The Marine Institute’s Explorers Education Programme has published a series of new freely downloadable lesson plans, resources and a guide for primary school teachers to engage pupils in learning about marine environmental awareness and care.
Working in collaboration with outreach and education specialists, Ms Cushla Dromgool-Regan, Marine Institute, Dr Noirin Burke, Galway Atlantaquaria and student teacher Roisin Dobey, from Mary Immaculate College, developed a series of cross curricular lesson plans that teachers can use for a range of marine environment and care projects including: endangered marine species; human impacts on the marine environment; marine litter and ocean pollution, as well as climate change and ocean acidification.
“As our ocean and marine environment is under constant pressure from human activity and environmental impacts, the new Explorer educational resources provide teachers and their pupils with a wealth of inspirational ideas and the opportunities to engage in pressing marine issues, as well as creating solutions towards a healthier ocean and better future. This awareness and sense of responsibility towards our ocean adopted at a young age is important in fostering a wider public understanding of the value of the Atlantic Ocean,” said Dr Peter Heffernan, CEO of the Marine Institute.
Congratulating the Explorers team on the development of new resources, Dr Heffernan said, “As an island nation, situated at the edge of the world’s second largest ocean – the Atlantic, we all have a direct link to the marine environment in Ireland. The ocean has a significant influence on our prosperity, health and wellbeing, as well as affecting our climate and environment.”
The new the Explorers Caring for Our Ocean Action Board poster and lesson plan has been developed to guide children to create a strategy to help care for the marine environment as individuals as well as collectively at a local, national and global level. The publication Explorers Planning Guide for Teachers – Marine Projects and Environmental Awareness and Care contains links to twenty lesson plans and teachers resources. A range of fun activities are included in the lessons, ranging from geography seashore exploration and two minute beach clean ups; science experiments of how to clean water; mathematical analysis of data of ocean pollution, to English and Gaeilge lessons on writing poems and news items as well as performing drama pieces on biodegradation, micro plastics to climate change.
All materials are freely available to download from www.explorers.ie.
