The Watch. News You Can Use From NOAA Planet Stewards - 23 August 2022

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News you can use from NOAA Planet Stewards 

August 23, 2022

 

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Access our archive collections: past webinars, book club selections, and the newsletter!

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Last Chance to Catch Up on Your Summer Reading with NOAA Planet Stewards Selections

The Planet Stewards Book Club is taking the summer off, but we’ll be back to share new ideas and books with you every month starting in the fall. While you’re waiting, have a look at the over 50 fiction, non-fiction, and young adult selections from past book club events – all with discussion questions! Whether you’re looking to catch up on some knowledge, enjoy a quick fun read, or find a book to use with your students, there’s something for everyone here.  

books

September 30 - October 2: Preparing for Climate Change Impacts with Stewardship

NOAA 3some

NOAA Planet Stewards, Elkhorn Slough and South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERRS) are hosting a simultaneous three-day workshop for educators who work with middle or high school level students.

To register at the physical location you will be attending the workshop and receive more detailed information, visit these links:

Reserve your place today! Spaces are limited!


October 7- 9: Climate Justice - Exploring the Science of Climate Change in Your Classroom

Climate Justice workshop

NOAA Planet Stewards and the Detroit Zoological Society are hosting a three-day workshop for educators Climate Justice: Exploring the Science of Climate Change in Your Classroom. The goals of this workshop are for educators to explore how global climate change is affecting the metro Detroit region, and how they can engage their students in taking action to address this global phenomena. There are a limited number of spaces available. Register for the workshop.


NOAA Education Needs Your Help!

NOAA Education wants to know about the types of multimedia and distance-learning tools educators want to use with their students and for their own professional development. Help NOAA Education! Take this very short survey (< 3 minutes!) and let NOAA know how it can help you!


The Watch

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
noaa in focus
data

NOAA's Data in the Classroom has just launched its redesigned website. The new site offers a more streamlined design and navigation, new resources, and a more user-friendly experience for educators looking for interactive data tools and resources. Notable changes include updated, digital worksheets and answer keys to support each of the interactive module activities and a 'New and Featured' section with the latest science news related to core content such as el niño, coral bleaching and more. Visit the website and explore these new features.


Dive In With NOAA Fisheries Podcast:

Slowing Down to Save North Atlantic Right Whales

whale

On this episode of Dive in With NOAA Fisheries, we talk with Dr. Caroline Good, a large whale ecologist and the lead on right whale vessel strike related issues. We discuss a newly proposed rule that aims to reduce vessel strikes and add protections to endangered North Atlantic right whales. Listen to the podcast.

In this image, Right whale #3853 is swimming north offshore of South Carolina on Jan. 20, 2011 with a series of fresh propeller wounds running across its back.  It is unknown whether the whale survived its wounds or not.
Credit: EcoHealth Alliance (NOAA permit #594-1759).


Inaugural NOAA Summer Film Festival!

film

The NOAA Summer Film Festival is a virtual journey that explores how NOAA’s mission is carried out across the United States and its Territories. Short films provide a snapshot of NOAA’s work throughout the Nation, showing how NOAA data, products, and services are tailored to diverse regional needs.

Starting on August 3, a video was released each Wednesday and will continue through the end of September on the NOAA Regional Collaboration Network webpage. The remaining lineup includes:

 

  • NOAA North Atlantic Region - August 24
  • NOAA West Region - August 31
  • NOAA Pacific Islands Region - September 7
  • NOAA Southeast and Caribbean Region - September 14 
  • NOAA Alaska Region - September 21
noaa webinars
webinar series

 

NOAA Science Seminar Series

Something for Everyone!

 

7 September 2022 | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET

Transforming underwater sampling and manipulation with soft robotics

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 13 September 2022 | 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm ET

Community Climate Studies - Observing, Modeling, and Mitigating Urban Heat
for Equitable Resilience

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15 September 2022 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET

Protecting “Pristine” Places from Pollution: Applying New Water Quality Assessment Techniques in the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa

Educator opportunities
fires

Climate Conversations: Wildfire

Thursday, August 25, 2022 |  3:00 - 4:00 pm ET

Climate change is increasing the frequency, severity, and extent of area burned by wildfires, putting more people at risk of exposure to fire itself and to smoke, which can travel thousands of miles and affect the health of millions. Join a conversation about how planners and decision makers are coping with these challenges and working to protect the built environment and human health. The conversation will be webcast on the National Academies Climate Conversations: Wildfire webpage. Closed captioning will be provided. 

