How can we incorporate Ocean Literacy into our NGSS-aligned instruction?

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Ocean educators across the country provide an incredible array of engaging and meaningful experiences to increase ocean literacy. We know that helping our learners to better understand the ocean is essential to comprehending and protecting our planet. In addition, the Ocean Literacy community has been saying for a decade, "You can't be science literate without being ocean literate." But…

  • What evidence and tools are available to us as educators to support that statement and increase the reach and prominence of ocean literacy?

  • How can we incorporate ocean literacy into our Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)-aligned instruction to help our learners become more science literate?

  • What tools can help us show that teaching about the ocean can also help us to address NGSS in meaningful ways?

  • Why is teaching ocean concepts integral and essential to achieving the vision of NGSS?

These questions framed the ‘Ocean Literacy, NGSS, and Your Classroom’ day-long workshop for formal and informal educators, sponsored by NMEA, SWMEA, the Lawrence Hall of Science, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium on November 9th, 2019.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium hosted the event in the Bechtel Family Center for Ocean Education and Leadership, their new education building located just a few blocks from the Aquarium on Cannery Row. Forty educators from both informal and formal settings, serving all grade bands – TK to college, participated in the event.

Workshop participants were introduced to the Ocean Literacy Framework: the Ocean Literacy Guide, the Ocean Literacy Scope and Sequence for Grades K–12, and the Alignment of Ocean Literacy to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and a brief history of the Ocean Literacy campaign was shared. Most of the workshop participants were familiar with the Ocean Literacy Guide, only one person was familiar with all three parts of the Framework.

The goals of the workshop were to:

  • Build expertise to use the Ocean Literacy Framework to help educators teach NGSS.

  • Gain a deeper understanding of teaching about the ocean using the NGSS 3-Dimensions (Science and Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas)

  • Engage in ocean sciences activity exemplars centered around phenomena-driven instruction (using student questions and interest) to drive the experience as called for in NGSS.

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) https://www.nextgenscience.org/

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
https://www.nextgenscience.org/

Participants first engaged as a whole group in a learning experience focused on an ocean science concept (ocean as a heat reservoir) and a phenomenon (climate data pattern differences between Monterey and a city 100 miles inland), followed by a close look at how the NGSS three-dimensions supported their learning. Participants considered how they engaged in the Science and Engineering Practices to explore and explain the phenomenon in the activity; they discussed which Crosscutting Concepts were used to deepen their understanding of the phenomenon, and then examined how the Disciplinary Core Ideas were used to explain the phenomenon.

The debrief continued with a study of where the ocean sciences ideas are addressed in the Ocean Literacy Essential Principles and Essential Concepts, and how the ideas build in the Ocean Literacy Scope and Sequence for Grades K–12, across the grade bands. Lastly, participants used the Alignment of the Ocean Literacy to the Next Generation Science Standards document. After becoming familiar with the rating scale in the Alignment document, participants were able to describe how and in what ways the ocean sciences concepts from the activity align with the Disciplinary Core Ideas in the Next Generation Science Standards

A few Grade 3-5 workshop participants create an Estuary Food web to help them answer their focus question, Should we protect the Pacific Herring population in San Francisco Bay?

After lunch, participants worked in grade-level break-out groups and engaged in an ocean sciences activity that modeled three-dimensional instruction described in NGSS for their grade band. They then dove into the Ocean Literacy Framework tools to reflect on and apply the experience to their grade band and look for evidence to support how the activity and ocean concepts were aligned with and supported NGSS. The grade-band sessions provided another opportunity for participants to enter into discussions with colleagues about how to incorporate ocean literacy into NGSS-aligned instruction. The grade-band sessions engaged participants in the following activities:

  • TK–2nd grade: What happens to rocky shore animals when tides and waves change?

  • 3–5th grade: Should we protect the Pacific Herring population in San Francisco Bay?

  • 6–8th grade: How does melting ice affect ocean currents?

  • 9–12th grade: How does ocean acidification affect shelled organisms?

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Workshop participants were excited to see the many ways the ocean sciences they teach in their own classrooms and outdoor settings align with NGSS using the Alignment of the Ocean Literacy to the Next Generation Science Standards document.

Workshop participants were polled about future workshop topics they would be interested in learning about—stay tuned SWMEA members!

If you are interested in taking a look at the break-out session activity resources:

If you, your organization, or your NMEA chapter would be interested in providing a similar workshop for your members, please contact Sarah Pedemonte spedemonte@berkeley.edu or send the NMEA Ocean Literacy Committee a message using the contact form at the bottom of the “Get Involved” web page. We would appreciate the opportunity to hear from you.

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