Unit Plan
Georgia Department of Education

Ga Virtual Learning: Marine Invertebrates

For Students 9th - 10th
Students learn about invertebrates found in the ocean, their individual methods of adaptations, identifying characteristics, and contributions to the marine ecosystem.
Handout
NASA

Nasa Earth Observatory: What Are Phytoplankton? Fact Sheet

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the characteristics of and different species of phytoplankton. Topics highlighted in this article include photosynthesis, global change, and the marine food chain.
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History: O Logy: Dive Into Worlds Within the Sea

For Students 3rd - 8th
Learn about three different marine ecosystems: coral reefs, the continental shelf, and the deep sea. Interactive game included, which will help players chart the interrelationships among organisms that live in each ecosystem.
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Education: Ocean Planet

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A series of lesson plans designed to be used with the Smithsonian Ocean Planet exhibit (available online). Lesson topics include marine ecosystems, pollution of ocean water, animal strandings, and literature.
Unit Plan
Other

Digital Library for Earth System Education: Teaching Box: Seasonal Upwelling

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A suite of lessons focusing on the process of upwelling. Inquiry-based exploration of seasonal upwelling includes marine food webs, food production in the ocean, wind-driven ocean currents, and seasonal changes in biotic and abiotic...
Handout
NASA

Nasa Earth Observatory: Upper Crust

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn how krill fight for survival as the sea ice melts and the population decreases. Discover how krill relate to our food chain and learn about their development.
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History: Dive Into Worlds Within the Sea

For Students 6th - 8th
Think and Link to investigate three different ecosystem either the deep sea, coral reef or continental shelf. By connecting the dots students make a food chain to see how organisms in each habitat depend on each other.
Website
PBS

Pbs: Secrets of the Ocean Realm

For Students 9th - 10th
At this site students can read about sea creatures and ocean plant life, and see pictures of each.
Lesson Plan
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History: Ecology Disrupted: Chesapeake Bay Food Web

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this comprehensive lesson unit, students examine how overfishing has affected Chesapeake Bay's ecosystem. They will study food webs from the past and present and graph related data.
Unit Plan
E-learning for Kids

E Learning for Kids: Science: Titanic Shipwreck: What Are Food Webs?

For Students 5th - 7th
Jorge is a cook in an underwater restaurant. He knows a lot about food webs. Dive in and learn about it with him.
Website
PBS

Pbs: Nature: The Fascinating World of Jellies

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the mysterious jellyfish blooms that have occurred in the world's oceans. Because the resulting alteration to the marine food web has had devastating effects, researchers grow and study jellyfish at the Monterey aquarium....
Article
Other

North Carolina Dept. Of Environment & Natural Resources: Kids' Educational Pages: Fish

For Students 3rd - 8th
A great site for kids wanting to learn more about fish and have some fun at the same time. It provides information about fish including food chain, fun fish facts, crustaceans, and shellfish: oysters, scallops, and clams. It also...
Handout
Enchanted Learning

Enchanted Learning: Plankton

For Students 3rd - 8th
Enchanted Learning takes a basic look at a basic organism: plankton. Learn the definition of plankton, zooplankton and phytoplankton; the first link in the marine food chain.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Ocean Planet

For Students 9th - 10th
Detailed website that was a companion to a 1995 traveling exhibit of the Smithsonian. Links to lesson plans and other educational materials are at the bottom of the page. Enter the exhibition to explore the world of the ocean.
Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: A Helpful Guide to Understand the Photic Zone

For Students 9th - 10th
The photic zone is the upper layer of the ocean where sunlight can penetrate and support photosynthesis. This article explains the characteristics of this zone, the food chain that exists there, the adaptations of the plants and animals,...
Handout
World Wildlife Fund for Nature

Wwf: Our Earth: Ecoregions: Habitats: Oceans

For Students 3rd - 8th
An introduction and overview of the ocean habitat, the largest habitat on Earth. Includes links to information about three animals that live in this habitat.
Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Why Are Sharks So Awesome?

For Students 9th - 10th
Sharks have been celebrated as powerful gods by some native cultures. And today, sharks are recognized as apex predators of the world's ocean. What is it that makes these fish worthy of our ancient legends and so successful in the seas?...