Middle & High School Curriculum

artistic wave content divider

Tijuana Estuary High School Teacher's Guide

Grades 6-12

The Tijuana Estuary High School Teachers’ Guide is an interdisciplinary high school curriculum designed to educate students about the valuable Tijuana River Estuary natural and cultural resources. It was developed to align to State Content Standards and it is one of the few high school field-based estuary science programs in the county. The target audiences of the Teachers’ Guide are the biology, ecology, marine science, English, and art students and teachers in San Diego County, especially South Bay.

The Curriculum

The following pdf files make up the Tijuana Estuary High School Teachers’ Guide, they include both the chapters and lesson plans to be done in the classroom and also the field trip guide for programs done here at the Reserve which are based upon the knowledge gained in the classroom portions of the teacher’s guide. Please be sure to read the introduction first to get a better understanding of how to use this curriculum:

Estuaries 101

To complement the Tijuana Estuary High School Teachers’ Guide, we recommend using our national program’s Estuaries 101 Curriculum. This on-line science curriculum from NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System, provides powerful ways for students to learn fundamental concepts in science, develop scientific thinking skills, and explore the nation’s biologically rich and economically important estuaries. Estuaries 101 modules feature hands-on learning, experiments, field-based activities and data explorations.

Teacher Training

Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE)

TOTE is a teacher training program that explores Authentic Data Literacy and brings coastal research into the classroom. Designed for middle and high school teachers.

At this training you will:

  • See and experience science being done at the Tijuana River NERR and learn how you can use it to enhance your teaching.
  • Interact with Reserve researchers, visit wetland restoration sites, and see the long-term monitoring that is used to manage these projects (living experiments).
  • Find out how to integrate your training experiences with online nationwide Reserve data and our virtual and in-person monitoring-based field trips.

The annual Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE) training generally takes place in May. If you have questions about when a training program will be offered or would like to inquire about coordinating a training for a group of educators, please contact Anne Marie Tipton at 619-575-3613 ext.304 or .

Learn more about additional teacher training opportunities provided by the Tijuana Estuary.

Teachers participate in a training session at the Tijuana Estuary
Local San Diego middle and high school teachers attend the (TOTE) Teachers On The Estuary, a teacher training program that explores Authentic Data Literacy and brings coastal research into the classroom.

Schedule your class trip

Reservations: Field trips should be booked at least 2 weeks in advance.
Cost: No fee for this program.