Middle School Marine Science Program

Middle School Marine Science Program

Thanks to several generous grants, the South Whidbey 6th, 7th, and 8th graders have been participating in Marine Science projects in their classrooms and at the Langley Marina for the past several years. In addition to classroom lessons, students regularly attended the Langley Marina from November through May for hands-on science lessons. Students collect water quality samples and investigate pH, temperature, salinity, and clarity. Field expeditions are typically followed by a classroom lab during which students analyze their data.

On a Marine Science day, a middle school student may graph the bathymetry of an underwater landscape, model the salinity layers of the Puget Sound, dissect a mussel, construct or launch plankton-collecting tiles and data-logging buoys, conduct water chemistry testing and date recording, board a research vessel to investigate plankton and water chemistry at sea, or a variety of other interactive lessons that are relevant to current science and world events. Volunteers are a huge help in executing our Marine Science program - learn more about volunteering here.

Testimonials from 7th grade students who have participated in this program:

“I got to go on a boat to learn about our Salish Sea. It was so much fun and educational. I feel like I learned a lot more on the boat and at the marina than I would have in the classroom. I personally learn better hands on and I can remember it better, too, if I can see and touch it.” – Sarah C.

“Before this program I had never been on a boat, ever heard of dissolved oxygen or salinity, let alone have a clue of what pH was, or ever had the privilege of ever seeing marine life. Thanks to this program I learned and got to all of this in less than a year!”  – Jonathon E.

“I really liked how on the boat we were able to use the equipment and it was like a real-world situation for future use. It was really cool that we had the privilege to learn about oceanography and use the scientific equipment and learn more about our local marine environment.” –  Mallory D.

“It’s not all the time that you get an opportunity like this, especially when you have a college professor as one of the teachers. He didn’t talk down to us like kids. He talked like we were adults and that helped me learn even more.” – Aaron D.

“I think field-based education is important to us for many reasons. One reason is that it teaches us (7th grade students) about real life problems happening right around us. Another reason is that we can hear information from experts, which will lead us into thinking about getting a degree in ecology.” – Karyna H.