Curated OER
The Caspian Sea
In this comprehension and geography worksheet, students read an article about the Caspian Sea, identifying where it is located and what countries surround it. Then they describe three parts of the sea, what are tributaries, and how many...
Curated OER
Galapagos: Beyond Darwin
Students identify plants and animals endemic in their local area after learning about the plants and animals of the Galapagos Islands. In this plants and animals lesson plan, students create an endemic garden on school grounds.
Curated OER
California Biodiversity
Students examine several maps of California exhibiting features such as precipitation, topography, and vegetation. They look for patterns that might be the source of or influence biodiversity in different regions. They pay particular...
Channel Islands Film
Island Rotation: Lesson Plan 4
Foster's Rule? Allopatric speciation? After watching West of the West's documentary Island Rotation, class members use Venn diagrams to compare endemic species on the Channel Islands with mainland related species. They then create a...
Curated OER
HABITAT for the other 90%
Learners examine the connection between the habitat needs of endemic species to the habitat needs of humans. In this habitat lesson students research the habitat requirements of a given family then develop an idea to improve the habitat...
Curated OER
Galapagos - Discover the Diversity
Pretend you are exploring a newly discovered species of fish in the Galapagos. Your budding marine biologists access FishBase Database's list of marine/brackish fishes and choose one to research. The link through this website does not...
Curated OER
Let's Get Specific
Students explore how different species thrive. In this speciation lesson students research and complete a lab activity.
Curated OER
Exploring Limu Diversity
Students explore limu diversity. In this ocean ecosystem lesson, students classify limu according to its physical properties. Students work in small groups to generate scientific observations and sort limu by characteristics.
Curated OER
Round and Round
Learners interpret data from a three-dimensional array of current monitors to determine an overall pattern of water circulation. They hypothesize what effect an observed water circulation pattern might have on seamount fauna. A very...
Curated OER
Sustainability
Here is an in-depth, and incredibly thorough lesson plan on sustainable agricultural practices; specifically, regarding the growth of coffee. After completing and discussing a worksheet called "Thinking About Tomorrow," groups of...
Ocean Explorer
Easy as Pi
Seamounts are large, extinct volcanoes that rise up from the bottom of the ocean floor. They are a relatively new landform in the scientific community, and this activity invites students to learn about the amazing diversity of life found...
ARKive
Galapagos Conservation
The Galapagos Islands inspired Darwin to develop his theory of evolution. These wonderful islands will also be the topic of a lesson on habitat and conservation. In small groups, learners will collect and synthesize information regarding...
Curated OER
History's Thermometers
Ancient coral beds give scientists clues to past ocean temperatures in much the same way that tree rings indicate historical weather conditions. High school scientists examine coral oxygen isotope ratios and plot the data as a function...
NOAA
What's the Difference?
Due to the isolation of seamounts, their biodiversity offers a great deal of information on the development of biological and physical processes. Pupils use simple cluster analysis to rate the similarity and differences in biological...
Teach Engineering
Food Chains and Food Webs - Balance within Natural Systems
Feast on an informative resource. Scholars learn about food chains and food webs and how these interactions give information about the natural community. A PowerPoint presentation provides information about this concept.
Global Change
Impact of Climate Change on the Desert Pupfish
A fish that lives in the desert? You and your class can meet the desert pupfish as they examine its habitat, the role humans play in diminishing water supplies, and how climate change might impact this fishy friend. There are four short...
Teach Engineering
Designing a Winning Guest Village in the Saguaro National Park
Don't desert a resource on the desert! Scholars work in groups to build on their ideas from the previous lesson to design a sustainable guest village in the Saguaro National Park. Each group produces a PowerPoint presentation to share...
Channel Islands Film
Santa Cruz Island - Visible Thinking Routines
Visible Thinking Routines are designed to help learners deepen their understanding of what they are learning and enable them to communicate their understanding of concepts to others. Individuals adopt one of these routines to use to...
Curated OER
Sea Turtles and Nesting Behavior
Students explore the nesting behavior used by sea turtles and explain how these behaviors are beneficial in the survival of a species. They discuss the advantages and disadvantages that sea turtles have be mass nesting. They identify...
Curated OER
Vocab-u-lous! Build a Fabulous Vocab
In this vocabulary worksheet, students decipher the best word choice to complete the sentence. All words begin with the letter "E."
Curated OER
Alien Invasions
Students create an educational pamphlet on the origins, spread and impact of invasive plant species in their community.
Curated OER
Hawaiian Bird Beak Adaptation
Students explore adaptation by participating in a lab activity. In this bird characteristics lesson, students discuss the different purposes birds have for their beaks and conduct an experiment testing which beaks collect food best....
Curated OER
Happy Face Spider Propagation
Students research genetic adaptations. In this chromosome lesson plan, students investigate dominant and recessive genes using spiders indigenous to Hawaii. Students create Punnett squares to determine the probability of passing specific...
Curated OER
A Piece of Cake
Young scholars examine life under the sea to discover coral gardens and microhabitats. They demonstrate learning by creating an edible marine ecosystem with a sheet cake, icing, and different candies.