Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Density Currents

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students experiment with currents caused by temperature variations that simulate the origins and flow of polar bottom currents. They discover water density is affected by temperature and salinity, resulting in deep water currents.
Activity
3
3
Kelly's Kindergarten

August Daily Activities

For Students K - 2nd Standards
You'll feel more than prepared for the start of the school year with this collection of daily activities for the month of August! From filling in numbers on a calendar or coloring patterns to solving addition and reading...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Oceans of Energy

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Are the earth's oceans really just giant batteries, waiting for their energy to be harnessed? Middle school mechanical engineers will be shocked by the amazing amount of energy that forms around them after diving into part four of a...
Activity
Curated OER

Plate Tectonics

For Teachers 4th - 10th Standards
Help young scientists piece together the theory of plate tectonics with this comprehensive collection of materials. Whether your are looking for worksheets, hands-on activities, or assessments, this resource has everything...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Influences on Climate

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students brainstorm the geographical factors that contribute to climate. They graph average monthly temperatures at two island groups. They analyze data for similarities and differences.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Density and Salinity

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners observe how different water densities control the depth at which different water masses occur. They explain one fact that they comprehend about salt water. Students comprehend that temperature and salinity affect the density...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mystery of the Megaplume

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Read through the extensive background information and then lead your geology or physical oceanography class through an investigation of actual temperature anomaly data from the Juan de Fuca ridge. They translate the data onto a plot,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Temperatures

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students list data collected by marine buoys and the different kinds of moored buoys. They describe how data is transmitted worldwide. They explain the difference between near shore and offshore air and water temperatures.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rain Shadows and Sea Breezes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students plot the average rainfall for a variety of cities in the United States. Using the map, they work together to determine patterns on which toxicants are transported through the air. They determine the impacts of various weather...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Ocean Shoreline

For Students 6th
In this shore zone worksheets, 6th graders will identify and label six features that can develop from the deposition of sediments along the shore.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Plate Tectonics Study Guide

For Students 7th - 10th
In this plate tectonics worksheet, students answer questions about plate tectonics including topics such as the lithosphere, the asthenosphere, rising and sinking convection currents, continental drift and the types of boundaries.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Census of Marine Life

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explain diversity and abundance in marine life. In this oceanic biology lesson, students collect information for various geographical areas to collect a census of marine life.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Climate Change & Coral Activities

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students study how the ocean stabilizes our planet's climates and how global warming is becoming a threat to this fine balance.  In this climate change lesson, students identify that fossil fuel emissions are responsible for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great MPA Debate

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students study the 'Marine Protected Areas' process.  In this ocean lesson students work in groups, conduct research and present it to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reduced Fare

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discover the relationship between tectonic plate boundaries and the communities of life that thrive at such boundaries. In this biology lesson, students find that methane from oxidized carbon in sediments provides nutrients for...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Where There's Smoke, There's ...

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A remotely operated vehicle approaching a volcano was engulfed by molten sulfur where the plumes of fluids contained the highest concentrations of aluminum ever recorded. This isn't science fiction or an April fools joke, though it did...
Lesson Plan
Polar Trec

Where in the World Is Our Teacher?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Kirk Beckendorf, a middle school teacher, joined researchers at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica to help maintain automatic weather stations. The lesson encourages pupils to track his travels around the region. They connect with the...
Activity
It's About Time

Succession in Communities

For Teachers 7th - 12th
What occurs following a natural disaster? High schoolers research this question and others as they investigate natural succession after a disaster. First, as they differentiate between primary and secondary succession, they explain...
Lesson Plan
Global Oneness Project

Protecting Wilderness

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Would you live in a tree for three years to protect a redwood forest? Viewers of Rainhouse Cinema's Among Giants documentary consider the actions of Earth First! environmental activists who moved into the treetops of a grove of giant...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It Looks Like Champagne

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers determine some practical implications of the discovery of liquid carbon dioxide in deep-ocean ecosystems. They interpret phase diagrams and explain the meaning of "critical point" and "triple point."
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Water, Water Everywhere, and Nary a Drop to Drink!

For Teachers 1st
Students sing the continent song and locate oceans between the continents on a map. They read "They Earth is Mostly Ocean" and copy notes into their journals. They watch a demonstration of water and saltwater evaporated to see what is...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Tides-Ups and Downs

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars investigate tidal patters and the forces that cause the tides. In this tidal lesson plan, students explore and research the tides and complete 43 questions about the causes of the tides, how they are monitored and measured...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tracking El Nino Conditions

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students identify major changes in ocean temperatures during an El Nino season.  In this climate lesson students complete an Internet assignment using datasets to determine periods of El Nino.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Knowledge Quiz

For Students 4th - 6th
For this oceans quiz worksheet, students complete a 10 question multiple choice quiz covering a variety of concepts related to the ocean.