09-11-2007 - Uncategorized

sagar: Author=” program=” video=”The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Science Teachers Association offers a web-based guide on coral reefs and the creatures that inhabit them.

The “Coral Ecosystem SciGuide”:http://sciguides.nsta.org/guides/guide_preview.aspx?guide_ID=FsDmzF8hwj8=&grade_band=3 is being called a “science toolbox” for teachers and other educators.

David Kennedy, manager of the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program called the new guide an “innovative, peer-reviewed education resource for teachers.”

According to the announcement, “The “Coral Ecosystem SciGuide”:http://sciguides.nsta.org/guides/guide_preview.aspx?guide_ID=FsDmzF8hwj8=&grade_band=3 pulls together the best of the Internet’s resources on coral science, and organizes these resources according to three major theme areas for the classroom: coral reef biology, coral ecosystems and coral conservation. Every web-based resource included in the SciGuide is aligned with national science education standards for a range of grade levels, and was reviewed and approved by a team of NSTA ‘master teachers’ and NOAA scientists.”

The SciGuide also provides access to field-tested lesson plans, classroom activities, computer simulations and teaching aids, including samples of student work and lessons learned from pilot teachers.

The “Coral Ecosystem SciGuide”:http://sciguides.nsta.org/guides/guide_preview.aspx?guide_ID=FsDmzF8hwj8=&grade_band=3 is the first in a series of ocean- and atmospheric-themed SciGuides to be developed by NSTA in collaboration with NOAA. Future topics include “Estuary Ecosystems” and “The Ocean Effect of Weather on Climate.”

Written by Deborah Byrd