AquaPartners
Long-Term Educational Engagement
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Duration
Multiple Days
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Grades
3 - 5
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Price
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Where
Main Aquarium Campus,
Your School or Location,
In the Field
Overview
AquaPartners is a paid, cross-curricular Chesapeake Bay education program for students in grades 3 through 5, open to any interested public or private school within one hour's travel time from the National Aquarium.
AquaPartners features in-school auditorium and classroom programs, hands-on lab investigations, and field experiences in local ecosystems for all grades. All pre- and post-activities and materials are correlated with the Next Generation Science Standards.
AquaPartners is a fee-based program. To learn more about participating, please contact our conservation education team at schoolprograms@aqua.org.
Empowering Students
AquaPartners empowers students to learn about the mighty Chesapeake Bay and its habitats, develop confidence in themselves as conservation leaders and gain valuable hands-on STEAM-based experience. Participating teachers will benefit through increased science and conservation content knowledge and enhanced confidence in their strengths as science instructors. Participation in AquaPartners can also help schools meet Maryland Green Schools Award criteria and align their curriculum with Maryland state environmental literacy goals.
AquaPartners Activities
Each grade's AquaPartners curriculum includes classroom/auditorium presentations and themed activities for the fall/winter semester. Field trips are planned for the spring semester. In addition to educational programming, students and their families receive free admission to a Family Night, held at the Aquarium in the spring.
- One-hour classroom program, "Maryland's Aquatic Habitats"
- One-hour classroom activity, "Marsh Field Biologist Exploration"
- Full-day field trip to the National Aquarium and our outdoor Harbor Wetland exhibit
- One-hour auditorium presentation, "Watershed Connections," and accompanying "Trash in the Marsh" classroom lab for multiple classes
- One-hour "Microplastic Investigation" classroom lab for multiple classes
- Full-day field trip to the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine wetland
- One-hour auditorium presentation, "Oyster Reefs," and accompanying classroom lab for multiple classes
- One-hour "Chesapeake Bay Exploration" classroom lab for multiple classes
- Full-day field trip to Sandy Point State Park guided by Aquarium education staff
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice
The National Aquarium is dedicated to creating an environment that is inclusive, equitable and accessible to people from all backgrounds. We cannot successfully change the way humanity cares for our ocean planet without connecting with and appreciating the broad diversity of identities, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives that make our community unique.