Ocean Basin Teacher Resources

With about 70% of the earth's surface covered in oceans, it's fair to say that we live in a very wet world. Young scientists gain a better appreciation of this fact as they use maps to identify the world's ocean basins in the first...

Identify the Seven Seas and the Five Basins with your class. They examine the significance of ocean currents and how they affect humans. They label a map, answer discussion questions, conduct research, and write a letter.

Go on a tour of the ocean through the lens of a scientist. Learners read maps of the ocean floor, study tide behavior, examine wave motion, and analyze components of soil. Each lesson incorporates a hands-on component.

How can organisms light up in water? Bioluminescence is light produced in a chemical reaction that can occur in an organism's body. First, learners determine what happens to light/color as you move into the deep ocean. In groups, they...

Give science learners nine questions about the biogeography of hydrothermal vents and turn them loose to research this fascinating habitat. Working in cooperative groups, they prepare a report that addresses each of the questions. A...

Your introductory lesson to oceanography can be outlined with this apropos presentation. It touches on the physical features of the ocean floor, waves, tides, and currents. One small issue is that some of the graphics are not of the...

Economic principles and world history are beautifully woven together in this history presentation on medieval Indian Ocean trading. The narrator discusses the unprecedented self-regulation executed by merchants along the Indian Ocean...

In this ocean water worksheet, students use 6 given terms related to ocean water, early Earth and ocean components to complete the sentences. They also answer 4 questions about seawater, the effects of volcanoes on oceans and ocean life.

Take young scientists into the depths of the world's ocean with the second instructional activity of this three-part earth science series. After first drawing pictures representing how they imagine the bottom of the ocean to appear,...

Practice reading comprehension by approaching oceanography through 2 pages of informational text. The text compares the ocean floor to the Grand Canyon to gives students perspective, and gives a brief coverage of the earth's crust and...

In this science worksheet, students look for the location of various storms that develop in the Atlantic Ocean with this hurricane tracking map.

Students explore marine life by conducting a rubber duck experiment. For this water currents lesson, students practice identifying latitude and longitude coordinates on a map and define the currents of major oceans. Students discuss the...

Does the sea temperature in the Pacific Ocean impact the number of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean? Scholars explore this question through a data analysis project. After collecting, graphing, and analyzing the data, a writing prompt...

Learners work together to create a model of the ocean floor. They practice using new vocabulary associated with the ocean floor as well. They share their model with the class.

Marine biologists research sea ice communities. Assign some groups to construct paper models of sea ice communities in winter, and some to construct models of them in summer. The lesson is simplistic, but the Internet resources provided...

Six short answer questions challenge scholars to show what they know after reading an informational text that examines waves—what they are, what causes them, and how different Earth factors affect their size and strength.   

Students explore oceanography by participating in a flash card activity. In this ocean inhabitant instructional activity, students define a list of ocean related vocabulary terms and answer ocean geography study questions. Students...

In this surface water worksheet, students review water runoff, drainage basins, and river erosion. This worksheet has 7 multiple choice and 3 fill in the blank questions.

Students explore Earth science by conducting a water experiment. In this ocean properties lesson, students identify the causes of waves and tsunamis and read assigned text about ocean science. Students utilize water and a dish in class...

Young scholars identify the three realms of the Arctic Ocean, and describe the relationships between these realms. They graphically analyze data on sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean, and recognize a trend in these data.

Young scholars examine the major paths of water on the Earth's surface, and to investigate the many factors that contribute to those paths. Students demonstrate their understanding of a watershed by identifying the defining features of a...

Fourth graders plot points on a graph, connect the dots to make the ocean floor profile and label the topographical features. They utilize a worksheet and a website imbedded in this plan to plot the ocean floor.

High schoolers determine some practical implications of the discovery of liquid carbon dioxide in deep-ocean ecosystems. They interpret phase diagrams and explain the meaning of "critical point" and "triple point."

Students explore and model the characteristics of the ocean floor and near shore environments through in-class demonstrations, laboratory activities, and internet research. They use classroom materials to research the characteristics of...