Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Egg Carton Stories

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students create stories with better structure when they are able to focus on its characters, setting, and plot. Teacher creates settings, character, and problem cartons with information written on strips of paper.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Animals vs. Humans

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Young scholars use critical thinking skills to solve word problems using ratios that allow them to compare humans to ocean animals.
eBook
Unite for Literacy

Unite for Literacy: Animals: Who Is in the Ocean?

For Students K - 1st
A riddle book about ocean animals. Includes audio narration in 17 additional languages with text in English.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Life in the Ocean

For Teachers 2nd
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the different depth levels of the ocean and the types of animals that live in each. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History: Glowing in the Ocean

For Students Pre-K - 1st
This site focuses on underwater animals that create their own light using bioluminescence. It also provides the lyrics and audio of a catchy tune putting bioluminescence in the spotlight.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: What's in the Oceans? Amazing Ocean Animals

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about some of the animals found in the ocean including: sea turtles, sea urchins, starfish, sea horses, and clownfish. A question sheet is available to help students build skills...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Ocean Planet

For Students 9th - 10th
Detailed website that was a companion to a 1995 traveling exhibit of the Smithsonian. Links to lesson plans and other educational materials are at the bottom of the page. Enter the exhibition to explore the world of the ocean.
Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: Understanding the Ocean Ecosystem

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the two organisms capable of photosynthesis in an ocean ecosystem, the different ocean zones and the plants and animals that live in them, some facts about the ocean, and the five oceans of the world.
eBook
Unite for Literacy

Unite for Literacy: Animals: Ocean Beasties

For Students Pre-K - K
See some of the amazing animals that live in the ocean. Each page has one animal name and a photograph. Includes audio narration in English and Turkish with text in English.
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Timing the Tides

For Students 3rd - 5th
Have you ever been to a tide pool during low tide? Some intertidal animals in the low tide zone are left in a tiny pool of water when the tides go out. Other intertidal animals that live in high tide zones may be left to dry out during...
Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: Animals for Kids: Ocean Sunfish or Mola Fish

For Students 1st - 8th
Kids learn about the Ocean Sunfish or Mola, biggest bony fish in the world.
Unit Plan
Wonderville Media

Wonderville: Ocean Habitats

For Students K - 1st
Habitats are places where plants and animals live. There are many different habitats in the oceans of the world. Every plant and animal in the ocean prefers a particular habitat. Learn about Ocean Habitats in this well-constructed...
Lesson Plan
Other

Ocean Tracks: Fact or Artifact? Interpreting Patterns in Ocean Tracks Data [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Ever wonder where marine animals go? How fast they swim? How deep they dive? Electronic tagging has opened a new window into the world of the open ocean. Ocean Tracks gives you access to data collected by tags on real live migrating...
Unit Plan
Other

Rutgers Marine & Coastal Sciences: Cool Classroom

For Students 9th - 10th
Students and teachers can explore the work of marine scientists and observe the ocean from their computers. Learn about Rutgers Coastal Ocean Observation Laboratory, discover why oceanography is important, and see what life is like in...
Website
Other

New England Aquarium: Climate Change and the Oceans

For Students 9th - 10th
A series of videos accompanied by student activity sheets explore the impact of climate change on the ocean and the animals that live in and around it: sea turtles, jellies, whales, shore birds, lobsters, and coral.
Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Adapting Under Pressure

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students learn about James Cameron's Challenger Deep dive and about the marine animals that live in different layers of the ocean. They then study the characteristics of the hadalpelagic zone at the bottom of the ocean, and imagine and...
Handout
Globio

Glossopedia: Seals

For Students 3rd - 8th
Seals are mammals that live parts of their lives on land and other parts entirely in the water. They breed and care for their babies on land, but spend most of their lives in the ocean. This article provides an in-depth look at these...
Lesson Plan
Teachers.net

Teachers.net: Who Lives in the Sea? A Class Book

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
A lesson plan where students work together to create an alphabet book filled with ocean plants and animals.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Ocean Animal Discovery

For Teachers 2nd
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the discovery of ocean animals. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Activity
The Franklin Institute

Missouri Botanical Garden: Ocean Facts

For Students 3rd - 8th
Click on all the links to find out many interesting facts about the ocean. Why is the ocean blue? Why is it salty? Where do most of the animals and plants live? Which ocean is the biggest? The deepest? How much of the Earth is covered by...
Unit Plan
E-learning for Kids

E Learning for Kids: Science: Antilles: What Are the Environmental Factors of a Habitat?

For Students 3rd - 5th
Join Sam on his journey to the bottom of the sea. Explore beautiful animals living in the sea, and learn about the importance of a well-balanced habitat.
Website
Missouri Botanical Garden

Missouri Botanical Garden: Temperate Oceans Light Zones

For Students 3rd - 8th
Discover the three zones in the ocean which are determined by the amount of light received from the sun. Pictures illustrate the three zones and there is a listing of the animals that live in each zone.
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Harbor Porpoise Movement

For Students 9th - 10th
In this project you can use archived satellite tracking data to learn about activity patterns of harbor porpoises. How far do they travel? Can you find patterns in the routes individual animals take? Can you correlate their route with...
Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: Blue Whale for Kids: Learn About the Giant Mammal.

For Students 1st - 9th
What are blue whales? Kids find out about the largest mammal on earth that lives in the ocean.