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Stream Scanners
Students investigate quality of water in a stream, lake, or pond by examining chemical, physical, and biological characteristics.
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Did You Say Water Bugs?
Second graders observe live specimens of aquatic insects in a water habitat. They study specimens from both moving and still water with the naked eye and a hand lens.
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Feeding in the Flow
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has developed a tremendous library of ocean-themed lessons that can be used in a variety of science settings. "Feeding in the Flow" is one of those activities; Its focus is on...
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Home Sweet Home
Students explore marine turtle habitats. Students research one species of marine turtle found in the Gulf of Mexico. They identify plants and animals in the habitat. They create a model or replica using information gathered through their...
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A Piece of Cake: Ocean Communities
Students explain habitats. For this model based lesson students create a model to help describe a habitat that is typical of deep-water. Students will describe how organisms such as coral and sponges add to their habitat.
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Habitat Unit - Day 2
Students explore abiotic factors that affect habitats. After a class lecture, students work in groups to answer questions about plant tissue, production and growth. They share answers, complete a crossword puzzle, and create a habitat...
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Journey of the Pacific Salmon
Students explore oceanography by researching migrating fish. In this Pacific Salmon lesson, students participate in a board game activity in which they move a salmon through their annual journey to the spawning habitat upstream. Students...
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Big Fleas Have Little Fleas
A benthic habitat hosts a vast collection of organisms and its structure influences the biodiversity. Middle-school marine biology explorers will discuss how corals impact structure, and therefore diversity, on the ocean floor. They draw...
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Easy as Pi
Students describe the importance of structural features that increase surface area in a coral reef habitat. In this investigative lesson students quantify the impact of modifications on surface area in model habitats.
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Mangrove Ecology and Adaptations
Students create a plant or animal that would be well adapted to a habitat they selected. They first learn about Mangroves and their specific adaptations that help them survive in their habitat.
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Pond and Pond Organisms
Students explore pond ecosystems. For this pond organism activity, students will use pond water and a plastic bad in order to locate and identify freshwater organisms. The activity is designed for younger grades, but includes an...
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Week 8 - Sea Life
Using a magnifier, mini marine biologists examine the barbules of a bird feather. They swirl the it into a mixture of oil and water and then re-examine the feather. After the activity, discuss how the oily feathers pose a problem to sea...
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Puffin Patrol
Bird diversity and the majestic puffin are the topics of today's lesson. Children discuss and look at images of puffins, and then they use felt to put a puffin body together. After that they talk about what and how puffins eat. They get...
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How do living and non-living structures affect coral reef habitats?
Students create model coral reefs showing surface area and including examples of communities. In this coral reef activity, students research and explore the functions or benefits from a coral reef. Students design a benthic habitat....
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Japanese Scientists Photograph Giant Squid
Students read and discuss a news article about scientists capturing first-ever photos of a giant squid in its habitat. They answer comprehension questions, write a journal entry from the scientists point of view, and analyze a giant...
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What's Down There
Students write an essay about the coral reefs. In this oceanography instructional activity, students investigate the reef of Bonaire and compare it to reefs that are not thriving. Students then explore the differences that contribute...
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Freshwater Habitats
Students take samples from local freshwater sources and examine them for macroinvertebrate life. They take samples from both shallow and deep freshwater environments, measure temperatures, and classify organisms found in their samples.
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Coral Reefs
Learners research an inhabitant of a Caribbean coral reef using a list of common organisms that live on or near it. Students then write a description of their organism and draw a picture or a 3-D model of it. Eventually they all work...
Michigan Sea Grant
Wetlands
Wetlands may not sound particularly ornate, but they are as important as any habitat! With a hands-on activity, young scientists build a wetland model and observe its many functions in action. They discover the importance of wetlands to...
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Habitats and Adaptations
Students research and describe the habitat and adaptations of a reef animal. After the student is assigned a habitat, they design and draw a cresture adapted to eat each food and to live in each habitat.
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Global Warming
First graders discover the effects of global warming on polar bears. For this life science lesson, 1st graders model the polar bear's habitat and observe what happens as they raise the temperature. They record their observation in the...
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Design a Reef!
Students design a functional model of a coral reef ecosystem. For this coral reef lesson, students identify the energy sources and material cycles of a coral reef. They write an essay about their niche in their own ecosystem.
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What's Down There?
Students analyze data on coral reefs and use this to help characterize reefs. In this mapping coral reefs lesson students identify and explain the major threats to coral reefs.
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Let's Go to the Video Tape!
Students examine biological diversity and see how it relates to the concepts of variety and relative abundance. In this investigative lesson students view a video on biodiversity and complete an activity.