Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Oil on the Beach

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students explore how oil pollutes the oceans. In this science lesson, students investigate various materials that could be used to clean up an oil spill. Students discuss which materials worked best and how humans can reduce oil spills.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Too Hot? Gotta Vent!

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students study deep sea exploration and underwater geology, specifically hydrothermal sea vents. They create digital video projects of their own to demonstrate their knowledge, illustrating the discoveries of the explorers of the ocean's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Giant Smelly Plant Attracts Thousands

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
Read and discuss a news article about a rare corpse plant that bloomed in Washington D.C. Because this native Indonesian plant blooms so rarely, people flock to see it. After reading the article, your class answers comprehension...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Breaking it Down

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers will identify the factors that contribute to erosion and weathering. They will start by differentiating between chemical and mechanical weathering. They then apply what they learned by playing the online jeopardy game. Key...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Ocean Grazers

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore biology by creating a poster with classmates. In this oceanography lesson, students identify the importance of coral reefs to the ocean's ecology and examine a food web of ocean animals. Students define a list of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Pollution

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore ocean pollution.  For this ecology lesson, students view a video entitled This Pretty Planet and identify common biodegradable products. Students participate in activities designed to simulate the negative effects...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A House for Me- Ocean Environments

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore ocean environments. In this ocean environment lesson, students identify the things ocean animals need for survival. Students use KWL charts and search the Internet collecting information about ocean habitats....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Careers Lessons 2 - How Can I Get There from Here?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify differences between jobs and careers, and identify career areas within the broad field of oceanography. They research, compare and contrast requirements needed to become a practitioner of various oceanographic career...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gifts from the Sea

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students investigate parts of the ocean. In this seaweed lesson, students identify foods that contain seaweed, parts of seaweed, and how the ocean affects our lives. As a class students brainstorm ways we rely on the ocean and compare...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Under Pressure: How Deep Can They Dive?

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students explore geography by conducting an in-class experiment. In this deep sea exploration lesson, students identify the different zones of the ocean and utilize water bottles, masking tape and scissors to conduct a water pressure...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Into the Deep

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
Take young scientists into the depths of the world's ocean with the second lesson of this three-part earth science series. After first drawing pictures representing how they imagine the bottom of the ocean to appear, young scholars...
Lesson Plan
Aquarium of the Pacific

Ocean Habitats

For Teachers K - 2nd
Watch what happens in an underwater wonderland! Pupils view a video about two specific ocean habitats and complete a worksheet by placing the fish species into the correct habitat. They then take a deeper look into the ocean habitats by...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Web of Life

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students participate in a game in which they discover the balance of life in the ocean. They identify different organisms that rely on different types of food. They answer questions to complete the instructional activity.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Good, The Bad and The Arctic

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students examine the impact of a major climate change in the Arctic Ocean on the rest of the world. They use the Internet to research the Arctic region and the wildlife that lives there.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

America's Underwater Treasures Viewing Guide

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students complete a worksheet while watching a video about how humans affect the ocean environment. They discover the need for a practice of balancing fisheries and their fishing practices. They examine how scientists use data to help...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather Lesson

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the various types of dangerous weather situations. In groups, they focus on the characteristics of a nor'easter and how it forms. They compare and contrast the two main types of nor'easters and examine how one can use...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rubber Duckies and Ocean Currents

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore marine life by conducting a rubber duck experiment. In this water currents instructional activity, students practice identifying latitude and longitude coordinates on a map and define the currents of major oceans....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Talking Trash - Marine Debris

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Learners bring in different trash items and define "marine debris" through a discussion about these items. They categorize debris and use statistics and graphing to better explain the types and amounts of marine debris found each yea
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Exploration

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Young scholars explore whales. In this animal adaptation and whale lesson, students access prior knowledge about whales from previous lessons, then use background knowledge to predict the eating strategies of a baleen whale and a toothed...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Are Open Ocean Organisms Structured for Their Environment?

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore biology by conducting an animal dissection. In this oceanography lesson, students identify the life cycle of a squid and other animals that are involved with commercial fishing. Students dissect a squid in class and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Nutrient Cycles

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students investigate the circle of sea life by creating nitrogen compound models.  In this oceanography lesson, students discuss sea creatures and where their waste goes.  Students identify nitrogen cycles in the ocean by...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Monitoring Life In The Rocky Intertidal Ecosystem

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate marine life by researching aquatic organisms on the Internet. In this oceanography instructional activity, students monitor algae and animals of the ocean by identifying their population and habitat on data sheet ID...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Marine Protection Areas

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explain the importance of having Marine Protected Areas. In this ecology lesson, students research MPA's in any of the Great Lakes. They play a MPA simulation game and identify MPA's on the map.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hawaii's Freshwater Animals - Species Report

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore biology by creating a report for the class. In this oceanography instructional activity, students research and identify the survival characteristics of a list of freshwater animals by utilizing the Internet and library....