Curated OER
How Am I Supposed to Eat THAT?
Young scholars explain nutritional strategies of benthic organisms.They describe nutritional strategies of benthic organisms and describe these physical characteristics.
NOAA
Animals of the Fire Ice
When the sun's rays can't reach the producers in a food web, where does all the energy come from? Extreme environments call for extreme food sources. Young scientists investigate creatures that appear to get their energy from methane...
Curated OER
The Eyes Have It!
Reading essays about deep-sea expeditions open this instructional activity on crustacean vision. Marine biology explorers study the compound eye and then complete a worksheet in response to all they have discovered. Although the...
Curated OER
Down in the Dumps
After an introduction to municipal sludge, middle school ecologists consider the pros and cons of dumping in the Hudson River Canyon. The class is split into two groups: one to debate in favor or dumping and one to debate against the...
Curated OER
Who Has the Light?
Pupils study ways in which the ability to produce light may be useful to deep-sea organisms. In groups, they research and present to the rest of the class, how a specific organism is able to produce bioluminescence.
Curated OER
Through Other Eyes
Students describe the structures of crustaceans and the features that give organisms capabilities that exceed those of humans. For this investigative lesson students replicate some of the features of photo-receptors in a deep-sea...
Curated OER
How can deep-water corals be used to determine long-term patterns of climate change?
Students explore the concept of paleoclimatological proxies. In this paleoclimatological proxies lesson, students explain isotope ratios in deep water coral samples. Students write a paragraph about global climate change as it effects...
American Museum of Natural History
Make Your Own Creatures of Light
Bioluminescent animals are the focus of a hands-on craft in which scholars create a scene of either a land or sea bioluminescent creature.
Curated OER
Animals of the Lost City
Begin with a demonstration of exothermic reactions and discussion of chemosynthesis. Your aspiring oceanographers research vent communities and then craft a mural of a vent community. This is a terrific method of introducing learners to...
Curated OER
What's That?
Meant to be a simulation of a deep-sea exploration, this requires that another activity be completed first. In that activity, titled "Animals of the Lost City," marine biology buffs construct murals of benthic communities. In this...
Sea World
Whales
A whale of a lesson is sure to intrigue your elementary oceanographers! Learn about the mammals of the sea with a series of activities about whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Kids complete worksheets about the anatomy of a whale, create a...
Curated OER
Glacier Bay Pacific Halibut
The National Park Service has produced a high-quality presentation on the halibut population of Glacier Bay, Alaska. It takes the viewpoint of the marine biologists or rather, ichthyologists, who have been studying the adaptations,...
NOAA
Seamounts
How do chains of islands form? Young oceanographers explore the mountains of the deep in the final installment in a 13-part series. The interactive compares types of seamounts based on their overall height and height under the water, as...
Curated OER
Feeding in the Flow
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has developed a tremendous library of ocean-themed lessons that can be used in a variety of science settings. "Feeding in the Flow" is one of those activities; Its focus is on...
Curated OER
Sampling the Ocean Floor
Learners sample goodies from an unseen ocean floor and try to accurately describe their composition. This simulation helps students explain the limitations of sampling and the problem of obtaining representative samples of sea floor...
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 instructional activity, students study the categorization of ocean...
Curated OER
Journey To the Unkown
Students explore the ocean rift habitat off the Galapagos through an audio expedition, Internet research on deep sea animals, an explorer game and simulation of the exploration of the deep sea bottom. They focus on the actual NOAA...
Curated OER
Oil Floats, Right?
Students examine the properties in oil in water. In this mixture instructional activity, students read about the Lophelia II 2010: Cold Seeps and Deep Reef Expedition and look at images of deep sea ecosystems. They experiment or...
Curated OER
Entering the Twilight Zone
Students describe major features of cold seep communities and list organisms that are found in these communities. For this water habitat lesson students examine trophic levels, describe the process of chemosynthesis and list the...
Curated OER
Life is Weird
Students describe features of cold seep communities and list organisms that can be found in these communities. In this exploratory lesson plan students complete an activity and describe the process of chemosynthesis.
Curated OER
Life is Weird
Learners describe features of cold seep communities and investigate five organisms that live there. In this biological organisms activity students research a given species and give an oral presentation on their results.
Curated OER
Food Chains and Webs--- "What's for dinner?"
Students study food chains and how the organisms are linked. In this investigative worksheet students answer food chain questions, and fill out several worksheets.
Curated OER
Friend, Foe, or . . .
As a result of this lesson, upper elementary ocean explorers will be able to describe several interrelationships: symbiosis, mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. They learn that the biological richness is increased near seamounts and...
Curated OER
Design a Reef!
Here is an ambitious, but highly valuable undertaking: set up a miniature coral reef in your classroom. Young marine scientists research coral reef ecosystems and ensure all vital factors are included in their functioning model. The...