Noaa: Estuaries 101 Curriculum: Sharks in the Estuary

A tube worm's outer covering is made of chitin, the same material that makes up the shells of lobsters and crabs. Scholars create tube worms and analyze and discuss the longevity of organisms living near cold seeps. They then discuss and...

Global warming — what a hot topic! A thorough unit challenges learners to research, read, explore, and write about carbon, its role and increasing nature in our atmosphere, and how global warming is affecting lives and environments...

Invasive plants and animals can damage the estuary. Students learn about invasive plants and get hands-on experience getting rid of them, plus they get tips on other ways to restore and protect our important estuaries.

Many people depend on the estuary to earn a living. Meet a Louisiana man who makes his living by harvesting crabs and shrimp, and is worried about the health of the estuary. Includes downloadable teacher guide and student materials.

A complete learning module where students watch an introductory video, take an estuary quiz, learn about landforms related to the environment, and use maps and real-time data to study estuary ecosystems in the United States.

Students use an interactive map to compare environmental conditions in different estuaries around the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. A second activity allows students to use the Graphing Tool to find, select, and graph data...

In this interactive learning module, students discover the effects of the changing tides on the life and health of an estuary ecosystem.

The largest species of shark in the ocean is the whale shark. They can weigh up to 10 tons! However, unlike the great white shark, whale sharks have tons of tiny teeth. Learn more about the whale shark in this fantastic video clip!

Like a canary in a coal mine, oyster health and oyster abundance can tell us about changing conditions in an estuary.

In this lesson, find out about the life and vitality of oyster reefs in estuary ecosystems. Includes teacher and student materials for download.