Climate Conversations: Pathways to Action is a monthly webinar series from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Learn more about it and register for the webinar.


Online Video:

Climate Justice: For People and the Planet

Throughout August and September 2022, Next on August 24 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm ET

ClimateMOS

NEW! From Boston's The Museum of Science (MOS) and EiE® , register for Climate Justice: For People and the Planet, a live, expert-led webinar where students can explore the needs and hurdles to solving the climate crisis. Panelists will engage with attendees and explore how their unique experiences bring value and strength to the future of climate solutions. Register today!

All-new videos, activities, discussion prompts, and more centered around Climate Change, are now available in individual's Learn.EiE playlist!

If you’re new to the Learn.EiE platform, sign up for free, and get started today.

  1. Go to Learn.EiE.org
  2. Sign up to create a free account or login
  3. Explore free content including videos activities and more!

Podcast for Educators:

Science Connections for and from the Science Classroom

New Episodes Every Wednesday! Sign up!

SciConnections

Welcome to Science Connections The Podcast! Join host Eric Cross as he sits down with educators, scientists, and knowledge experts on ways to best support students in science classrooms. Hear how to inspire kids across the country to love learning science, and how you can bring that magic into your classroom for your students.

Sign up here!


STEM Teacher Videos Needed

Deadline: Wednesday, August 31, 2022

STEM Leaders

The NSF-funded STEM Teacher Leader Network is looking to showcase unique stories that illustrate the deep impact that STEM teacher leaders have had in the classroom and beyond. The STEM Teacher Leader Network welcomes applications about how you or your colleagues have made a difference as STEM teacher leaders and applications that describe how your school, district, or administrators have successfully empowered teacher leaders. Share your idea in this short application. Selected applicants will receive a $200 stipend and coaching to turn their story into a featured 3-min video and then turn it into a short video to be featured in a Video Showcase on STEMtlnet.org November 17-15, 2022.


Public Workshop:

Foundations of data Science for Students in Grades K-12

September 13-14, 2022

data

To bring visibility to the need for data science education at the K-12 level, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will convene a hybrid public workshop to explore the available research on the following board topics:

 

  • Possible goals & outcomes of data science & data fluency
  • Tools and dataset needs to support learners in acquiring competencies in data science and       what the learning experiences should look like
  • Learning with data be meaningfully integrating it into other K-12 subjects
  • Additional research needs

Win free books for your entire school!

Deadline: Thursday, September 15, 2022

books

Read Across America (RAA) is the nation’s largest celebration of reading for students. Now, you have the chance to bring the joy of RAA to an entire school when you enter the 2022 RAA Sweepstakes! This year's RAA calendar was created with this belief in mind: No matter who they are or where they live - kids need to read books that represent them. They deserve access to stories as diverse and complex as the society we live in. Winning the sweepstakes will bring these books into your school, but also open new worlds and experiences to students in every single classroom in the public school of your choice.


Webinar: Phenomena Through the Lens of Agriculture Deep Dive 

September 15, 2022 | 5:00 pm ET

ag

On the Farm STEM is a free program designed to equip educators with lessons, activities, online learning tools, and professional development to teach science through the lens of agriculture. This upcoming webinar will introduce one phenomenon for each grade band (elementary, middle school, and high school) that can drive student sensemaking. Register for the webinar.


course globe

Free Course:

STEM Innovations and Global Competence

Deadline: September 30, 2022

This introductory course, freely available to educators, is an offering of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The course focuses on the intersection of STEM subjects and global competence and includes resources and activities for teachers. Register for the course.


