Repository Summary
This repository contains the source code and educator resources for the game Ocean Protector.
This project is funded by the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program Award (#NA22OAR017021, 2022-2024).
Game Overview
Ocean Protector is an educational and interactive game that teaches students about the effects of ocean acidification and how they can take action to prevent it. Students begin the program by learning causes and effects of ocean acidification, as well as real-world solutions that can help reduce its impact on marine ecosystems. Following this introduction, students will choose a given role, such as fishing boat captain, marine park ranger, or ocean tour guide. They are then tasked with making decisions for how to reduce OA impacts on their character and marine life. Students will evaluate and select decisions based on the data provided then they will analyze how their decision influenced OA impacts in real-time. This decision-driven experience helps students construct explanations, reason effectively, and become self-directed learners involving OA science and ocean literacy.
The game-based curriculum is currently under development and will be released as free digital program that will be easily accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
Educator Information
If you are an educator, there are multiple resources to help you using Ocean Protector in your classroom. The Educator Guide contains a background and introduction on ocean acidification, followed by a structured lesson plan for using Ocean Protector, including sections for Objectives, Background, Materials, and Procedures. Complementary material is also supplied, including documents that describe how Ocean Protector aligns with Next Generation Science Standards and an example of Module Integration. Finally, the documents that students have access to within the game are also provided.
If you have additional questions and/or would like a live demonstration in your classroom we would be happy to talk with you! Our email is listed at the top of this page: https://github.com/Ocean-Protector-Game.