Winged Ambassadors
The site offers a free, five‑lesson classroom curriculum titled Winged Ambassadors: Ocean Literacy Through the Eyes of Albatross, developed in partnership with NOAA, Oikonos, and other agencies. Aimed primarily at grades 6–8 (with extensions for 9–12), the lessons use real albatross migration data, artist-scientist works, and National Geographic bolus (regurgitated food mass) imagery to explore seabird biology, ocean ecosystems, marine debris, and human impact. Each unit includes detailed lesson plans, student worksheets, presentations, discussion prompts, and resources like interactive activities, mapping tools, and videos.
The program follows inquiry-based “5E” pedagogy, aligns with Next Generation Science, Common Core, and Ocean Literacy standards, and is designed to be used either as a complete unit or as standalone lessons. Teachers can choose from topics like seabird life cycles, GPS tracking, ocean hotspot protection, bolus plastic analysis, and campus debris surveys. The flexible materials support differentiated learning and offer both digital and printable options for a customizable classroom experience
Oikonos is a nonprofit focused on studying and protecting vulnerable ecosystems and species by blending science, art, and community collaboration. They’ve led over 200 conservation projects worldwide—ranging from seabird monitoring and bycatch reduction to plastic pollution research and policy support. With initiatives spanning Hawaiʻi, California, Chile, the Bering Sea, and beyond, their work isn’t just in the field—it’s in engaging diverse communities and shaping science-informed solutions.
Their tie to the Winged Ambassadors program is deep and central. Oikonos not only helped design and manage this free, five-lesson curriculum—created in partnership with NOAA, USGS, Marine Sanctuaries, and others—but also supports its hands-on components, like using real albatross migration tracks and analyzing regurgitated boluses filled with marine debris. They’ve rolled out this toolkit since around 2012, reaching thousands of teachers and hundreds of thousands of students around the globe. Beyond simply providing lesson plans, Oikonos connects classrooms to real-world marine science by coordinating bolus sample projects from places like Kure Atoll and embedding their broader ecosystem research into the lessons