Six New Webinars on Climate Justice Education

climate

The STEM Teaching Tools team at University of Washington Seattle manages the Climate Teacher Education Collaborative, which creates resources builds capacity to teach about community climate justice projects and civic response to the climate crisis in teacher education programs. The Climate Teacher Education Collaborative is hosting monthly webinars for preservice and in-service educators. Watch their six newest videos on YouTube, and register here for their next webinar!


ACESSE Resource F - Seeing Facets, not Misconceptions: How to Build on the Range of Student Thinking in Instruction

To help educators leverage facets of student thinking in instruction and create more equitable opportunities for sense-making, STEM Teaching Tools has created an open educational resource. Resource F ⁠— Seeing Facets, not Misconceptions introduces the facet-based approach, then engages participants in identifying facets in a batch of real student work and developing assessment rubrics.

facets

earth scientist

The Earth Scientist from the National Earth Science Teachers Association

The latest issue of the Earth Scientist is out just in time for the start of the school year. Check out ideas for your classroom about connecting indigenous stories and oral histories with current tsunami science, using drones to engage students in modern Earth science topographic maps and profiles, and using block coding to model GPS motion, land deformation, and earthquake risk. You will find a wealth of great resources, links to lesson plans, and other great ideas for teaching Earth Science. Enjoy these amazing ideas to kick off your school year!.

Student opportunities
youth challenge

Youth Innovation Challenge 2022

Applications Due: September 1, 2022

The Youth Innovation Challenge is for people aged 15–30 from anywhere in the world, who have fresh ideas for tackling the issue of marine debris. The Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP) and Taiwan Ocean Conservation Administration are seeking innovative, feasible solutions that are informed by research and are awarding prizes of $1,000 USD to three winners. Learn more. Contact GEEP@naaee.org with any questions.


American Geosciences Institute's Earth Science Week

October 2022; Contests Listed Below & Opened Now

EarthSciWk

1. "Striving for Sustainability Globally" Video Contest for all ages. 

The American Geosciences Institute invites individuals and teams to submit a brief, original video exploring the many ways people are using the Earth sciences to make decisions that maintain and strengthen the planet’s ability to support thriving life! Learn more here

2. "Sustainability in Action" Photography Contest for all ages.

Sustainable practices promote Earth’s capacity to support life throughout the biosphere, which involves interactions with other Earth systems such as the geosphere, the hydrosphere, and the atmosphere. How does geoscience knowledge help support sustainability where you live? With your camera, capture an image of the ways geoscience informs local efforts to build a sustainable world. Learn more about the contest.

3. "Our Sustainable World" Visual Arts Contest for Grades K-5 

A “sustainable” planet is one that supports living things — and that means taking care of all the things that life depends on, including land, water, air, and other living things. What does a sustainable world look like to you? What is necessary to have or change? What is not necessary? Use your artistic ability to produce an original work of art that shows how land, water, air, and living things interact in a sustainable world. Learn more about the contest.

4."Geoscience for Sustainable Development Goals" Essay Contest for Grades 6-9. 

We have all been called upon to help meet 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) articulated by nations around the world. Geoscience - which addresses interactions of the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere - can play a critical role in this. How can Earth sciences help achieve SDGs in areas such as poverty, nutrition, education, equality, ecosystems, climate change, and/or industrial innovation? Learn more about the contest.


Share Your Innovative Conservation Solutions With the World

Slingshot Challenge Launches This October; Videos due in February 2023

changemakerPic

Calling all young changemakers! This October, the National Geographic Society with support from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, will launch a new, global video challenge called the “Slingshot Challenge,” creating a platform where you can voice your ideas about the future of conservation work. If you are 13-18 years old and are passionate about saving our planet or an educator looking for ways to engage students around impactful environmental storytelling, this challenge is designed for you.

Participants are asked to create a one-minute video outlining an innovative solution to an environmental issue that they’re passionate about. Video submissions will be due at the end of February..


Sign Up Your Middle School Students for Climate Superstars!

Begins October 1, 2022 so sign up prior!

students

National Environmental Education Foundation’s annual Climate Superstars Challenge registration is live! Register now and get ready to join the challenge starting on October 1.

