Virtual Coastal Dynamics

Welcome to the

Coastal Dynamics Education Program!

Welcome to the Coastal Dynamics program!  During this virtual program, junior high and high school students take a step into the shoes of coastal engineers to help us understand how Crystal Cove State Park’s Beaches are changing.

The Coastal Dynamics education program is the result of a collaboration between Crystal Cove Conservancy, Crystal Cove State Park, and researchers at UC Irvine’s Samueli School of Engineering to monitor our everchanging coastlines.  Coastal Dynamics participants will learn about how our coasts and beaches are changing, collect and analyze beach erosion data, and develop recommendations to share with State Park resource managers.

The educational curriculum is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards for middle and high school. The curriculum includes twelve lessons, each lasting 45-60 minutes.

Please visit our field trip page for information on booking an in-person trip.

 How to Join

The virtual version of the Coastal Dynamics education program is free for everyone! If you are a teacher or homeschool educator and would like to join Coastal Dynamics for the 2023-2024 school year, please complete this survey and let us know.

If you have any questions about the program, feel free to contact Alyssa Aldaz, Education Manager, by emailing alyssa@crystalcove.org.

Teacher Professional Development

We highly recommend that all teachers, educators, and parents who will be facilitating the Costal Dynamics education program attend an online professional development session.  This training gives an overview of the program, an introduction to the different lessons, and walks you through general teaching logistics.  We will also offer specialized trainings focused on aspects of the program, such as building computer models or analyzing data.

Please check back in the 2025-2026 school year for available teacher workshop dates!

Virtual Coastal Dynamics Curriculum

Teacher & Educator Resources

• Teacher Guide (PDF)
• Student Pre-Program Assessment
• Student Post-Program Assessment 

Session 1: Defining the Problem

• Session 1 Lesson Guide (PDF)
• Session 1 Slideshow
• Exploring Crystal Cove’s North Beach Thinglink
• Session 1 Field Notebook Template

Session 2: Designing a Model

• Session 2 Lesson Guide (PDF)
• Session 2 Slideshow:
  • SageModeler Version
  • Padlet Version
• Session 2 Field Notebook Template

Session 3: Diving Deeper (Optional)

• Session 3 Lesson Guide (PDF)
• Session 3 Slideshows:
  • Introduction to Session 3
  • Introduction to Lateral Search

Session 4: Refining Our Model (Optional)

• Session 4 Lesson Guide (PDF)
• Session 4 Slideshow
• Session 4 Field Notebook Template

Session 5: Collecting Data

• Session 5 Lesson Guide (PDF)
• Session 5 Slideshow
• Session 5 Field Expedition Thinglink
• Session 5 Data Processing Webpages:
  • Beach Profiles
  • Wave Dynamics
  • Sediment Composition
• Session 5 Field Notebook Template

Session 6: Creating Three-Dimensional Representations (Optional)

• Session 6 Lesson Guide (PDF)
• Session 6 Octave Slideshow 
  • How to get Started with GNU Octave VoiceThread
  • GNU Octave Files (Dropbox)
• Session 6 Written Instructions for GNU Octave
• Session 6 Field Notebook Template

Session 7: Analyzing Data

• Session 7 Lesson Guide (PDF)
• Session 7 Slideshow
  • SageModeler Data Analysis Template
• Session 7 Field Notebook Template

Session 8: Refining Our Problem Statement

• Session 8 Lesson Guide (PDF)
• Session 8 Slideshow
• Session 8 Field Notebook Template

Session 9: Developing a Solution

• Session 9 Lesson Guide (PDF)
• Session 9 Slideshow
• Session 9 Field Notebook Template

Session 10: Sharing Our Solution

• Session 10 Lesson Guide (PDF)
• Session 10 Slideshow
• Session 10 Field Notebook Template

Have any other questions? Please contact Alyssa Aldaz by emailing alyssa@crystalcove.org for more information!