Students are presented with the question, "Do plants that grow underwater use oxygen?" They create an experiment to test the presence of dissolved oxygen in the water using provided materials. Student experiments include a control jar as...

Students work together to identify marine debris. They explain the effect of the debris on various ecosystems. They draw different types of ocean currents as well.

Young scholars are taught that plants produce oxygen underwater, and they design an experiment that test this question. They discuss whether plants give off oxygen, and how to measure this. Students measure the increase in dissolved...

Students complete a worksheet while watching a video about how humans affect the ocean environment. They discover the need for a practice of balancing fisheries and their fishing practices. They examine how scientists use data to help...

Students identify and analyze the various roles organisms play in food webs, populations, communities and ecosystems. Students assess the requirements for sustaining healthy local ecosystems. STudents evaluate human impacts on local...

Students explore pond ecosystems.  For this pond organism activity, students will use pond water and a plastic bad in order to locate and identify freshwater organisms.  The activity is designed for younger grades, but...

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 lesson invites students to learn about the amazing diversity of life found...

Students study animal classification and their interactions.  In this animals and engineering lesson students study animal communities and how engineers use this knowledge to create new technologies. 

Students complete a worksheet while viewing a film about sharks. They examine the reasons for overfishing of the oceans. They identify predator-prey relationships as well.

Students explore how gene sequence analysis can be used to examine phylogenetic similarities of different organisms. Students work in groups to simulate a gel electrophoresis separation of fragments using poster board to create their gel.

Students compare and contrast the properties of salt water in the oceans/seas and freshwater elsewhere on the planet. They also analyze mixing caused by currents in the ocean, including the effects of warm and cold water as well as with...

Students participate in a web of life game. After reviewing new vocabulary, they play each round of the game and discuss the changes that occured in the last round. They are to survive in the game as long as possible given the...

Students identify the environmental elements of river and lake mussels. They compare the elements to the time before settlement and during industrialization. They also participate in a field trip to a mussel exhibit.

Students research the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and complete experiments to study the effects of oil spills. In this oil spill lesson, students read the NY Times feature on the gulf oil spill. Students visit various links to research the...