Lesson Planet
Search educational resources
  • Sign In Try It Free
  • AI Teacher Tools
    • Discover Resources Search reviewed educational resources by keyword, subject, grade, type, and more
    • Curriculum Manager (My Content) Manage saved and uploaded resources and folders To Access the Curriculum Manager Sign In or Join Now
    • Browse Resource Directory Browse educational resources by subject and topic
    • Curriculum Calendar Explore curriculum resources by date
    • Lesson Planning Articles Timely and inspiring teaching ideas that you can apply in your classroom
    • Our Story
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Us
  • Pricing
  • School Access
    • Your school or district can sign up for Lesson Planet — with no cost to teachers
      Learn More
  • Sign In
  • Try It Free

Hi, what do you want to do?

Create a lesson plan
Create a lesson plan
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Find a teaching resource
Find a teaching resource
Motion in the Ocean ActivityMotion in the Ocean Activity
Publisher
Discovery Education
Resource Details
Curator Rating
Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
Grade
6th - 8th
Subjects
Science
5 more...
Resource Type
Activities & Projects
Audience
For Teacher Use
Duration
2 hrs
Instructional Strategies
Experiment
1 more...
Usage Permissions
Fine Print: Educational Use
Activity

Motion in the Ocean

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Motion in the Ocean activity also includes:
  • Activity
  • Lab & Experiment
  • Vocabulary
  • Worksheet
  • Answer Key
  • Join to access all included materials

How do temperature changes affect ocean currents? Scholars explore convection currents by demonstrating the flow of water in a baking dish. They use ice, heat, and food coloring to see currents. Then, they draw conclusions about their findings and relate to the currents in the ocean, identifying similarities and differences with their demonstrations.

27 Views 28 Downloads
CCSS: Adaptable

Concepts

temperature, temperature changes, ocean currents, convection currents, oceans, the earth, water density, water temperature, convection

Additional Tags

science

Instructional Ideas

  • Have pupils draw out diagrams of what they expect to see in the experiment as hypotheses to test
  • Use as an introductory, inquiry-based activity on ocean currents to begin discussion

Classroom Considerations

  • Requires materials that may not be available in all classrooms

Pros

  • Includes option for extension activity
  • Provides key vocabulary and background information

Cons

  • None

Common Core

RST.6-8.3 RST.6-8.4

See similar resources:

Activity

Ocean Acidification

Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Human impacts on the environment can sometimes be difficult to measure, especially under water! An activity centered on ocean acidification gives science scholars the opportunity to examine the effects of carbon dioxide on marine life....
6th - 12th Science
Lesson Plan

A Day in the Life of an Ocean Explorer

NOAA
What's life like aboard an ocean exploration vessel? Junior oceanographers examine the important role of communication in ocean research in lesson plan two of a five-part series from NOAA. The materials introduce the class to life...
5th - 12th Science
CCSS: Designed
Lesson Plan

Currents

NOAA
A deep ocean current circles the globe at a force that is greater than 16 times all the world's rivers combined. Groups analyze the effects of submarine topography on deep ocean current speed. They then determine how this speed affects...
6th - 12th Science
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Mapping the Deep-Ocean Floor

NOAA
How do you create a map of the ocean floor without getting wet? Middle school oceanographers discover the process of bathymetric mapping in the third installment in a five-part series of lessons designed for seventh and eighth graders....
7th - 8th Science
Lesson Plan

Descending to the Challenge: Developing Documentaries About the Deep Ocean

Curated OER
The video clip that comprises the warm up is not available, but the related article from The New York Times and the movie trailer for Aliens of the Deep are, leaving enough material to make this a fascinating activity on deep-sea...
7th - 12th Science
Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan #3 ~ Ocean Currents

Curated OER
Sixth graders experiment to understand the ocean's currents.  In this ocean current instructional activity, 6th graders complete an experiment with two bottles of water and an index card to discover information about the ocean...
6th Science
Lesson Plan

Ocean Streams

Curated OER
The instructions for demonstrating ocean turnover are provided in this resource. You could set this up for your earth science class as part of a lecture on convection currents or as an explanation of how ocean currents form. An animation...
6th - 9th Science
Lesson Plan

Ocean Exploration

National Geographic
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,...
3rd - 8th Science
Activity

Draw a Monarch

American Museum of Natural History
Five steps walk scholars through the process of drawing a Monarch butterfly. Participants research the insect, make observations, trace, then color. 
6th - 12th Science
Lesson Plan

Changing Planet: Rising Ocean Temperatures - Rising Sea Levels

Curated OER
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...
5th - 9th Science
Try It Free
© 1999-2026 Learning Explorer, Inc.
Teacher Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Resources

Sign up for the Lesson Planet Monthly Newsletter

Open Educational Resources (OER)

  • Health
  • Language Arts
  • Languages
  • Math
  • Physical Education
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Special Education
  • Visual and Performing Arts
View All Lesson Plans

Discover Resources

  • Our Review Process
  • How it Works
  • How to Search
  • Create a Collection

Manage Curriculum

  • Edit a Collection
  • Assign to Students
  • Manage My Content
Contact Us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Use