all students between the ages of 7-and 19 to create sustainable artwork with the theme of My Place in Climate Change. Artwork should focus on and address the student’s impact in working toward global climate justice.

Students can participate individually or in classes, clubs, or groups of any size.

Submissions may be interactive and multimedia, visual art, poetry, and spoken word.

The artwork will be featured online on Earth Day, April 22, and then displayed at the Earth Day/Global Youth Service Day event held in Cathedral City, CA, on April 30. Learn more here.

The 2022 Ocean Awareness Contest is a platform for young people to learn about environmental issues through art-making and creative communication, and become advocates for positive change. Its theme, THE FUNNY THING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE, challenges students to learn about climate change and its impact on the ocean, and to explore new ways, like humor, satire, or kitsch, to communicate the urgency of the climate crisis. 

Visit the website for full details, and check out Bow Seat’s Resource Studio on methods that break the mold on typical doom and gloom messaging.

Special Awards:

• The We All Rise Prize  View the 2021 Winners.
• The Voice of the Sea Award –  View Voice of the Sea Award Winners.

There will also be an Educator Innovation Awards! If an educator brings the Ocean Awareness Contest into their physical or virtual classroom this year, Bow Seat wants to know about it! Nominate yourself or a colleague for a $750 award. Learn more >

Join educators from across the Mid-Atlantic in a 1-day virtual convening focused on climate change. Like past conferences, this one-day event will bring together examples of education and outreach happening across the Mid-Atlantic region focused on climate change action. Join for an inspiring day of learning and looking to the future as we all share what needs to happen to move the Mid-Atlantic region forward on climate change action.

This virtual and free event will be on Tuesday, July 26, 2022. The exact times will be announced soon but please put a hold on your calendar for 9am to 4pm EST. Space is limited. Reserve your spot by visiting www.maccec.org/registration