Open Ocean Teacher Resources

Students explore fisheries in the open ocean. In this ocean environment lesson, students study the impact fisheries have on the ocean habitat. Students complete a WebQuest and summary project regarding fisheries.

Students explore oceanography by participating in a flash card activity. In this ocean inhabitant lesson, students define a list of ocean related vocabulary terms and answer ocean geography study questions. Students utilize organism...

Students examine how scientists conduct pelagic research and identify pelagic predators as they study the open-ocean ecosystem. They discuss and conduct small group research of this environment in order to produce a presentation.

Different animals live in different habitats, and each animal has specifically adaptive traits that make them tailor-made for their environments. This is true on land and in the ocean. Little ones examine how various marine animals have...

Is the ocean blue at all depths? Nope! Explore the science behind the light spectrum in deep, dark waters. The activity recommends watching The Blue Planet: Open Ocean—The Deep, but it's not integral, or you can substitute another clip....

Students investigate the ocean environment. In this ocean lesson, students discover the physical properties of the ocean. Over two days, students work in small groups investigating ocean maps and creating water currents.

Students explore biology by conducting an animal dissection. In this oceanography lesson, students identify the life cycle of a squid and other animals that are involved with commercial fishing. Students dissect a squid in class and...

Young scholars explore biology by researching fishing equipment. In this oceanography lesson, students discuss the impact of human technology on the fish population. Young scholars utilize marbles as a visual aide and complete fish...

Third graders discuss salmon and their life cycle.  In this salmon life cycle activity, 3rd graders recognize the difficulties researching the life cycle of salmon as they migrate.  Students conduct an experiment and create a...

Students research facts about animal species.  In this ocean lesson  students view a video, prepare illustrated cards and create a food-web display.  

Cephalopods, including squid, use their color-changing skin for both camouflage and communication. A video explains how squid camouflage themselves in the open ocean with nothing else around. It shows how they mimic the interplay of...

Students investigate how human beings impact ocean ecosystems. In this ocean ecosystem lesson, students explore how marine debris affects marine life. Internet resources are provided.

Students examine how organisms interact with one another in the ocean. In this science lesson, students discuss predators and prey in the ocean. Students discuss food webs and how organisms interact with each other.

Students define terms, and identify three ways in which plankton are adapted for life in the open ocean.  In this ocean drift lesson students design a planktonic organism. 

Pupils pick an ecosystem (forest, desert, coral reef, open ocean, grassland, mountain, savanna, etc.) and design an interaction web for their chosen ecosystem. Each group shares their ecosystem's web of life with the class.

Pupils create a mural showing ocean zones and the diversity of ocean life. They use reference books to create a list of plants and animals that would live in each zone.

Learners study salmon and steelhead. They play a game in which they act out the salmon and steelhead journey from their spawning ground, to the open ocean, and then back to the spawning ground again. They identify obstacles these fish...

In the sixth instructional activity in a series of 21, scholars use NASA data to graph and interpret albedo seasonally and over the course of multiple years. This allows learners to compare albedo trends to changes in sea ice with...

Six short answer questions challenge scholars to show what they know after reading an informational text that examines waves—what they are, what causes them, and how different Earth factors affect their size and strength.   

Learners observe and discuss the advantages of camouflage, then try their hands at designing a well-camouflaged fish.

Learners take a look at the relationship between organisms in food chains, food webs, and energy pyramids. After an opening demonstration by the teacher, pupils are split up into groups. Each one is assigned an environment such as:...

First, biology pupils research land and marine habitats along the route of skipper Rich Wilson's Great American II. Then, using colored paper clips scattered across a colored paper background, they play the predator-prey game to...

Ride the learning wave in an episode of a comprehensive physics playlist. Youth learn about the existence of rogue ocean waves and their behaviors. The instructor discusses the chaotic effects of multiple wave collisions.

What's black and white and can dive up to 1,800 feet under water? That's right, penguins! Learn this and many other amazing facts about these unique birds with this handy reference sheet.