Climate change, pollution, plastics, overfishing and other threats make the ocean extremely vulnerable. We wanted to reflect on these issues and talk to (and learn from) people working to protect and conserve the oceans in different areas.
The goal of our project was to learn about the ocean to contribute to raising awareness of the United Nations SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) number 14: "Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources".
We have carried out activities studying some of the main threats to oceans and seas worldwide, such as endangered animals, plastics, global warming, etc. but we also wanted to include others more specific to our respective areas: the Strait of Messina (in Italy), the Mar Menor and the coast of Murcia (in Spain).
One of the students' favorite activities was a beach clean-up that we carried out in three of the participating schools. This was not simply picking up litter, but we also decided to include a subsequent classification of waste, to analyze its origin and encourage our students to reflect on the search for possible solutions. These activities were carried out in collaboration with environmental organizations Pinatar Natura in Spain, and Italia Nostra and Legambiente in Italy.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J49A3gqJFy_TcdAaH0ztaJUY2atX-Ci6/view?… https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F3sLr0xL6GCcry-2lcwOQ9p0c9EFChdu/view?…Beach clean-up was carried out in Italy and Spain
Likewise, our students have researched and created games with questions about the ocean related to numerous areas: fauna, flora, geographical features, currents, etc. They have also studied the characteristics of the water in different places of our planet; thanks to the guidelines of experts, students have analyzed 6 floats of the ARGO network (global network of underwater buoys/robots) and have elaborated infographics.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12QuULu-uNcO_4hakOIgIhqu3NxD7WS2D/view?…Language games created by our students
We have interviewed 14 people from different fields: involved in the recovery of endangered marine species, volunteers from a sea turtle recovery center, oceanographers, environmentalists and other scientists. We have had the collaboration of a professional photographer specialized in underwater photography (James Doughty) and an urban artist (Goyo 203), reflecting on some of his works in photographs, paintings and murals.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_2NrGSY1F8-RY5WL-StKaymLtLB6peGJ/view?…Talks by an environmentalist and a member of the ARGO project
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16ivjjXFEv5aSK-HkzqZPjry4vPfkzUnS/view?…Exhibition by urban artist Goyo203
April 3rd was World Aquatic Animal Day and we decided to celebrate it for a whole week (April 4-8) by organizing numerous activities on site in the 4 schools. The aim was to raise awareness of the need to protect our seas and oceans and to involve a large number of teachers and students from the four participating schools (more than 3000 students). Activities included a visit to the Dohrn Zoological Station in Naples, art exhibitions, lectures, mural making, etc.
World Aquatic Animal Day at one of the schools
We also allowed our students to bring out their artistic talents by transforming themselves into actors who gave voice to Lucy, our particular turtle, and the different animals she finds in the ocean. To do this, we made a video about her life, including all the threats and difficulties she faces, from her birth to the moment she returns to our shores to lay her eggs, continuing the cycle of life.
Video diary of Lucy, a marine turtle
We have written letters to organizations, companies, and authorities to inform them of the danger of plastic to the oceans, and provided suggestions and possible alternative solutions to bring about real changes in our daily lives that will improve the condition of our seas. A gesture as simple as replacing a plastic water bottle with a water bottle can make a big change if everyone does their bit.
On the other hand, we wanted to document everything we have learned by creating a digital magazine, in which our students have written like real journalists and have recorded all the activities and interviews we conducted throughout the project. You can download a PDF version here.
https://view.genial.ly/6299ca1a6b766f0011eccdc6Oceans interactive magazine
All this work has been carried out by 115 secondary students from Italy and Spain. However, over 3000 students have taken part in some of them. These are participating schools:
ICS "E. Vittorini" of Messina (Italy).
IES Antonio Menárguez Costa Secondary School of Los Alcázares (Spain).
IES Felipe II of Mazarrón (Spain).
ITCG e Liceo Scientífico "Leonardo Da Vinci" of Poggiomarino (Italy).
We have been fortunate to have the collaboration of numerous agencies, organizations, associations and individuals, who have helped us to enrich it:
Dohrn Foundation (Italy)
Cartagena Oceanographic Research Institute, CORI (Spain)
David Celdrán Sabater, Bioaquafloc (Costa Rica)
Goyo 203, urban artist (Spain)
Italia Nostra (Italy)
James Doughty, professional nature photographer (Bermuda)
Legambiente (Italy)
Menor Plastic (Spain)
Pinatar Natura (Spain)
Spanish Institute of Oceanography of the Region of Murcia (Spain)
Spanish Institute of Oceanography of the Canary Islands (Spain)
Wildlife Recovery Centre "El Valle" (Spain)
We followed a competency-based approach using the eTwinning platform (you can see the summary of activities and links to main products here), learning about biological systems, language and scientific research, respecting the veracity of data and valuing scientific knowledge.
Last but not least, the 4 high schools have managed to become part of the European Union's European Blue Schools network, which recognizes those schools that carry out activities for the oceans from an environmental point of view.
Oceans in 1 minute
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