Curated OER
Where is That Light Coming From?
Young scholars investigate the chemistry of bioluminescence and discuss how various organisms benefit from this trait. They prepare a report about of at least one organism that receives each of the benefits discussed.
Curated OER
Dinoflagallates of Bioluminescent Bay
Fifth graders research dinoflagallates of the Bioluminescent Bay. They research the Internet for pictures of the Bio Bay and discuss the difference between ecosystems and ecoregions. They research a marine ecoregion and create a poster.
Curated OER
Light Up the Deep Sea
Students simulate bioluminescence in the marine environment. In this marine science lesson, students investigate how animals in the deep ocean communicate with each other. They explain the function of bioluminescence among marine organisms.
NOAA
Ocean Zones
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...
Towson University
Transformation Lab
Transform your class' understanding of genes and antibiotic resistance with the Transformation Lab. Junior geneticists create and observe their own resistant strains of E. coli through research, discussion, and experimentation. The...
NOAA
Fishy Deep-sea Designs!
Oceans represent more than 80 percent of all habitats, yet we know less about them than most other habitats on the planet. The instructor introduces the epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, twilight, and midnight zones in the ocean....
Wilderness Classroom
Ocean Life
Our oceans are composed of many complex relationships. Young oceanographers explore relationships between organisms, understand the world ocean's currents, and discover the effects of water pollution and how it behaves. There are three...
Umaine Museum of Art
Bony Fish Anatomy Worksheet
Take time to appreciate the beauty in the anatomy of animals with this cross-curricular art and science activity. After viewing examples of fish-themed artwork, children complete the included worksheet by labeling the different parts of...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Bacterial Quorum Sensing
The marine bacteria vibrio harveyi helps with DNA repair in humans. Understanding how to manipulate and genetically mutate this bacteria fascinates researchers. Young scientists observe two different mutations, predict the resulting...
Biology Junction
Water Biomes
Water covers more than 70 percent of Earth's surface. Scholars learn about both freshwater and saltwater biomes in a simple presentation. They compare and contrast the differences in oxygen levels, food sources, and sunlight to better...
Smithsonian Institution
Expedition: Insects
Get up close and personal with beautiful and sometimes dangerous insects in an exciting eBook activity! Pupils practice geography skills by reading a map with the location of six different insects. Scientists read about each insect,...
Curated OER
All That Glitters...
Students study that white light (visible light) is comprised of all colors of the spectrum. They study that the quantity of light decreases with increasing depth in the ocean. They study that the quality of light changes with increasing...
Curated OER
Cool Lights
Students investigate how and why deep-sea organisms produce light. They examine how these processes can be used to study deep ocean environments.
Curated OER
Goals of the Diversity of Life Unit
Students are introduced to the unit on the importance of diversity of life and the role that interdependence plays in our worlds. this is part of a multi-lesson unit on the diversity of life.
Curated OER
What is Diversity of Life?
Students are introduced to the variety of organisms in our world. this lesson is a part of a multi-segmented unit on specie diversity. this segment explores distribution of life on land and sea.
Curated OER
Kingdom Animalia
Students are introduced to the basic characteristics of the animal kingdom. this lesson plan is part of a multi-segmented unit on the diversity of life. In this segment, students explore the the members of a few phyla of the animal kingdom.
Curated OER
Tackling Taxonomy
Learners study physical characteristics of separate phyla and place them into similar groups. This lesson is part of a multi-segmented unit on the diversity of life. students develop a classification system by grouping animals into...
Curated OER
Creative Classification
Students create an animal by using physical characteristics to classify that animal in the Linnaean Classification System. This lesson is part of a multi-segmented unit on the diversity of life.
Curated OER
Missing Links
Learners change one animal group into another animal group by changing only a few body characteristics. This lesson is part of a multi-segmented unit on the diversity of life. In this session, students the basis of classification.
Curated OER
Diversity Debate
Students investigate the importance of dependency and diversity in a rain forest ecosystem. This lesson is part of a multi-segmented unit on the diversity of life.
Curated OER
Lights in the Deep
Young scholars describe, compare, and contrast bioluminescence, fluorescence, phosphorescence, and chemiluminescence. They explain the role of three major components of bioluminescent systems. They ex
Curated OER
Producing a Strain of E. coli that Glows in the Dark
Students observe the experimental process called bacterial transformation and demonstrate phenotype changes in bacteria that have been transformed with an antibiotic-resistance gene and a metabolic marker. They create a luminescent...
Curated OER
How to Hide in the Ocean
Students observe and discuss the advantages of camouflage, then try their hands at designing a well-camouflaged fish.
Biology Junction
Cnidarians and Ctenophorans
Cnidaria is a broad phylum of 11,000 different species from jellyfish to coral. Most Cnidarians are marine species with a few freshwater examples. A lesson presentation explains the important characteristics of different species of both...