DEPT. OF MARINE RESOURCES

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Educational Resources - DMR Education Division

photo courtesy of IB Participation, Inc.

Please scroll down the page, or select one of these links:

Contacts | General Info | Facilities | Programs | Teacher Training | Publications | Movie Clips | Lobster Links | More Links

Contacts

• Elaine Jones, Director of Education, email: , Tel: (207) 633-9580
• Aimee Hayden-Roderiques, Natural Science Educator, email: , Tel: (207) 633-9542
• Maine State Aquarium, email: , Tel: (207) 633-9559
• Burnt Island Lighthouse - Contact Elaine Jones or call (207) 633-9559

General Information

The Department of Marine Resources' Education Division provides educational services and materials to school children, teachers, and the general public. We are dedicated to developing a citizenry that has awareness and appreciation for the marine environment and its resources. The Maine State Aquarium, located in West Boothbay Harbor, invites visitors to learn about the ocean and the richness of life that it supports through its collection of regional fish and invertebrates on display. The restored Burnt Island Lighthouse station and the new Education Center there make Burnt Island another exceptionally fine educational facility, also in Boothbay Harbor.  We also provide teacher training through workshops and courses that offer recertification credits to its participants. Informational booklets and curriculum materials are available. For more information see below or call (207) 633-9542.

Facilities

•    Maine State Aquarium, West Boothbay Harbor, Maine
•    Burnt Island, Lighthouse, and Education Center, Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Educational Programs

• Field Trips - Plan a spring or fall field trip to the Maine State Aquarium or the Burnt Island Lighthouse Education Center. Teachers can request special programs or activities based on classroom needs or studies. Call for more information.
• Classroom Resources - The Education Division is expanding it's teacher resource center and can help teachers find activities, lesson plans, and additional resources on a variety of ocean related topics. Call to talk with Aimee Hayden-Roderiques, Natural Science Educator, about particular needs.
• Classroom Animal Supply - For teachers with saltwater tanks set up in classrooms, the Maine State Aquarium will assist in providing animals. Transportation for these animals is the responsibility of the teacher. We can assist with transportation within a reasonable distance. Please call for more information or to request specimens. Limited supply available on first-come, first served basis.

Teacher Training

• Teacher Certification Courses - Summer field courses are available for teachers looking for re-certification credits (3 CEU's per course). Graduate credits may be available pending approval. Visit our course page to find out more and to review course syllabi.
• In-service Workshops - The Maine State Aquarium offers a variety of workshops for educators and students each season.  Please contact us for your needs.

Publications

These publications are available as free, downloadable PDF files, and may require Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader software (download here free) to view or print.  Some of the files are quite large.  Please contact us at if you need an alternate format.

• Teachers Guide to Marine Life in the Gulf of Maine - features 24 animals with 4 pages of information dedicated to each. Each species is represented by classification, description, life processes, and commercial value. Detailed diagrams depict internal and external anatomical features along with diagrams and information about related species. Classroom activities are suggested for each animal. Download the Teacher's Guide here free - pdf file, 110 pages, 2.1 MB.
• Gulf Of Maine Coloring Book - Illustrations of regional marine life are ready for students to color! Each page includes species identification and information on coloration.  Download the Coloring Book here free - pdf file, 23 pages, 486 kb.
• A Lobster's Life Coloring Book - This coloring book is appropriate for young learners and provides simple illustrations and text on lobster life history.  Download the Lobster Coloring Book here free - pdf file, 13 pages, 4.6 MB.
• A Guide to Lobstering in Maine - This booklet provides brief information on the history of lobstering, lobster biology, and current lobstering regulations.  Download the Lobster Guide here free - pdf file, 40 booklet pages, 1.3 MB, also available as web pages .   More information on Maine's lobster is available on DMR's lobster web site.
• Maine Saltwater Angler Guide - This booklet is a beautifully illustrated identification guide, used by sportfishermen, to identify regional fish species. Download the Angler Guide here free - pdf file, 40 pages, 5.9 MB.  The guide is also available to view as web pages on DMR's recreational fishing site.
• Green Gold: Maine's Sea Urchin Fishery - This booklet provides information on Maine's sea urchin industry including biological information.  Download Green Gold here free - pdf file, 36 pages, 1.9 MB.
• Visit DMR's species information pages for more information on regional fish and shellfish.

Quicktime Movie Clips you can use in presentations:

• Baby skate in an egg case - mov file, 440 kb
• Baby skate with yolk sac still attached - mov file, 261 kb
• Closeup of a sea urchin's teeth - mov file, 621 kb
• A sand dollar moving sand grains to its mouth - mov file, 334 kb
• A lobster about to enter a lobster trap underwater - mov file, 518 kb

Links for Educational Lobster Information:

• Bigelow Lab "Hatch to Catch"
• Gulf of Maine Aquarium, lobster page
• Gulf of Maine Research Institute, lobster page
• Lobster Conservancy
• Maine Department of Marine Resources, lobster page

Other Links for Educators

Here is a list of helpful marine education sites for teachers to utilize in the classroom:

