NOAA
Deep-Sea Ecosystems – Entering the Twilight Zone
Imagine an ecosystem without any light or oxygen, where living things convert carbon dioxide into food. This ecosystem is thriving and might just be the largest ecosystem on our planet, yet we know very little about it. The lesson...
NOAA
Deep-Sea Ecosystems – Life is Weird!
A pool of brine in the deep sea can be up to four times as salty as the surrounding sea water. The deep sea ecosystem relies on chemosynthesis and the organisms that live there are often strange to us. The lesson focuses on researching...
NOAA
A Day in the Life of an Ocean Explorer
What's life like aboard an ocean exploration vessel? Junior oceanographers examine the important role of communication in ocean research in lesson plan two of a five-part series from NOAA. The materials introduce the class to life on...
Curated OER
Living in Extreme Environments: Havens on the Deep Sea Floor
Learners 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.
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....
NOAA
Build Your Own Ocean Ecosystem
Hold the sea in the palm of your hand! Amateur oceanographers work together to create models of an ocean ecosystem in the sixth and final installment in a series. Raise awareness of global ocean health issues through guided research,...
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...
NOAA
To Explore Strange New Worlds
It's time to boldly go where your class has not gone before! The introductory lesson plan in a five-part series takes young oceanographers aboard the NOAA Ship Okeanos to begin a study of ocean exploration. The lesson plan includes a...
Rainforest Alliance
Protecting the Critical Habitat of the Manatee and Loggerhead Turtle
Explore ocean habitats with a instructional activity that showcases the home of manatees and loggerhead turtles in Belize. Here, pupils compare and contrast the homes of ocean animals to those of humans, listen to an original short story...
Curated OER
Deep Sea Vents
Students study the vent and non vent deep sea and see the differences in habitats. In this investigative lesson plan students complete a worksheet and work in groups.
NOAA
Deep-Sea Ecosystems – Cool Corals
Young oceanographers research deep sea corals that thrive on chemosynthesis. The lesson focuses on the biology of the animal, preferred habitat, associations, and interactions.
NOAA
Through Robot Eyes
How do robots assist ocean explorers in collecting data and images? The final installment in a five-part series has science scholars examine underwater images collected by robots and identify the organisms shown. Groups then calculate...
Curated OER
What's in That Cake?
Cooperative groups research trip logs from deep-sea expeditions and explore characteristics of deepwater habitats. Using a cake as the ocean floor, they work together to decorate it as a model of such habitats. They also prepare a...
Curated OER
Exploring Deep Ocean Habitats: Alien Invasion
Young scholars compare and contrast "alien species" and "invasive species."Students explain positive and negative impacts associated with introduction of non-native species, and give a specific example of species that produce t
NOAA
The Oceanographic Yo-yo
How does chemistry help deep-sea explorers? Part four of a five-part series of lessons from aboard the Okeanos Explorer introduces middle school scientists to technologies used in ocean exploration. Groups work together to analyze data...
NOAA
Journey to the Unknown
Go where no one has gone before. Learners experience what it is like to be a scientist exploring new territory. Using audio and a scripted text, pupils take a trip in the depths of the ocean. They follow their trip with a hands-on...
NOAA
Importance of Deep-Sea Ecosystems – How Diverse is That?
When judging diversity of an ecosystem, both species evenness and species richness must contribute. After a discussion of diversity and a guided example using the Shannon-Weaver function, scholars use the same function on two other...
NOAA
A Quest for Anomalies
Sometimes scientists learn more from unexpected findings than from routine analysis! Junior oceanographers dive deep to explore hydrothermal vent communities in the fourth lesson in a series of five. Scholars examine data and look for...
Curated OER
Life on the Edge: Exploring Deep Ocean Habitats Cool Corals
Students research the basic morphology of Lophelia corals and polyps to determine the significance of these organisms. They detail the reasons that biological communities are focusing on the Lophelia corals as major conservation efforts.
Curated OER
A Piece of Cake: Ocean Communities
Young scholars explain habitats. In this model based lesson students create a model to help describe a habitat that is typical of deep-water. Young scholars will describe how organisms such as coral and sponges add to their habitat.
Curated OER
Deep Gardens
Students compare and contrast deep-sea coral reefs with shallow-water coral reefs. In this underwater ecology lesson, students describe three types of coral and explain why scientists are concerned about the future of deep-sea coral.
Curated OER
Who's New in the Deep Sea?
Students examine the methods and technology that scientists use to study the deep sea and other remote environments. In this ocean habitats instructional activity students make observations about organisms from video clips, generate...
Curated OER
Design a Reef!
Middle schoolers explore coral reef ecosystems. In this ecosystems science lesson, students research coral reef ecosystems to determine the major functions the participating organisms must perform. Middle schoolers construct a...
Curated OER
Habitats and Deep Sea Environments
Students examine and identify the characteristics of the four zones of the ocean. They discover the amount of diversity in marine habitats. They also explore the adaptations organisms have that have allowed them to survive.