NOAA
Exploring Potential Human Impacts
Arctic sea ice reflects 80 percent of sunlight, striking it back into space; with sea ice melting, the world's oceans become warmer, which furthers global warming. These activities explore how humans are impacting ecosystems around the...
Curated OER
Oceans and Weather
Pupils analyze the impact the ocean and its currents have on weather. In this oceans and weather lesson, students analyze data comparing inland and coastal weather, and analyze satellite data for evidence of El Nino.
Curated OER
Learning About Our World
Young scholars explore their world using the book "This is the Way We Go to School." They predict information about the story based on the title and pictures. Students label a world map with the names of continents and oceans. They write...
Curated OER
Blue Planet: Coral Seas
Pupils create a poster about coral reefs. For this oceanography lesson, students teach the class about a given aspect of the coral reefs. Pupils create posters with images and facts about this habitat.
Curated OER
Oceanic Heat Budget Activities
Young scholars map and research imaginary islands located in different parts of the world. They describe the weather and climate of their island and show how local currents, water temperatures and waves may influence the weather patterns.
Curated OER
Identifying and locating the continents and oceans of the world.
Third graders physically construct a balloon replica of the world globe by coloring, correctly labeling, and cutting out the seven continent shapes from the worksheet, gluing them onto their correct locations on an inflated blue balloon....
Curated OER
Explore the Ocean
Learners explore the oceans from their origin. In this oceans lesson plan, students read and discuss excerpts from the Book of Genesis regarding the creation of the ocean. Learners then clean up a mock oil spill, measure the volume and...
Curated OER
Island Survival
Young scholars participate in a simulation of life on a deserted island. They apply their critical thinking skills and knowledge of oceans and islands to "survive" and ultimately return to safety. Lesson contains adaptations for all levels.
Curated OER
Remote Sensing
Students research the Earth's ocean systems. They examine the impact of global warming on the oceans and the world as a whole.
Curated OER
The Good, The Bad and The Arctic
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.
Curated OER
Mapping the News
Students explore cartography. In this map skills and map making lesson, Students work in groups to create wall size world maps including legends, compass roses, latitude and longitude, and physical features. Students collect...
Curated OER
What Color is the Ocean?
Students view satellite pictures of the ocean, and discuss the presence of phytoplankton and the colors of the ocean. Students compare/contrast ocean satellite images with maps and globes, then color world maps to replicate the satellite...
Curated OER
Seas, Gulfs and Bays
Learners define gulf, bay, and sea. In this bodies of water mapping lesson, students locate seas, gulfs and bays and explain how they knew which body of water it was.
Curated OER
The Seven Continents Scavenger Hunt
Who doesn't enjoy an engaging scavenger hunt? Here, scholars listen to, and discuss, the informative text, Where is my Continent? by Robin Nelson. They then explore the seven continents and four major oceans using...
Space Awareness
Meet Our Home: Earth
Earth is a complex structure. Learners explore their home, the earth, using a fun hands-on activity. They create tactile models of the earth using ordinary household materials that represent some common features: land, polar caps,...
Curated OER
Changing Planet: The Case of the Leaky Gyre
The fascinating video "Changing Planet: Fresh Water in the Arctic," introduces your oceanographers to the world's gyres. They learn that melting sea ice is making the gyres larger, and that the changes could, in turn, contribute even...
Teach Engineering
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one of several garbage patches around the world where garbage accumulates naturally. As part of a GIS unit that combines oceanography, environmental science, and life science, class members investigate...
NOAA
Into the Deep
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...
National Geographic
Ocean Exploration
Dora, Dora, Dora, Dora, Dora! This may be your little ones' best guess as to what it's like to be an explorer! Give them a deeper understanding with this compact examination. A four-minute video introduces them to Robert Ballard,...
Curated OER
Blue Planet: Seasonal Seas
Students study and research marine invertebrates. In this marine lesson plan students create an illustrated report and help complete a class exhibit.
Curated OER
Identifying Continents and Oceans
Students locate and identify the four major oceans and the seven continents on a world map. They use an unlabeled world map and compass rose to describe relative locations of the continents and oceans.
Curated OER
El Nino
Explore the properties of water and the affects of El Nino. Middle schoolers will learn about the devastation an El Nino can cause as well as the definition of El Nino. Additionally, they will discover the cause of El Nino along with the...
Curated OER
NUMB3RS Activity: Where’s the Source? Episode: “Undercurrents”
Several real-world problems are posed as a way to learn about vector fields in order to make some predictions after analyzing the data. The main problem comes from the tv show NUMB3RS and is based on solving a crime where a body has...
NOAA
Plankton
Dive into the world of plankton. The 17th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program introduces different types of plankton. Young scientists then use what they have learned to classify...