Curated OER
Mountains in the Sea Exploration No Escape
High schoolers study data to hypothesis about the influence of a water circulation cell on the retention of benthic invertebrate larvae in the area of a seamount. They investigate the positives and negatives of larvae retention in this...
Curated OER
How do living and non-living structures affect coral reef habitats?
Students create model coral reefs showing surface area and including examples of communities. In this coral reef activity, students research and explore the functions or benefits from a coral reef. Students design a benthic habitat....
Curated OER
What's Down There
Students write an essay about the coral reefs. In this oceanography lesson plan, students investigate the reef of Bonaire and compare it to reefs that are not thriving. Students then explore the differences that contribute to the...
NOAA
What's New?
Biodiversity in some areas is more diverse than one might think. Using a two-day lesson, pupils consider the biodiversity of the Hudson Canyon and the characteristics of one organism. They begin with an analysis of the common earthworm...
Curated OER
No Escape
Via four student handouts, marine biology learners examine the topography and circulation cell of the Fieberilng guyot. Then they examine the number of individual hydroids counted at each depth. Pupils use the information to relate water...
Curated OER
To See or Not to See
Students identify and discuss key factors that determine how effective color camouflage is in certain habitats. For this investigative lesson students divide into groups and study light.
Curated OER
Easy as Pi
Young scholars examine structural features. In this life science lesson students complete an activity and quantify the impact of various modifications.
Curated OER
Living in Extreme Environments
Students examine the characteristics of the ocean floor and the importance of of extreme environments. In this investigative instructional activity students use four methods to sample populations, gather, record and analyze data from a...
Curated OER
Three Cold Realms
Students identify organisms within the realms of pelagic, benthic and sea ice. They explain how these three interact with each other.
Curated OER
What's Down There?
Investigate the coral reefs around Mokolai Island, Hawaii by researching and writing about improving the reef ecosystem. Students map threats to the ecosystem and use the list of key words to assist in their descriptions
Ocean Explorer
Easy as Pi
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 instructional activity invites students to learn about the amazing diversity...
NOAA
Importance of Deep-Sea Ecosystems – Chemists with No Backbones
Marine invertebrates offer us many new options for developing pharmaceutical drugs, such as w-conotoxin MVIIA, which is extracted from the cone snail and is a potent painkiller. The lesson plan encourages scholars to research various...
NOAA
Biological Oceanographic Investigations – Keep Away
As of 2015, there are 53,481 oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico. Scholars determine how species diversity is impacted based on the ecosystem's distance from a drilling platform. It focuses on finding the mean of data sets and creating bar...
Curated OER
Faking It
Middle school earth scientists describe the behavior of the Coriolis force. They compare and contrast conditions under which the Coriolis force has a significant impact with conditions under which it has very little. They model the...
Florida International University
Pipeline to the Coral Reefs
Discover firsthand the effects of internal waves on coral reefs. Through a series of experiments, learners simulate internal waves and upwelling events as they make observations on the movement of water and other debris. They then...
Curated OER
Polar Bear Panic!
Students 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.
Curated OER
Being Productive in the Arctic Ocean
Students identify the three realms of the Arctic Ocean, and describe the relationships between these realms. They identify major factors that limit primary productivity in the Arctic Ocean.
Curated OER
Ocean Life
Students explore the topics of ocean water salinity, ocean life zones, marine life classification, and ocean food chains. They observe demonstrations, conduct experiments, complete quizzes and handouts, and analyze key vocabulary.
Curated OER
Message in the Bottles
Students identify the three realms of the Arctic Ocean, and describe the relationships among these realms. They explain the relationships between gross primary productivity, net primary productivity, and respiration.
Curated OER
Living in Extreme Environments: Havens on the Deep Sea Floor
Students identify the characteristics of an extreme environment in the deep ocean and consider what organisms need to survive in these elements. They research sampling and data collection methods in this environment.
Curated OER
Critter Clues
Students work together to examine water quality. They identify the indicators of water quality and complete an experiment. They discuss their results.
Curated OER
Ocean Life Lesson Plans
Students learn about life in the ocean with lessons that connect science, art, and environmental topics.
Curated OER
Deep Sea Coral Biodiversity
Learners research life forms of both tropical coral reefs and deep-sea coral reefs to discover the biodiversity of the ecosystems. They compare and contrast the diversity and adaptations of the two eco-systems, and draw a picture showing...
Curated OER
Entering the Twilight Zone
Students describe major features of cold-seep communities and the process of chemosynthesis as it relates to organisms in each habitat. In this deep-sea habitats lesson, students study the categorization of ocean habitats according to...