Reef Teacher Resources
Find Reef lesson plans and worksheets
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Lesson Planet Curated
Multimedia Discovery Missions
The Multimedia Discovery Missions collection is a series of 13 interactive presentations and activities that introduce young geologists and oceanographers to fundamental concepts involving the Earth’s crust and ocean sea life. Benthos,...
Lesson Planet Curated
Learning Ocean Science through Ocean Exploration
The 10 inquiry-based lessons in this collection, developed for NOAA Voyages of Discovery and the Ocean Explorer WebSite, give young oceanographers experience using scientific data and modeling scientific work and thinking. Beginning with...
Curated OER
Exploring Oceans: Great Barrier Reef
All aboard! Let's take a trip to the world's largest living structure, the Great Barrier Reef. Encompassing more than 1,200 miles of islands and reefs, it is considered one of the seven wonders of the natural world due to its...
NOAA
Make an Edible Coral Reef
Coral reefs are full of an abundance of life and color. Why not celebrate it with an edible coral reef? Learners and teachers alike use cake, icing, and candies to create a tasty version of a coral reef that's complete with colors,...
SciShow
Google Street View in the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest living structure and spans 1616 miles in length. The video shares with classes that Google Earth has coupled with other companies to begin creating virtual underwater visits to the Great...
Curated OER
Fragile Reefs
Students research how coral reefs form, where they are located, and what plant and animal species find shelter in reefs, build and display diorama to represent coral and animals that live in coral reef, and participate in discussion...
Curated OER
Save a Reef!
Design a public information campaign to improve understanding of the coral reef crisis. Read about and discuss the biology and threats to the coral reef. The class creates a public information program about the problems facing the coral...
California Academy of Science
Coral Reefs and Climate Change
Coral reefs cover less than one percent of the ocean floor, yet more than 25 percent of marine life lives in coral reefs. A colorful, engaging video describes the health of coral reefs and why the formations matter. The first lesson in a...
Curated OER
Design a Reef!
Using a miniature coral reef aquarium kit, young ecologists model this unique ecosystem. They research various coral reef organisms and their niches, and they culminate the project by working together to write a report. Use this activity...
Curated OER
Coasts and Reefs: Shallow Marine Processes
A more thorough presentation on coastal systems would be difficult to find! Detailed diagrams illuminate the offshore, shoreface, foreshore, and backshore zones of beach. The sources and movement of sediments along the coastline...
Curated OER
Coral Reef Ecosystem
The coral reef ecosystem is abundant and lively. Dive in for an underwater view of the species living there. Polyps, urchin, barracudas, and eels (among others) exist in part because of the sun's presence in this ecosystem. Use this as...
Curated OER
Ocean Scenes and Coral Reefs
Students explore plants and animals that live at various ocean levels, including beaches and coral reefs. They demonstrate their comprehension of ocean layers and life with chalk drawings. Students draw details of plant and animal life,...
Curated OER
Design a Reef!
Here is an ambitious, but highly valuable undertaking: set up a miniature coral reef in your classroom. Young marine scientists research coral reef ecosystems and ensure all vital factors are included in their functioning model. The...
Curated OER
Coral Reef Fish Danger - Blue Planet
Coral reefs are the most diverse communities in the world, but what happens when fishermen catch the fish before they reach a state of maturity? Every year, over 30,000 tons of reef fish come into Hong Kong to be sold at the fish...
American Museum of Natural History
Create a Coral Reef
Scholars create a diorama to showcase a vibrant coral reef. Six steps walk pupils through setting up the diorama box, crafting four different types of marine life, and putting it all together.
Florida International University
Pipeline to the Coral Reefs
Discover firsthand the effects of internal waves on coral reefs. Through a series of experiments, learners simulate internal waves and upwelling events as they make observations on the movement of water and other debris. They then...
Be Smart
Can Coral Reefs Survive Climate Change?
Quick ... name an organism that's an animal, a vegetable, and a mineral. PBS Digital Studios models for viewers the symbiotic relationship between coral reefs zooxanthellae. The video then goes on to explain how climate change has...
TED-Ed
Conserving our Spectacular, Vulnerable Coral Reefs
A three-minute clip covers a new strategy for protecting the coral reefs of Fiji while still allowing fishermen to harvest the fish that people survive on. Connectivity is the name of the game. This colorfully animated resource is a...
Curated OER
Art: Coral Reef Ala Oil
Students investigate Australia's Great Barrier Reef and create oil paintings of it. After their research, they apply various painting techniques to depict air bubbles, sun's radiation, and color blending. For older students, the...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Coral Reefs in Hot Water
Global warming is leaving coral reefs in hot water. What does that mean for their survival? Find out as scholars use authentic satellite data to explore the issue. Learners look for global trends in the data and research the effects the...
Curated OER
Coral Reef Geography
In this coral reef geography learning exercise, students find locations of reefs on a globe or map. There are 10 instructions to follow. There is no map provided--an atlas, globe or map is needed.
Curated OER
Coral Reef Conservation
High schoolers conduct discussions on current threats to coral reefs around the world and write letters to conservation organizations urging support for coral reef protection.
Curated OER
Corals & Coral Reefs
Students describe a coral reef, how it is formed and its inhabitants. They explain the ecological and economic importance of coral reefs and discuss its present-day threats. Lesson contains adaptations for all levels.
