New Bedford Whaling Museum

The New Bedford Whaling Museum will develop, implement, market, and evaluate a suite of educational programs and resources to complement its new permanent exhibition, Whales Today. The project will primarily serve southeastern Massachusetts students and teachers in grades 2-12, with an emphasis on fourth-sixth graders in the New Bedford Public School system. Project activities will include the development of a marine science curriculum, with corresponding professional development for teachers, and the implementation of new structured field trips with corresponding docent training and web content for students and teachers who visit the museum exhibit. The museum will design all project components to reinforce Next Generation Science Standards and Massachusetts science curriculum frameworks. The Whales Today exhibit and related educational programming will address a significant need for life science education in the New Bedford Public Schools as well as supporting improved student scores on statewide science and technology assessments.