• A-B-Seas http://www.abseas.org/
• American Museum of Natural History-Exploring Deep Oceans Lesson Plans http://www.amnh.org/education/resources/dsv/explore.php
• Aquademics http://tetra-fish.com/aquademics/default.aspx
• AquaKids http://www.aquakids.tv/
• A-Z Teacher Stuff- Oceans http://atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Ocean/
• Bigelow Lab for Ocean Sciences http://www.bigelow.org/
• The Bridge http://www.vims.edu/bridge/
• COAST - Consortium of Ocean Activities for Students & Teachers http://www.coast-nopp.org/index.html
• COSEE - Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence http://necosee.net/
• Discover Your World With NOAA Activity Book http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/edufun/book/welcome.html#book
• DLESE- Digital Library for Earth System Education http://www.dlese.org/library/index.jsp
• Earth Guide http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/
• Education World- Ocean Lesson Plans http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson193.shtml
• Enchanted Learning-Oceans Page http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/ocean/
• EPA Estuarine Teacher Resources http://omp.gso.uri.edu/doee/teacher/class1.htm
• Estuaries.gov http://www.estuaries.gov/list.html
• For Sea - Institute for Marine Science http://www.forsea.org/
• Gulf of Maine Marine Life Supply http://www.gulfofme.com/mlsc/
• Gulf of Maine Research Institute Education Pages http://gmri.org/education/index.asp
• Island Institute http://www.islandinstitute.org/
• Jean Michael Cousteau's Ocean Adventures http://www.pbs.org/kqed/oceanadventures/index.html
• Kinder Plans- Ocean Themes http://www.kinderplans.com/content.cfm?pageid=140
• Lesson Planet (Go To Science - Biology - Marine Biology) http://www.lessonplanet.com/
• Life on the Rocky Shore (Think Quest) http://library.thinkquest.org/J001418/
• Maine Public Broadcasting Network Lesson Plans http://www.mpbn.net/educators/lessonplans.html
• Marine Photobank http://www.marinephotobank.org/aboutus.php
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Teacher Resource Page  http://www.mbayaq.org/lc/teachers_place/resources_learning.asp
• NASA Science http://nasascience.nasa.gov/
• National Center for Coastal Ocean Science http://www.coastalscience.noaa.gov/education/
• National Geographic Xpeditions Lesson Plans http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/
• National Marine Educators Association http://www.marine-ed.org/
• National Marine Sanctuaries Education Pages http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/education/teachers/
• National Sea Grant Library http://nsgd.gso.uri.edu/edu.html
• Neptune's Web http://www.navmetoccom.navy.mil/educate/neptune/student.htm
• New England Aquarium Teacher Resource Center http://www.neaq.org/education_and_activities/teacher_resources/index.php
• New Jersey Marine Science Consortium- K12 Lesson Plans http://www.njmsc.org/Education/Lesson_Plans/Lesson_Plans.htm
• NOAA Education http://www.education.noaa.gov/teachers1.html
• NOAA Ocean Explorer http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/
• The Ocean Channel http://www.ocean.com/article.asp?locationid=5&resourceid=918&ProdId=&CatId=5&TabID=&SubTabID=
• Oceans For Life http://www.nationalgeographic.com/seas/html/classroom/matrix.html?printable
• Ocean GLOBE (UCLA) http://www.msc.ucla.edu/oceanglobe/investigations.htm
• Ocean Link! http://www.oceanlink.info
• Oceans Live! http://oceanslive.org
• Ocean Planet (Smithsonian Institute) http://smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/ocean/main.html
• Ocean Portal http://www.iode.org/oceanportal/index.php
• Oceanography Lesson Plans (By Ellen Pratt) http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/textbooks/ocean.html
• PBS Nature Site http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/educators.html
• Project AWARE KIDS http://www.projectaware.org/kids/
• Project Oceanography http://www.marine.usf.edu/pjocean/
• Project Oceanology Teacher Resources http://www.oceanology.org/teachers.html
• Project SeaCamel http://seacamel.livingoceansfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4&Itemid=18
• Scripps Institute for Oceanography - Voyager for Kids http://explorations.ucsd.edu/Voyager/
• S.E.A. K-12 Lesson Plans http://www.sea.edu/academics/k12.asp
• Sea World Teacher Resources http://www.swbg-animals.org/just-for-teachers/index.htm
• Shark Research Institute http://www.sharks.org/index.htm
• SSWIMS http://www.msc.ucla.edu/sswims/marinelinks2.htm
• Tramline- Oceans! http://www.field-trips.org/sci/oceank/index.htm
• Treasures at Sea http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow8/dec98/main.html
• The University of Arizona - Marine Discovery Lesson Plans http://marinediscovery.arizona.edu/lessons.html
• VideoRay Robotic Subs (ROVs) http://www.videoray.com
• Visit to an Ocean Planet http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/education/cdrom.html
• WhaleNET Resources http://whale.wheelock.edu/Teachers.html
• Wyland Ocean Challenge http://www.wylandoceanchallenge.org/index.cfm

If you are interested in additional materials or information, contact us at .  Also, please contact us if any of the above links fail.

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