How will you give back to the ocean this year? Make your ocean promise!
Educator Voices
By Kim Zumach
Students on the Floating Classroom field trip
This Spring, I had a unique opportunity to bring two classes of Grade 8 students onto the ocean for a Floating Classroom experience. This blog will take you through the steps I took to make it happen and the things I learned along the way. I am fortunate to live, work, and play on the traditional territory of the Liǧʷiɫdax̌ʷ people; the school district where I work also includes the territories of the Klahoose, K’ómoks and Xwe’malhkwu First Nations. For thousands of years, the people of this territory have lived in harmony with this place, interacting sustainably with both the terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The middle school where I teach is a 20-minute walk from where the northern waters of the Salish Sea mix with the southern waters of the Great Bear Sea. We are located on the eastern shore of Vancouver Island in a small city that for the past 112 years has been known as Campbell River, British Columbia.
Inspired by my previous school district on Southern Vancouver Island, I wanted to get my students beyond the beach and onto the ocean for a learning experience. Modeling this experience after the Exploring the Salish Sea program created by School District #61 (Greater Victoria) in partnership with Eagle Wing Tours, I set to work trying to make a similar experience happen in Campbell River. In early January, I approached a local wildlife tour operator with the largest covered vessel in town. I didn’t just want to take my students “whale watching,” I wanted to create a classroom on the water. The Tenacious III, a 13-meter aluminum 30-passenger vessel was a perfect fit. Little did I know at the time, but the company, Campbell River Whale Watching, would also be a perfect fit. I met with the office manager and we discussed my vision for the outing.
Take students out on the water as a learning experience.
Conduct a plankton tow to bridge our classroom learning with a practical science skill.
Investigate kelp with a focus on the importance of kelp forest ecosystems.
Connect our classroom study of salmon to the local marine ecosystem.
Visit a seabird colony on a marine protected island.
I quickly realized that this was going to be an expensive venture, and I didn’t want to pass off the entire expense to my students and their families. I began to look into funding and grant opportunities. In the end, I ended up securing grants from Blue Schools Canada, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Pacific Salmon Foundation, and funding from our school PAC. These grants made it possible to offset the cost to families to $35 per student.
A student writing down observations from the field
A student writing down observations from the field
Include as much information as possible. Grant review committees love to know the details and will often ask for more if you don’t provide them initially. Where possible include a breakdown of costs so funders can see where their money is going.
Funders appreciate it when you are seeking funding from multiple sources and involve multiple stakeholders (for example, collaboration between school and community; collaboration between local Indigenous groups and the school).
Don’t hesitate to ask for what you need! There are several organizations that have a mandate to support ocean education and conservation efforts that are happy to support teacher’s work with students.
Start early and be aware of grant timelines. Have contingency plans in case the grant funding does not come through in time.
With funding secured, I was able to focus on the planning of the floating classroom experience. In preparation for the trip, my class completed a series of background lessons. The first was on the importance of seaweed, which included a trip to the beach to learn about seaweed lifecycles and kelp forests as a carbon sink and food source. The second lesson, which focused on microplastics and plankton, utilized The Problem with Plastic collection from Ocean School. The last was on Ocean Literacy Principles as well as salmon using the Harvest collection from Ocean School.
A week before the Floating Classroom experience, we had Campbell River Whale Watching (CRWW) visit our class. This was an important step as they were able to prepare the students with information about the boat, what to expect, what to wear, and basic safety expectations. This also provided an opportunity for the CRWW staff to meet students and make an initial connection to build upon during the Floating Classroom experience. It was also important in preparing students for what they might see. The CRWW staff were keen to highlight that we were embarking on a Floating Classroom, not a “whale watching” trip. Working closely with the service provider was essential to making sure our goals and expectations were aligned.