Climate Superstars is an online environmental challenge that gets kids excited about the environment and how they can take an active role in caring for its future. Middle school classrooms and after-school programs (Grades 6-8) complete short tasks geared towards environmental literacy and energy efficiency. Classes that complete at least 7 tasks in the month of October (1-31) will be entered into a drawing to win one of six $5,000 e-vouchers for Samsung products like tablets, laptops, and interactive displays to modernize their classrooms. 


Gaming for Good: Resource List

resource list

There are several options available for mobile games to encourage wildlife empathy and pro-environmental behavior. Targeted attempts are vital in helping bridge the gap between a world revolving around technology and decreasing biodiversity. Learn more about how mobile gaming can engage players to increase wildlife empathy.

Ed Resources
dataSchool

CREDIT: Kaleigh Ballantine/NOAA Education

Check out this new tool that makes it easier than ever to include NOAA resources in your classroom! Explore the education database and find #BackToSchoolNOAA favorites, including Ocean Service Student Tutorials, a sea level rise learning module, and 3D models of the NOAA satellites GOES and Jason 1.


Updated Sea-Level Rise in the Classroom curriculum online!

curriculum

The original Sea-Level Rise in the Classroom project was developed through the collaboration of researchers and educators from the northern Gulf of Mexico to provide high-school level sea-level rise resilience curriculum. Now, the curriculum has been expanded to include the entire Gulf of Mexico and updated with the newest Sea-Level Rise projections. Enjoy tons of accessory materials including standards alignments for national and state-specific standards, field trip recommendations, slideshows to accompany each lesson, supply lists and more!

The entire curriculum is available now to download here.

Email Ali Rellinger at A.Rellinger@placeslr.org for any questions or assistance needed.


Teaching Climate: Great Energy Debate

This is a debate-style learning activity in which student teams learn about energy sources and are then assigned to represent the different energy sources. Working cooperatively, students develop arguments on the pros and cons of their source over the others.

energy game

Earth Null School: A Global Map of Wind, Weather, and Ocean Conditions

See current wind, weather, ocean, and pollution conditions, as forecast by supercomputers, on an interactive animated map updated every three hours. An amazing visualization tool to supplement your teaching!

Find it here.

earth null

CLEAN Teacher News Flash: Resilience-Based Classroom Resources

floosinf

Recent events show the importance for communities, especially those disproportionately affected by climate change, to be prepared for high intensity storms and more variable temperatures. Students will learn about past examples of community resilience and how to plan for future severe weather events and the damage that follows. These links teach about resilience in the classroom!

Flooding Resources:


New Website from Climate Generation!

climate generation

The new website empowers individuals and communities to engage in climate change solutions. New features on the website include:

Check it out!


American Museum of Natural History: Biodiversity - Going, Going...Gone?

On Ology, American Museum of Natural History’s science website for kids, students can learn through a variety of activities about biology, human cultures, and earth & space. This resource introduces the topics of endangered and extinct species, what causes extinction, and how scientists are protecting species.

birds

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Field Book Activity

This hands-on field book activity from the Smithsonian Natural History Museum helps students (K-8) practice the skill of recording observations. The activity includes a field book template to use or copy and additional facilitation guidance.

ladybug

Nature Lab from The Nature Conservancy

stream

Featuring virtual field trips (VFT), curriculum, school garden resources, home enrichment activities, and more, the Nature Conservancy’s Nature Lab learning platform provides resources for K–12 teachers, students, and families to explore how nature works and what to do to maintain and protect it. Check out the VFTs (grades 3–8) - each with an accompanying Teacher Guide - on topics including Citizen Science, Frogs, and Cicadas; Changing Climate, Changing Cities; The Secret Life of Corals; China’s Great Forests; Wild Biomes: America’s Rainforests and Deserts; and Powering the Planet: Renewable Energy. Each approximately 30-minute VFT showcases working scientists and their research.

Similarly, the classroom curriculum section (organized by grade bands) offers video-based lessons featuring scientists and exploring the role of soil and water in the garden and how food is produced and transported (grades K–5); sustainable forestry and wildfire science (grades 6–8); and water security issues, climate science, STEM careers, and resource management. Find it all here.

