NOAA Offers Grant for K-12 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Environmental Education and Educator Professional Development

The goal of this funding opportunity is to support K-12 environmental education programs that provide students with meaningful watershed educational experiences (MWEEs) related to the Chesapeake Bay and related professional development for in-service teachers, administrators, or other educators serving K-12 students. The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries are an excellent resource for environmental education. Its tidal and non-tidal waters and the surrounding landscape provide hands-on, place-based laboratories where students can see, touch, and learn about the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the greater environment.

Successful B-WET projects provide formal education that supports the NOAA Education Strategic Plan and the Mid Atlantic Elementary and Secondary Environmental Literacy Strategy.
Experiential learning techniques, such as those supported by the NOAA B-WET Program, have been shown to increase interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM),
thus contributing to NOAA’s obligations under America COMPETES.

NOAA B-WET recognizes that knowledge and commitment built from firsthand experience, especially in the context of one’s community and culture, is essential for achieving environmental stewardship. Carefully selected experiences driven by rigorous academic learning standards, engendering discovery and wonder, and nurturing a sense of community will further connect students with their watershed, help reinforce an ethic of responsible citizenship, and promote academic achievement. Environmentally literate individuals can become effective future workers, problem solvers, and thoughtful community leaders and participants.

For purposes of this solicitation, MWEEs are defined as below:

Experiences are investigative or project oriented.
Experiences should be centered around questions, problems, and issues and be investigated through data collection, observation, and hands-on activities. Experiences should stimulate observation, motivate critical thinking, develop problem-solving skills, and instill confidence in students. Where appropriate, technology such as probeware, tablets, and GPS equipment, should be integrated throughout the instructional process. Experiences such as tours, gallery visits, simulations, demonstrations, or nature walks may be instructionally useful, but alone do not constitute a meaningful experience.

Experiences are an integral part of the instructional program.
Experiences should be clearly part of what is occurring concurrently in the classroom.
The experience should be part of the curriculum and aligned with the academic standards.
Experiences should occur where and when they fit into the instructional sequence.
Experiences do not have to be based solely on science disciplines. Experiences could involve the use of materials, resources, and instruments to address multiple topics, such as maritime heritage, history, economics, math, English, art, and the cultural significance of our natural resources. Experiences make appropriate connections between subject areas and reflect an integrated approach to learning.

Experiences are part of a sustained activity.
Meaningful experiences are part of a sustained activity that stimulates and motivates the student from beginning to end. Though a watershed experience itself may occur as one specific event occurring in one day, the total duration leading up to and following the experience should involve a significant investment of instructional time. An experience should consist of three general parts – a preparation phase; an action phase; and a reflection phase. Projects should provide teachers with the support, materials, resources, and information needed to conduct these three parts.
* The preparation phase should focus on a question, problem, or issue and involve
students in discussions about it.
* The action phase should include multiple outdoor experiences sufficient to conduct
the project, make the observations, or collect the data required. It is strongly encouraged that
the action phase includes restoration projects or activities that result in the environment
changing.
* The reflection phase should refocus on the question, problem, or issue; analyze the
conclusions reached; evaluate the results; assess the activity and the learning; and include
sharing and communication of the results.

Experiences consider the watershed as a system.
Meaningful watershed educational experiences should make a direct connection to the marine or estuarine environment. Experiences do not have to be water-based activities; as long as there is an intentional connection made to the watershed, water quality, and the coastal and marine environment, watershed experiences may include terrestrial activities (e.g., erosion control, buffer creation, groundwater protection, and pollution prevention).

Experiences are enhanced by NOAA products, services, or personnel.
NOAA has a wealth of applicable products and services as well as a cadre of scientific and professional experts that can heighten the impact of outdoor experiences. For example,
NOAA data can be used to supplement or contextualize the information collected by students. In addition, the inclusion of NOAA products and services in classroom activities will increase awareness of the agency’s vast resources and may lead to better understanding of its mission. NOAA personnel have technical knowledge and experience that can serve to complement the classroom teacher’s strengths and augment the array of resources for the learning. Additionally, these professionals can serve as important role models for career choices and as natural resources stewards, thus promoting science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers.

Information on the B-WET Chesapeake program, including examples of education partnerships that have been funded to date, can be found on the world wide web at http://www.chesapeakebay.noaa.gov/funding/previously-funded-awards. Potential applicants may contact the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office (contact information in Section VII) before submitting an application with questions about applicability of partnership ideas to B-WET goals and objectives.

The original definition of the MWEE can be found on the Chesapeake Bay Program’s website (http://www.chesapeakebay.net/content/publications/cbp_12136.pdf).