Building New England Connections

[Sarah Olivo]

Building New England Connections

Building New England Connections (BNEC) will bring together teams of
teachers using the watersheds and coastal environments of New England
as a context for learning. Project Oceanology and Connecticut Sea
Grant are providing this opportunity with funding from NOAA.

What’s in it for you?
• A 2-day professional development session where you will be immersed
in a model research experience while sharing ideas and resources to
facilitate the incorporation of estuarine and watershed concepts into
your classroom curriculum.
• Resources for your classroom, including NOAA’s Discovery Kit modules
(Estuaries; Tides; Currents; Pollution), Investigating the Marine
Environment CD ROM, and six online Watershed Lesson Modules
• Sharing experiences, educational strategies and curriculum with
other education professionals

What’s in it for your students and district?
• Each teacher and fifty (50) of your students will participate in a 2-
day overnight research project of coastal and watershed environments
including an oceanographic research cruise, laboratory and field
studies.
• Incorporating estuarine and watershed concepts into your curriculum
and aligning with state and national standards

Who?
• One team (2 upper elementary/middle school teachers and a science
coordinator/supervisor) from each New England state
will participate

When?
• The 2-day professional development session will be held on Friday
and Saturday, November 21-22, 2008. Experiences for student groups
will be scheduled for the winter and spring of 2009.

Where?
• Project Oceanology in Groton, Connecticut. A state-of-the-art
facility with science laboratories, meeting space, a cafeteria,
research vessels, and overnight accommodations on site (hostel). For
more information and images, visit www.oceanology.org

What you need to do:
• Form a team from your school (2 upper elementary/middle school
teachers, 1 science coordinator/supervisor) and contact Diana Payne.

CONTACT Diana Payne, Connecticut Sea Grant
1080 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT 06340
(v) 860.405.9248, (e) diana...@uconn.edu