Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Secrets in a Grain of Sand

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students working in small groups examine beach sand to discover signs of erosion, weathering, ocean currents and waves. They present their findings to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

CURRENT AND CLIMATE

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Pupils study currents and how they have been used to plot courses for travel. They examine the ocean currents in both the Atlantic and Pacific and discuss their effect on local weather.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Warm is the Water?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research how surface sea temperature changes throughout the year. They draw a time series of sea surface temperatures for each month of the year and a depth profile for a summer and winter month using an OceanExplorer Profiler...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water, Water, Everywhere!

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students become aware of the important role the ocean plays in our lives. Students will gain general knowledge about the ocean by reading information on the Internet. They discover the weather events generated by ocean conditions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trash Traits: Marine Debris, Litter, Ecology, Oceans

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students perform experiments to examine whether trash can float, blow around, or wash away. The effects of these characteristics on the presence of marine debris in the environment are then discussed.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

If I Can't See It, How Do I Know It's There?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students build a model ocean using a variety of materials representing the various levels of the ocean. They collect data about the ocean floor in a partner activity. They practice working with topographical mapping grids.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Winds Over Land vs. Ocean

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore friction and the way it impacts wind over the ocean compared to over land.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Oceanography Class Quilt

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students create and observe a collage of oceanography topics that be placed on quilt tiles in a culmination art project to represent information learned.
Unit Plan
American Geosciences Institute

American Geosciences Institute: Oceans

For Students 6th - 8th
Seven hands-on lessons module in which students explore oceans. Inquiry-based investigations include properties of seawater, ocean water and currents, and features of the ocean floor.
Handout
Scholastic

Scholastic: Ocean Life

For Students 9th - 10th
Good starting point for researching ocean life. Find general information, research-topic ideas, a glossary of important terms and people, and numerous links to related sites.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Magazine: Eco Center: The Oceans

For Students 9th - 10th
Students explore the potential problems and fascinating phenomena of the oceans. Some topics investigated are climate change, nutrient pollution, and fishing. The resource consists of a quiz, slideshows, articles, and video clips.
Website
Rice University

Rice University: Ocean Currents and Tides

For Students 9th - 10th
This URL will start you out at the site map for Rice University's study of longitude and navigation. Scroll to the section titled "Oceans" and you will find some very good information on surface currents, especially those of the South...
Unit Plan
The Wild Classroom

The Wild Classroom: Biomes of the World: Oceanic Pelagic Biome

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the oceanic pelagic ecosystem. Find out about plants, animals, adaptations, and conservation efforts.
Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Sylvia Earle's Ted Prize Wish to Protect Our Oceans

For Students 9th - 10th
What's been happening to the world's oceans over the past 50 years? Ocean researcher, Sylvia Earle, shares breathtaking images of the ocean and surprising details about the many problems plaguing its health. [18:12]
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Swimming in Acid: Understanding Ocean Acidification

For Students 9th - 10th
The oceans are a precious natural resource, part of Earth's carbon cycle. But what happens if the oceans absorb too much carbon dioxide? Many scientists are concerned that the increased absorption of carbon dioxide is causing them to...
Handout
Simon Fraser University

Chem1 Virtual Textbook: The Hydrosphere and the Oceans

For Students 9th - 10th
As part of the General Chemistry Virtual Textbook, this site examines a variety of topics related to the hydrosphere and the oceans. Topics covered include where the water came from, the hydrologic cycle, Oceanic circulation, atmospheric...
Activity
Missouri Botanical Garden

Missouri Botanical Garden: What's It Like Where You Live? (Oceans)

For Students 9th - 10th
This site contains a wealth of information. You can click on shorelines, temperate oceans and tropical oceans. Each page contains links to even more information.
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian: Ocean Planet: Interdisciplinary Marine Science Activities

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Smithsonian Institution presents ?Ocean Planet: Interdisciplinary Marine Science Activities?. Through this series of six interdisciplinary lessons, students will look at such things as the organisms in different marine ecosystems, the...
Article
American Institute of Biological Sciences

Action Bioscience: America's Oceans in Crisis

For Students 9th - 10th
Discover some of the current problems within our oceans and how those problems could affect life on Earth.
Article
Society for Science and the Public

Science News for Students: Ocean Animals Have Mushroomed in Size

For Students 3rd - 8th
Article reports on the increasing size of ocean animals over the millenia. Includes a list of key vocabulary.
Handout
Encyclopedia of Earth

Encyclopedia of Earth: Arctic Ocean

For Students 9th - 10th
Lengthy illustrated article about the Arctic Ocean discusses all the many features and characteristics of this vast northern ocean--sea ice, icebergs, ice shelves, ice islands, the Arctic Ocean floor, continental shelf--as well as the...
Handout
University of California

Ucmp: The World's Biomes

For Students 9th - 10th
This is an introduction to the major biomes on Earth. This page groups biomes into five major types: aquatic, deserts, forests, grasslands, and tundra. Information on climate, animal/plant life, and much more is given for each of type...
Activity
SEDL

Oceans [Pdf]

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
This large PDF file integrates math, science, and language into several lessons about characteristics of the oceans. Topics include ocean currents, tides, density, marine life, and pollution.
Unit Plan
Other

Rutgers: c.o.o.l. Class: Physics Project: Plankton and Ocean Current

For Students 9th - 10th
This c.o.o.l. Project focuses on tiny sea plankton and how they move in the oceans. Follow the scientific process outlined on the left, calculate and collect data to form your own predictions.