MARE Ocean Immersions
An Ocean Immersion involves the whole school community, including faculty, students and families, coming together to celebrate and learn about the ocean. Some schools celebrate an Ocean Week, others expand their focus to an Ocean Month; ocean immersions look different in every school! MARE staff can be on-site at your school for your planning and throughout your Ocean Immersion event. Teachers receive coaching, support and in-class modeling of the MARE curriculum from the MARE staff.
What’s included in an Ocean Immersion?
- Ocean sciences curriculum and resources
An ocean immersion is based on the MARE Teacher’s Guides to Marine Habitats: K–8 habitat-based thematic instructional units. A customized whole staff inservice that includes a workshop and grade-level planning time can address your school and grade-level specific needs, introducing teachers to effective teaching and learning pedagogy.
A consulting, scheduling, and planning day with MARE staff allows every teacher to consult and coordinate their Ocean Immersion plans with others at their grade level, including planning the hands-on activities the MARE staff will model in your classroom during your Ocean Immersion. These days also support planning for whole school events. To enhance your community involvement, this day can also be combined with a presentation and meeting with school community members. When on-site during your Ocean Immersion, MARE staff offer additional coaching and support.
- Community involvement and support
Ocean Immersions really come alive when the whole school shares experiences. Over the years, MARE staff have helped brainstorm and coordinate many memorable school-wide events such as habitat hat parades, teacher skits, assemblies and outreach presentations, student presentations, field trips, music, and beach parties.
And don’t forget the parents, community members, and local businesses and residents! Parents can share their skills and resources both at home and at school to help students extend and apply the knowledge they gain throughout the program. MARE can make presentations and lead idea brainstorming sessions with your community.
Getting involved can be easier than you think! Contact us to bring MARE to your school.
“Wow…what a professional bunch! It was really an honor to be included as a parent. I think parent involvement is crucial to a program like this, and it’s nice to see it recognized.”
– Parent, Trinidad, CA
What does Ocean Immersion Look like?
Ocean Immersions look different in every school. From 3-D habitat art projects in hallways to classrooms turned into habitats, school assemblies, habitat hat parades, open houses, and beach parties, MARE schools get creative with their Ocean Immersions!