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Virtual Exploration of Georgia’s Coastal Wetlands

“Virtual Exploration of Georgia’s Coastal Wetlands” is a curriculum created by UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant that is designed to connect 7th grade students to the coast from right inside their classrooms.

The curriculum will empower students to become better stewards of coastal ecosystems and watershed resources.

The curriculum features a Virtual Reality (VR) field trip to wetland sites along the Georgia coast. This field trip is at the center of a 5-lesson study of salt marsh ecology, human impacts on the environment, natural hazards, and resiliency.

There are two options for taking the virtual wetland field trip in Lesson 3:

  • Teachers can reserve Oculus Quest 2 headsets for their classroom by clicking here. Quantity is limited and will be distributed on a “first come, first served” basis.
  • Anyone can use the web-based version of the field trip by clicking here.

A unique feature of this curriculum is a virtual reality field trip using Oculus Quest 2 headsets.

Students can visit several coastal wetland sites along the Georgia coast and evaluate the quality of each site.

The web-based wetland field trip is accessible on any device using this link.

Getting Started

To get familiar with each lesson, it is recommended to review the curriculum at a glance booklet here.

Click here for a curriculum at a glance booklet.

Lesson 1: Welcome to the Wetland

Students will be introduced to coastal wetlands and common plants and animals that live in a Georgia salt marsh.

Materials

Lesson 2: Who, What, When, Where & Why of Scientific Data Collection

Students will learn the value of collecting data to monitor coastal environments and explore how they can gather data online.

Materials

Lesson 3: Virtual Wetland Exploration

Using virtual reality technology, students will visit several coastal wetland sites along the Georgia coast and evaluate the quality of each site.

Materials

Lesson 4: Natural Hazards, Human Impacts & Adapting to Climate Change

Students will learn about the role coastal wetlands play in keeping communities resilient in the face of natural hazards.

Materials

Lesson 5: Spartina Beach Activity

Supplemental Resources

Education Standards

This curriculum was designed following Next Generation Science Standards for middle grades and has been tested in coastal Georgia schools. The below booklet highlights the standards met through this curriculum.

Guide to Education Standards

Meet the Authors of the Curriculum

Nina Sassano
Educator and Intern Coordinator, University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant

Katy Smith
Water Quality Program Coordinator, University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the following organizations and individuals for their contributions to curriculum development:

  • Rocket Club for their generous donation
  • Luke Roberson, former Adopt-A-Wetland Coordinator, UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant
  • Jill Gambill, Coastal Community Resilience Specialist, UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant
  • 2021 – 2022 Marine Education Fellows and Education Faculty, UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant
  • UNCW MarineQuest

Contact Us

Please email communications@secoora.org if you have any questions.