Ocean Literacy

It has been widely acknowledged that ocean sciences are nearly absent from K-12 science standards, curriculum and assessments. As a result, the United States public does not have a basic understanding of the functioning or importance of the ocean. The first goal of the COSEE Strategic Plan is to "Catalyze interactions among scientists and educators to enhance ocean sciences literacy." Since we weren't sure what "ocean literacy" meant, we didn't know how we would know if we were successful. Inspired by the initial efforts of COSEE--New England, we decided to tackle the job of developing a national consensus about the definition of "ocean literacy" and the essential principles and fundamental concepts that students should know about the ocean.

A COSEE working group formed and quickly joined forces with the National Geographic Society, NOAA, the College of Exploration and the National Marine Educators Association to accomplish this ambitious task. Since spring 2004, we have brought together hundreds of scientists and educators to participate in a 2-week on-line workshop, several face-to-face meetings, dozens of teleconferences and an extensive public review process. The attached document is the result of this ongoing work to present a definition of ocean literacy and identify the essential principles and fundamental concepts. To download this document along with a matrix that correlates them to the National Science Education Standards, go to www.coexploration.org/oceanliteracy.

You can also request free hard copies of the brochure, "Ocean Literacy: The Essential Principles of Ocean Sciences K-12" by writing to Sally.Ziegler@noaa.gov.

The work of COSEE on ocean literacy is already guiding many local, state and national efforts to develop science standards, instructional materials, assessments, teacher professional development programs, museum and aquarium exhibits, free choice learning opportunities, and state and federal ocean policy.

 

Adapted from www.cosee.net 9/15/05

 

Ocean Literacy Links

 

  • Science Content and Standards for Ocean Literacy is a product of workshops sponsored by National Geographic, NOAA, COSEE, NMEA, and the College for Exploration.  It describes and presents essential principles and fundamental concepts for creating an ocean literate world and aligns them with the National Science Education Standards.

 

Ocean Literacy Downloads