High schoolers recognize marine organisms and differentiate between plankton and nekton.  For this investigative instructional activity students create a concept map using their list of terms and study marine life forms. 

Students determine the sequential links in a marine food chain and identify the roles that various organisms play in this chain. Students develop charts as visual aids for illustrating marine food chains.

Second graders study the readily observable characteristics of marine invertebrates, 2nd graders research the invertebrates and complete worksheets in this series of lessons.

Students research and create a marine food web to learn about plants and animals in a kelp forest. In this marine food web lesson, students draw lines between kelp forest predators and prey and show the flow of energy in the food web....

Students explore magnification. In this scientific observation skills lesson, students observe sea life items and draw pictures of what they observe. Students predict which lens will have the strongest magnification when given three...

Students study coral reefs and marine communities.  In this investigative lesson plan students get into groups and are assigned a subject.  In their groups they create a poster about their assigned topic. 

Introduce junior oceanographers to ice conditions in The Great Lakes. The ice map links are no longer available, so you will not be able to have your class perform the mentioned data activity. You can, however, access the Canadian Ice...

Students learn how cold and warm water behave in the marine environment due to convection currents. Students also conduct an experiment to demonstrate the formation of a convection current.

Students study how buoyancy, pressure, and light can effect the work of underwater scientists.  In this marine science lesson students complete a lab that allows them to better understand how pressure varies with altitude and...

Students design and build full-size boats made out of two-liter plastic bottles, chicken wire, and plywood. Then they race the boats, with the boat's designers "manning the hull", in the school's swimming pool.

Students discover that proteins that are the product of DNA translation are different for different species. They determine that by analyzing their mass and charge they can differentiate between two different species. They use some of...

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

Most drugs used today come from nature, so the discovery of new ecosystems in the deep sea is exciting from a medical perspective. Scholars develop their own bioassay to test germination rates in seeds. 

Upper graders become "shipwreck detectives" by studying the debris field from a shipwreck in the Aegean Sea which took place in the 700s.  A website is accessed that gives specific information about the debris field, and pairs of...

A well-designed, comprehensive, and attractive slide show supports direct instruction on how sonar and echolocation work. Contained within the slides are links to interactive websites and instructions for using apps on a mobile device to...

As an anticipatory set, young environmental technicians watch a video about how ocean temperatures seem to be changing along with the global climate. They perform a laboratory demonstration with the purpose of observing what happens to...

Learners will work together in groups to gather information about careers in oceanography. They discover the need to have a diverse group of people on a team and then share their information with the class. Web links and materials are...

Explore structures within the realm of gas exchange in terrestrial and aquatic life.  The excellent, labelled diagrams and clear descriptions help your students view the different structures and adaptations that have...

Young oceanographers study the Submarine Ring of Fire, which is a series of deep-water volcanic vents that come up from the ocean floor. Learners take a close look at the unique ecosystems that are associated with these areas, how these...

What do corn and career exploration have in common? A lot, if you're considering an agricultural career that contributes to alternative fuel resources. Through a series of films, presentations, activities, and readings, learners will...

The need for a respiratory system in humans versus being reliant on gas exchange structures is demonstrated. There are many details about the advantages and disadvantages of each mechanism.  Students are able to learn about the...

How many different types of biofuels are out there? Seventh graders watch a series of videos and participate in a series of activities in order to better understand all the transportation options available. They consider what type of car...

Demonstrate to your middle school science learners how chalk breaks down in a weak acid. Discuss what affects acidic rain might have on ecosystems. Lab groups then choose one of two questions: "How does acid precipitation affect an...

Does it actually exist? Consider the sighting of a giant squid, much like the one that appears in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Middle and high schoolers read the article One Legend Found, Many Still to Go, and research other mysterious...