Taking responsibility for the health of the ocean around us begins with awareness and understanding. That is why we invest in our future by delivering the Marine Matters Oceans Education Program throughout elementary schools on Haida Gwaii. Thanks to funding from WWF-Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Gwaii Trust Society, the program has run since 2001 and continues today.

Our objectives are to increase understanding and awareness of marine life and ecosystems, promote personal connections with the marine environment, encourage appreciation for marine values and conservation, and provide tools for action to foster healthy oceans and coastal communities.

Haida Gwaii educator Josina Davis shaped three years of curriculum for kids to discover the ocean around them, each building on knowledge gained in previous years. In Curriculum 1 students learn about natural processes shaping Life in the Intertidal – the rendezvous of land and sea. In Curriculum 2 they delve into more detail, learning about different Intertidal Habitats in their front yards, the inhabitants and their homes. In Curriculum 3 they focus on Marine Life around Haida Gwaii – seabirds and marine mammals, seamounts, sponge reefs, kelp forests, narrows, deep sea – and marine conservation.

Each year's curriculum consists of 8 lessons and worksheets. Lessons are separated into two grade groupings: Kindergarten to Grade 3 (K-3) and Grades 4 to 7 (Gr 4-7). The objectives of the lessons are similar but the activities are tailored for the different age groups. Biologist and artist Janet Gray illustrated accompanying worksheets for Curriculum 1. Lessons, outlines and resource material lists for all three curricula are available for download here.

We encourage educators throughout British Columbia and beyond to use these curricula and resources to educate students about marine matters and marine conservation so that youth today can bring stewardship and responsible use into the future.

Contact us • dialogue@marinematters.org