Lesson Plans & Resources

We provide lesson plans, websites and other resources to help instructors engage in classroom instruction to prepare their students for expeditions, as well as lessons and reflection activities for use on the expedition. SEA staff can work with teachers to modify and design additional lessons and units to more specifically meet the unique needs of their programs.

Except as noted, documents are Microsoft Word files.

Curriculum for Pre-expedition Classroom Instruction

on an expedition

Journal and Reflection Resources

These are links to reflection resources and sample journal questions for your expeditionary learning programs. Reflection is a critical component of service-learning and expeditionary learning, and SEA recommends that reflection take place during all stages – pre-expedition, during the expedition and post-expedition. SEA staff will assist you in developing specific reflection and journal tools for your specific programs and provides these documents as samples to begin that process.

ECO Net

ECO Net is the Education, Communication and Outreach Network of professionals working on engaging and informing the public of Puget Sound on environmental issues in support of the Action Agenda for Puget Sound recovery by 2020.

Links to Lesson Plans and Educational Resources

Citizen Climate Curriculum
willstegerfoundation.org/index.php/programs/k-12-education-program/citizen-climate-curriculum

CritterZoom
www.critterzoom.com/

Facing the Future
www.facingthefuture.org/

Identification Guides: Freshwater Mussels of the Pacific Northwest
www.xerces.org/freshwater-mussel-guide/

Maritime Trade Opportunities
If you're a young person interested in learning more about the maritime trades, check out the Youth Maritime Trade Assocation's website.
www.ymta.net/

Military Time
Did you know that on marine vessels military time is used? To learn more about how to convert regular time to military time, see www.spacearchive.info/military.htm

National Weather Service Forecast Office, Seattle: Educational Information
Puget Sound weather forecasts from NOAA, with slide shows on understanding weather patterns in our area
www.wrh.noaa.gov/sew/educational.php

Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS)
www.nanoos.org/

Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative
www.nwstraits.org/

Ocean Links lesson plans and units for marine science
oceanlink.island.net/teachers.html

Oil Spill Task Force
www.oilspilltaskforce.org

Orca Network: Report Dead or Stranded Marine Mammals
www.orcanetwork.org/strandings.html

People for Puget Sound: What's Your Puget Sound Critter IQ?
www.pugetsound.org/learn/students/whats-your-puget-sound-critter-iq

People for Puget Sound: What do you know about the Habitat of Puget Sound?
www.pugetsound.org/learn/students/what-do-you-know-about-habitats-of-the-sound

People for Puget Sound: Puget Sound Explorer's Guide
Year-round activities for the family, teachers, and kids of all ages
www.pugetsound.org/learn/parents/puget-sound-explorers-guide

Pierce County water quality education lessons
www.piercecountywa.org/pc/services/home/environ/
ed/waterpresentations2.htm

Plankton lessons and protocols
Phytoplankton Monitoring Network: www.chbr.noaa.gov/PMN/voldatasheets.htm
The Virtual Plankton Tow: www.coexploration.org/bbsr/classroombats/html/virtual_plankton_tow.html

Plastics in the Environment
www.algalita.org/plastics-in-the-environment.html
www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/capt_charles_moore_on_the_seas_of_plastic.html

PRISM: Puget Sound Regional Synthesis Model
www.prism.washington.edu/

Puget Sound Partnership Educational Resources
http://www.pugetsoundstartshere.org/resources/educational-resources/

Puget Sound Passport
Outdoor activities for families, kids and adults
www.pugetsound.org/learn/parents/puget-sound-passport/puget-sound-passport-welcome

Reading List for Puget Sound lesson planning – fiction and nonfiction
www.pugetsound.org/learn/education-resources/readlist/

Sample lesson plan: Where Fresh and Salt Water Meet (grades 6-8)
www.forsea.org/PSP4.HTML

Sample lesson plan for grades 9-12 on oxygen issues in Puget Sound
www.forsea.org/PSP9.HTML

The SeaDoc Society
www.seadocsociety.org/

Seattle Aquarium: Orca Whale Curriculum
www.seattleaquarium.org/NetCommunity/Document.Doc?&id=159

Seattle Aquarium: Window on Washington Waters
www.seattleaquarium.org/NetCommunity/Document.Doc?&id=387

Sound Citizen
SEA will be engaging in Sound Citizen's data collection "citizen science" programs – learn more at their site!
www.soundcitizen.org/

student with a water sampling guide

Team-building activities, initiative games, & problem-solving exercises
wilderdom.com/games/InitiativeGames.html

Tides and currents for Puget Sound
www.mobilegeographics.com/pugetsoundcurrents.html

Tides and Currents Information
How to understand tides and currents
tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/education.html

University of Washington NatureMapping Program
depts.washington.edu/natmap/education/

Washington Sea Grant
Information on "Orca Bowl" opportunities for all high schools interested in this great marine-based program!
www.wsg.washington.edu/
Also, check out this site for information on the NOAA/Sea Grant sponsored summer camp for middle school students with an interest in marine studies! www.wsg.washington.edu/education/events/noaa.html

Washington State Boating Law Basics
www.boatus.org/onlinecourse/statelaws/Washington.html

Washington State Department of Ecology Environmental Education
www.ecy.wa.gov/services/ee/index.html

Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife: Puget Sound Ambient Monitoring Program (PSAMP)
www.wdfw.wa.gov/fish/psamp/

Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife: Wildlife Science
wdfw.wa.gov/wildlife/management/index.html

Washington State Parks
Did you know all boaters in the State of Washington between the ages of 12 and 20 are required in 2008 to gain a Washington State Boater Education Card in order to legally operate a boat? Learn more about how to earn you boater's card at www.parks.wa.gov/boating/default.asp

Web Resources for developing lesson plans on estuaries
www.ngeo.com/xpeditions/lessons/11/g912/tgestuaries.html

Yes! Magazine Resources for Teachers
www.yesmagazine.org/default.asp?ID=29

presentation on an expedition