Curated OER
Oil on the Beach
Students explore how oil pollutes the oceans. In this science lesson, students investigate various materials that could be used to clean up an oil spill. Students discuss which materials worked best and how humans can reduce oil spills.
Polar Trec
Rings of Life
Individuals analyze tree rings to determine the health of an ecosystem. They then look at otoliths of fish, hard calcium carbonate structures located behind the brain, in the same manner.
Marine Institute
Water Pollution
Sixth graders investigate the various types of pollutants found in water and ways to help prevent water pollution. Through a hands-on experiment, students create samples of polluted water by mixing water with vegetable oil, dirt, and...
Curated OER
Start at the Very Beginning
Students explore ocean ecosystems. In this cross curriculum art and oceans lesson, students create a collage featuring three-finger algae using sand paper, tissue paper, and construction paper.
Curated OER
The Nutrient Cycles
Students investigate the circle of sea life by creating nitrogen compound models. In this oceanography lesson, students discuss sea creatures and where their waste goes. Students identify nitrogen cycles in the ocean by viewing...
Curated OER
Monterey Bay
Young scholars read background information about Monterey Bay, California, and conduct related experiments. In this ocean in motion lesson, students read information about the location, wildlife, and characteristics of Monterey Bay. They...
Curated OER
Animals of the Lost City
Begin with a demonstration of exothermic reactions and discussion of chemosynthesis. Your aspiring oceanographers research vent communities and then craft a mural of a vent community. This is a terrific method of introducing learners to...
University of California
Plankton
Plankton: so much more than just a SpongeBob character. Three different activities have kids looking at both phytoplankton and zooplankton in pictures, as well as collecting their own samples (depending on your access to a saltwater...
Curated OER
Under the Sea
Tropical fish are a great subject for any art project, they are colorful, interesting, and can go along with under water themed stories read in class, learner written narratives, or Marine Biology units. This set of instructions will...
Curated OER
Sand Explorations
Young scholars experiment with different samples of sand from Maui leeward and windward beaches. They create a sand map to suggest at least one contributing factor for the formation of each beach sample. They test the samples to...
Michigan Sea Grant
Great Lakes, Great Careers
Pupils play a question-asking game to investigate careers relating to marine and aquatic science, then conduct research to further investigate the career of their choice—examples range from marine veterinarian to underwater...
Curated OER
Under the Sea Webquest
Fourth graders work in small groups to research a selected species of ocean creature. They conduct Internet research, complete a WebQuest and worksheet, and complete a group oral presentation that includes an illustration of the food...
Curated OER
Journey to the Unknown
Students explore the ocean depths. In this scenario based lesson plan, students pretend they are on a submarine in an unknown part of the ocean. By using clues the class discusses and determines where they are in the ocean. They follow...
Curated OER
Introduction to Coral Reefs
Students identify locations of coral reefs, both in the water and around the globe, identify relative depth of corals in the ocean by observing behavior of cold and warm saltwater, and create models of coral reefs.
Curated OER
The Intertidal Zone: Tide and How Creatures Survive
Students explore oceanography by completing science worksheets. In this tide pools instructional activity, students discuss the forces of the tide pools, the animals that live within them, and the impact they have on the rest of the...
Curated OER
Nature Superfish
Young scholars study the behavior or ocean animals called billfish. For this life science lesson, students create their own documentary about a local animal. They share their videos with the entire school.
Curated OER
Magic School Bus: The Wild Whale Watch Lesson Plan
Young scholars research information about whales. In this early childhood lesson plan, students create an illustration of a whale to display in a sea scene in the classroom. Young scholars then use the library and internet to research...
Curated OER
Water Layering and Circulation
Young scholars examine relationships and interactions between different types of water. They experiment with colored water of different temperature and salinity and discuss how the results relate to real ocean currents.
Curated OER
Let's Go Fact Fishing!
Students work in pairs to research animals in the ocean. They use the Internet, encyclopedias, and resource books to complete an information sheet with a photo of the animal and three facts. They present their mini-reports to the class.
Curated OER
Salmon Homing Instincts
Students identify the stages of the salmon life cycle. In this fish activity, students experience first hand what it would be like to be a returning salmon attempting to identify a home stream by smell.
Curated OER
Getting Food
Young scholars complete activities to learn about the ocean food web. In this ocean life lesson, students discuss how the tides affect feeding, learn about filter feeders, grazers, predators, and scavengers. Young scholars then group the...
NOAA
To Explore Strange New Worlds
It's time to boldly go where your class has not gone before! The introductory instructional activity in a five-part series takes young oceanographers aboard the NOAA Ship Okeanos to begin a study of ocean exploration. The instructional...
Wilderness Classroom
Pollution
Educate scholars on pollution—air, water, and land—with a series of lessons that begin with a thorough explanation of each type. Learners then take part in three activities to reinforce the importance of reducing pollution. They...
Curated OER
Earth's Water
If the majority of our planet is covered with water, why do we need to bother conserving it? With a thorough and varied investigation into the location and types of water on the earth, learners will gain an understanding of why this...