Coastal Commission Resources |
Lending Library
Programs & Contests |
Additional Resources Supported By WHALE TAILSM
Funds
Waves, Wetlands, and Watersheds Science
Activity Guide
Our Wetlands, Our World High School Activity Guide
Save Our Seas Curriculum
Global Warming: The Earth has a Fever!
Marine, Coastal
and Watershed Resource Directory
WHALE TAILSM
Grants Program
Waves, Wetlands, and Watersheds
is a classroom and community activity guide, first printed in
2003, that addresses issues such as endangered species, marine debris, coastal
geology, water use, and much more. It is
carefully aligned to the California State Science Content Standards for grades 3
through 8, and includes “Community Action” lessons adaptable for all ages up to
and beyond 12th grade. The guide is available for free from the
California Coastal Commission. Call or email for more information or to request
an orientation workshop for your area. Click here
to order a free copy.
Our Wetlands, Our World provides information and activities to help high school
students learn about the importance of wetlands and to become involved in the
restoration of these valuable, unique environments. It also helps bring State Content
Standards to life by linking science concepts to local resources. The focus of this
2004 guide is on Upper Newport Bay in Orange County; however, much of the information is
applicable to other wetland sites. Click here
for more information.
Save Our Seas is a marine curriculum of hands-on activities to help students
understand the effects of marine debris on coastal wildlife and habitats.
Written in 1993, it was
designed for K-12 grades and can be used in conjunction with a beach cleanup.
Request Item - SOS on our online Order Form.
Developed in 2008, this classroom activity
introduces the topic of global
warming to a kindergarten level, with "Mother Earth" asking the students
to help keep her healthy. 
Save Our Seas Seal Poster
Educational poster (at right)
illustrating the problems that marine debris pose for marine animals.
Large text reads: "Thousands of species live on the California coast.
Only one is destroying it." Please limit your request to one poster per instructor/classroom. Request Item
- SEAL on our online Order Form.
The Resource Directory is designed for anybody interested in
learning about watersheds and the marine and coastal environment. It
describes and links to organizations throughout the state that offer
education programs and other resources to the public. The Directory is
available on-line
for you to browse.
Schools are eligible to apply to the
WHALE TAILSM
Grants Program
for funding to
support coastal and marine education projects. Educators reaching
underserved communities, including multicultural and inland areas, are
especially encouraged to submit proposals. You may request up to $50,000
and applications are accepted once a year in the fall.
The following videos and DVDs are available for loan to California educators. They are available for a two-week period and the only cost to you is the return postage. A $25 charge is applied for each video or DVD not returned. Please fill out our online Order Form.
Please note: Some of the DVDs listed are burned discs. Please request VHS tapes if you are unsure if your player will read burned DVDs.
- Saving Inky - 20:25 min.
running time. A video for all ages about a pygmy sperm whale that ingested plastics from
the ocean, was treated at the Baltimore Aquarium and then set free. 1994. Request Item -
VID/SI or DVD/SI
- Secrets of the Bay - 28
min. running time, for all ages. Reveals the magnificent wildlife hidden in
the San Francisco Bay Area. 1990. Request Item - VID/SOTB or DVD/SOTB
- Coastal Cleanup Day 2000 -
16 min. running time, for all ages. An excellent motivator for people to
become involved in the health of our coast through participation in Coastal
Cleanup Day and the Adopt-A-Beach Program. Request Item - VID/CCD or DVD/CCD
- The Trash Troll - 12:30
min. running time, for grades K-5. Teaches children the impacts of beach trash
on marine animals. 1993. Request Item - VID/TTT
- Between a Rock & a Hard Place - 17
min. running time, for grades 2-6. Prepares students for an ecologically responsible
tidepool visit. Recommended for viewing before a field trip. 2002. Request Item -
VID/BRHP or DVD/BRHP
- California Marine Life Identification - 46 min., grades 4-12. Divers
off the coast of southern California show how to identify over 80 species of
marine plants and animals. 2005. Request Item - DVD/CMLI
- Beach: A River of Sand - 20
min. running time, for grades 6-12. This classic film describes how beaches are formed and change
and how sand moves along the coast. 1967. Request Item - VID/BRS or DVD/BRS
- After the Storm - 22
min. running time, grades 7 and up. Highlights watershed protection issues and efforts
throughout the country. 2004. Request Item - VID/ATS or DVD/ATS
- Trashing the Oceans - 8 min.
running time, grades 7 and up. An introduction to marine debris. 1988. Request Item - VID/TTO or DVD/TTO
- Troubled Waters: Plastic in the
Marine Environment - 28:30 min. running time, grades 7 and up. This 1992 video
from the Center for Marine Conservation addresses marine debris issues with a focus on
ocean-based sources. 1992. Request Item - VID/TW or DVD/TW
- Rising Waters - 57 min.
running time, grades 7 and up. This video discusses the problem of global
warming in relation to sea level rise and brings to life the issues of
greenhouse gas emissions. 2000. Request Item - VID/RW or DVD/RW
- Synthetic Sea:
Plastics in the Ocean - 9 min. approximate running time, grades 7 and up.
