Old Town Elementary School students celebrate their work with the Penobscot River Watershed Education Program and share posters about their watershed with family, friends, and community members. June 2008. Photo by: Beth Bisson, Maine Sea Grant
Our Vision
Imagine a place where all citizens are skilled at critical thinking, collaboration, learning, and developing innovative solutions for the 21st century.
We envision a future where all of us will understand how new knowledge is generated and evaluated within the scientific community. We will have the ability to engage with today’s most pressing issues, think critically about new ideas, make important policy decisions, and support emerging industries.
Our Approach
To cultivate these 21st century skills, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) collaborates with scientists, teachers, and other education professionals to develop and implement innovative ways to engage students with science. VitalVenture was co-developed by GMRI education staff, Maine Sea Grant’s Education Coordinator , and 31 Maine middle-level teachers. Including teachers in the development of this program provided insight into curriculum that works in the classroom, models best practices, and meets the needs of teachers and their students.
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s existing LabVenture and Vital Signsprograms provide Maine’s students with authentic science learning opportunities. LabVenture brings 5th and 6th grade students from every county in Maine to our working lab in Portland for an immersive, technology-enabled research investigation of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. Vital Signs connects Maine’s 7th and 8th grade students with a statewide community of scientists, citizen scientists, and fellow students in the collection and analysis of essential environmental data across upland, freshwater, and coastal ecosystems. Engaging students with science in 5th grade and connecting them with the scientific community and authentic practice in 8th grade has created a prime opportunity for a grades 5-8 learning continuum.
VitalVenture curriculum, funded by NOAA’s Bay Watershed Education and Training Program, builds upon the science skills and concepts students are introduced to during LabVenture and prepares them to practice science as Vital Signs community participants. VitalVenture’s interdisciplinary, inquiry-based curriculum engages Maine students in meaningful, relevant watershed experiences. Students gain increasing independence as learners, thinkers, and problem-solvers as they build on prior years’ experiences. Students participate in a series of relevant, issue-based watershed experiences that deepen their conceptual understanding and connection to place. VitalVenture offers a meaningful continuum of authentic, inquiry-based learning.
Integrated into VitalVenture are lessons and activities from the Penobscot River Watershed Education Program (PRWEP) and NOAA resources. PRWEP was developed in 2007 by Maine Sea Grant, the Penobscot River Restoration Trust, Old Town Elementary School, and the University of Maine Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research.
VitalVenture is an evolving curriculum. This website promotes the ongoing sharing of resources, experiences, and best practices by our statewide teaching community.
About Vital Venture
Old Town Elementary School students celebrate their work with the Penobscot River Watershed Education Program and share posters about their watershed with family, friends, and community members. June 2008. Photo by: Beth Bisson, Maine Sea Grant
Our Vision
Imagine a place where all citizens are skilled at critical thinking, collaboration, learning, and developing innovative solutions for the 21st century.
We envision a future where all of us will understand how new knowledge is generated and evaluated within the scientific community. We will have the ability to engage with today’s most pressing issues, think critically about new ideas, make important policy decisions, and support emerging industries.
Our Approach
To cultivate these 21st century skills, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) collaborates with scientists, teachers, and other education professionals to develop and implement innovative ways to engage students with science. VitalVenture was co-developed by GMRI education staff, Maine Sea Grant’s Education Coordinator , and 31 Maine middle-level teachers. Including teachers in the development of this program provided insight into curriculum that works in the classroom, models best practices, and meets the needs of teachers and their students.
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s existing LabVenture and Vital Signs programs provide Maine’s students with authentic science learning opportunities. LabVenture brings 5th and 6th grade students from every county in Maine to our working lab in Portland for an immersive, technology-enabled research investigation of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. Vital Signs connects Maine’s 7th and 8th grade students with a statewide community of scientists, citizen scientists, and fellow students in the collection and analysis of essential environmental data across upland, freshwater, and coastal ecosystems. Engaging students with science in 5th grade and connecting them with the scientific community and authentic practice in 8th grade has created a prime opportunity for a grades 5-8 learning continuum.
VitalVenture curriculum, funded by NOAA’s Bay Watershed Education and Training Program, builds upon the science skills and concepts students are introduced to during LabVenture and prepares them to practice science as Vital Signs community participants. VitalVenture’s interdisciplinary, inquiry-based curriculum engages Maine students in meaningful, relevant watershed experiences. Students gain increasing independence as learners, thinkers, and problem-solvers as they build on prior years’ experiences. Students participate in a series of relevant, issue-based watershed experiences that deepen their conceptual understanding and connection to place. VitalVenture offers a meaningful continuum of authentic, inquiry-based learning.
Integrated into VitalVenture are lessons and activities from the Penobscot River Watershed Education Program (PRWEP) and NOAA resources. PRWEP was developed in 2007 by Maine Sea Grant, the Penobscot River Restoration Trust, Old Town Elementary School, and the University of Maine Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research.
VitalVenture is an evolving curriculum. This website promotes the ongoing sharing of resources, experiences, and best practices by our statewide teaching community.