Conference ReportsPoSea

When: September 29 - October 1, 2022

The organizations of Minorities in Shark Sciences, Black in Marine Science, Black Women in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Science, Minorities in Aquarium and Zoo Science and Minorities in Aquaculture are collaborating to host a virtual joint conference for the marine science BIPOC community.

This conference will provide networking opportunities and professional development opportunities for participants while showcasing the work of BIPOC marine scientists from around the world. Allies are welcome to attend the main conference events and support the conference by purchasing a $10 ally ticket. The conference is free for BIPOC scientists.

Register to attend the conference and take advantage of having scientists share their work (FYI there will be education and science communication presentations as well).


naaee

Registration is open for the North American Association for Environmental Education 51st Annual Conference on October 12-15 in Tucson, AZ with virtual options. Topics include climate change education and climate justice, the benefits of connecting to nature, and centering equity in environmental education.


Science Education in an Age of Misinformation Report

media

This Stanford University–led report explores questions of information literacy for science educators, including: Why do students need to develop the ability to evaluate scientific expertise and information? Why is it an urgent priority for scientists and science educators to develop students’ competency to evaluate information?

Targeted for high school to college educators, this 51-page report presents information on topics like misrepresenting data, what to consider when interpreting the sampling methods of a study, and how to deal with scientific uncertainty. In addition, the report features sample exercises for teachers to test students’ data literacy skills and discusses implications for education policy and potential recommendations for improvement.

Grants

Grants

  • Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams Grant; Applications due September 6, 2022. Eight grants of up to $7,500 each are available for the 2022-2023 school year through the InvenTeams grant program. The grant is available for educators to apply with a small group of high school students to integrate from STEM lessons to develop invention prototypes.

  • NSHSS School Supplies Grant; Applications due September 15, 2022. The National Society of High School Scholars will award twelve $500 awards to support high school educators to provide additional opportunities to their students and classrooms.

  • AIAA Foundation Classroom Grant Program; Applications due September 30, 2022. The AIAA Foundation will award grants of up to $500 to projects with STEAM connections and an emphasis on aerospace that significantly influence student learning. Funding can be used towards classroom STEM demonstration kits, STEM Supplies, K-12 STEM software, and other supplies as detailed on the website.

Grant: NOAA Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program

2023 Federal Funding Opportunity Deadline: Sept. 20, 2022, 11:59 pm ET

BWET

The NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is seeking proposals under the Great Lakes B-WET program. Great Lakes B-WET is a competitive grant program that supports existing, high quality environmental education programs, fosters the growth of new, innovative programs, and encourages capacity building and partnership development for environmental and place-based education programs throughout the entire Great Lakes watershed (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin). Successful projects provide Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) for students and related professional development for teachers, while advancing regional Great Lakes watershed education priorities. The Great Lakes B-WET program is funded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Take a look at the applicant resources.

Contact the Great Lakes B-WET program coordinator for questions: sarah.a.waters@noaa.gov or phone at (989) 312-3520.


Presidential Awards for Excellence in STEM Teaching 

excellenceAward

The National Science Foundation (NSF) administers Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), created by Congress in 1983, on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The awards are the nation’s highest honors for teachers of STEM, including Computer Science. This year's (2022-2023) awards will honor science, technology, engineering, or mathematics teachers working in grades 7-12.

Applications and/or nominations are now open. Recipients of the award receive the following:

  • A certificate signed by the President of the United States.
  • A paid trip to Washington, D.C., to attend a series of recognition events and professional development opportunities.
  • A $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.
  • An opportunity to build lasting partnerships with colleagues across the nation.

Nominations close on January 9, 2023. Applications must be completed by February 6, 2023.


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Have questions, comments, or suggestions? We love to hear from you! You can also share opportunities for your fellow educators, students, educational resources and more! Email us at: oceanserviceseducation@noaa.gov. Be sure to include:

  • Event/announcement title
  • Date and time if applicable
  • One paragraph description
  • Link or email address for more information
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