An alarming look at the role plastics is playing in our waters, specifically
the Pacific Ocean. (You can view this video online.) 2001. Request Item - VID/SS
- Coastal Clash - DVD, 60
min. running time, grades 8 and up. Looks at issues of beach access, development,
and the many sides of the struggle for California's beaches. 2005. Request Item - DVD/CC
- Empty Oceans, Empty Nets - 55 min.
running time, grades 9 and up. Examines the global commercial fishing
crisis as well as exploring promising solutions to overfishing. 2002. Request
Item - VID/EOEN or DVD/EOEN
- Can the Oceans Keep Up with the Hunt - 30 min., grades 9-12.
Discusses the exhaustion of fish populations due to over-fishing; includes exerpts from
Empty Oceans, Empty Nets and information on aquaculture. PBS offers an
online
activity guide associated with this video. 2006. Request Item - DVD/COKU
- The Biology of Seashores - 30 min., subtitled enabled, for grades 9-12. Includes
information about abiotic and biotic factors and animal adaptations for wave shock, defense, feeding,
and reproduction. An image bank teaching guide is accessible using a computer DVD drive. 2006.
Request Item - DVD/BOS
Adopt-A-Beach
Adopt-A-Beach is a year ‘round program
that encourages the public to help keep our beaches clean. In order to
"adopt" a local beach, volunteers agree to clean the beach at least
three times a year. (We will accept school groups that can only make it
out for one day.) Thousands of civic organizations and schools have
taken advantage of this opportunity to be a part of the solution to
ocean pollution. The program is free. Recycling bags and trash bags are
provided. Associated lesson plans can be found in the
Community Action Chapter of
Waves, Wetlands, and Watersheds.
Coastal Cleanup Day
Every year on Coastal Cleanup Day, hundreds of
thousands of people worldwide clean up debris and fill out data cards that track
the types of litter collected from our beaches and waterways. This data is
compiled to form a powerful statement about the quality of our beaches and
oceans. In California, the cleanup takes place at over 700 sites from San Diego
to the Oregon border and as far inland as Lake Tahoe. The broad scope of Cleanup
Day demonstrates that marine debris and ocean pollution are watershed problems,
and that litter in your neighborhood may eventually end up in the ocean. The
next Coastal Cleanup Day will be held on Saturday, September 15, 2007. Associated
with Coastal Cleanup Day is
COASTWEEKS, an annual
three-week celebration of our coastal and water resources, which includes
activities such as nature walks, festivals, restoration events, and more.
Coastal Art
and Poetry Contest
The California Coastal Commission invites all California students in grades
K-12 to participate in the Coastal Art & Poetry Contest. The deadline to submit
entries is January 31.
Coastal Stewardship Pledge
The Coastal Stewardship Pledge is a
way for Californians of all ages to
commit to protecting our coast and ocean. Individuals choose from a list of
suggestions on how to protect the coast, and then pledge to follow through
and complete their chosen actions. In
the process, they become “Coastal Stewards.”
A Coastal Steward Class
Pledge is also available,
which includes activities specifically chosen for the classroom and background
information on each activity.
The following curricula were developed by other organizations with the support of the WHALE TAILSM Grant Program.
A Guide to the Side of the Sea,
A Teacher's Guide for Field Trips to Rocky Intertidal Areas
A Guide to the Side of the Sea was
produced by California State Parks. It is designed to assist teachers who
will be taking their students to visit tidepools. This resource includes
science background for educators as well as lessons and activities that can
be used before, during, and after a field trip.
Agua Pura: Examining Salmon and Steelhead in California Communities
This Salmon and Steelhead Curriculum targets
sixth-grade students both in and out of the classroom through multi-disciplinary,
hands-on instruction. It covers information on these critical fish species,
highlights their relationship with healthy watersheds, and explores how
people affect salmon and steelhead and vice versa. The unit was created by
UC Cooperative Extension and Adopt-A-Watershed.
Albatross Research and Plastic Pollution Prevention
Activities about plastics and seabirds were developed by the organization
Oikonos to guide teachers of students in grades 8 - high school. Activities
include dissecting an albatross bolus, categorizing the plastics they eat,
learning about albatrosses, and tracking them via satellite.