Students on the boat for the Floating Classroom field trip
Students on the boat for the Floating Classroom field trip
On both occasions, the weather turned out to be less favourable than hoped. The first day we had cold, rainy weather, and the second day was very windy with choppy seas. Both trips ended up traveling northward into more protected waters rather than south towards a seabird colony we had planned to visit. Regardless, on both trips, students were engaged and excited to be learning out of the traditional classroom.
Be flexible with the planning and expected outcomes. “Game day decisions” will reflect the weather and you need to be ready to roll with it.
Have something for students to do on the boat. I gave each pair of students a check-list of bird and mammal species specific to the Salish Sea. The students rose to the challenge of identifying as many species as possible. They were keen to ask the on-board naturalists questions about the different birds and animals we were seeing.
Get excited about birds! You will always see birds.
Try a plankton tow! For us the plankton tow was a huge success. We were able to perform two tows on each trip in sheltered bays. Bringing small jars and hand lenses was a great way to have students interact with the plankton in the field. We later looked at the plankton under microscopes back in the science lab.
Bring extra warm layers! Despite repeated reminders and notices home, several students showed up underdressed. Having extra toques, mitts, and windbreakers ensured that they were comfortable coming out on the deck of the boat.
Try a minute of silence. Led by one of the naturalists on board, Bri challenged our boisterous group to be silent for a full minute while we were stopped in a quiet bay. It was amazing. The boat engine was off and for a full minute, all we heard were eagles calling, the wind and the waves quietly lapping on the side of the boat.
Students on the Floating Classroom field trip
Students on the Floating Classroom field trip
Talking with students on the trip and after the trip reinforced my belief that getting students out of the classroom deepens learning in a way that indoor learning does not. For example, most eighth graders (and I would argue most adults), don’t give seagulls a second glance. However, out on the water, students were learning about different plumage patterns and discussing the differences between gulls. As one student noted in their written reflection, “There are multiple types of seagulls, I especially liked learning about Bonaparte's gulls and how to identify them.”
Learning from experts in the field, like our on-board naturalists and captain, provided opportunities for students to hear information from someone other than the classroom teacher. This reinforcement of ideas drove powerful connections. Another student noted in their written reflection that, “I learned it is important to keep our ocean clean. The boat crew told us about how many balloons they pull out of the ocean every summer and it is a lot. I guess it wasn’t surprising that we found microplastics in our plankton tow and in the sea salt we tested in class.”
Students from the first Floating Classroom trip went on to host an Ocean Day bake sale and raised over $250 for Ocean Wise to help fund ocean clean-ups and ocean research. The students who hosted the bake sale exemplify the importance of making personal connections to the marine environment. I truly believe that people will protect what they love and our students are no different. It was rewarding to see the students taking action towards making the ocean a cleaner place.
Overall, organizing a trip of this complexity takes many hours of planning and managing logistics. It is important to build student’s background knowledge and prepare them for what to expect from the trip. The rewards are worth it though. The ripple effects of the connections and memories that the students make on an experiential learning trip will have a positive impact for many years to come.
Want to try out this lesson? Here is Kim’s list of resources!
Useful Links and Resources:
Go Grant - Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (BC only): GO Grants - Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (hctf.ca)
Pacific Salmon Foundation Grant (BC and Yukon): Community Salmon Program | Pacific Salmon Foundation (psf.ca)
Blue Schools Canada - apply to be a Blue School to be eligible for grants at COLC (colcoalition.ca)
Ocean School - The Harvest Collection The Harvest | Ocean School (nfb.ca):
Ocean School - The Problem with Plastic Collection: The problem with plastic | Ocean School (nfb.ca)
Other possible funding sources: Take Action With WWF: Go Wild Grants | WWF.CA
Kim Zumach is a mother, teacher, ocean advocate and nature-nerd. She lives, learns and teaches on the beautiful territory of the Ligwilda'xw Peoples in Campbell River, British Columbia. When not in the classroom teaching eighth graders, she can be found exploring on and around Vancouver Island by kayak, paddleboard, hiking boots or mountain bike. Kim is constantly inspired by the natural world and loves adventuring to new places with her two children, husband and dog.
