Peru's coastal ecosystem is only one of the country's amazing features. But travelers don't need passports, expensive plane tickets, or heavy suitcases to examine the biodiversity of coastal Peru. Armed with a field trip log and graphic...

Get a better understanding of babies in the sea. The class learns about the two kinds of plankton. They then determine the baby pictures of eight marine animals given a picture of the adult and some hints about the larvae. When scholars...

Take a drift in the ocean. Class members watch a video on plankton, the drifters of the ocean. Scholars find out about the different types of plankton and sea jellies. To add a little variety, they use the aquarium webcams to study sea...

Water covers more than 70 percent of Earth's surface. Scholars learn about both freshwater and saltwater biomes in a simple presentation. They compare and contrast the differences in oxygen levels, food sources, and sunlight to better...

Are weather troubles caused by El Nino? An installment of a larger series presents a five-part lesson on El Nino. First, scholars learn to read sea surface temperature maps. Then, they compare them to data on graphs before determining if...

Even the smallest living things have a large impact. An informative video lesson presents an introduction to types of plankton and their roles in the ocean. The narrator explains how plankton impacts the ocean ecosystem and beyond.

Nature provides density columns in the polar regions that provides food for many animals. Young scientists build their own density columns with water in order to answer analysis questions. Through a slideshow presentation, scholars...

Could clouds be the key to slowing climate change? Cirrus clouds trap more heat than other clouds, thus keeping the Earth warmer; if scientists can get rid of them, the Earth might cool down. An eye-opening video delves into three...

Plankton are so abundant in the ocean they outweigh all of the animals in the sea. In this three day activity, groups discuss and become familiar with plankton, capture females, and look for egg production on day three. 

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...

Why can't a polar bear live in the desert? Because the bear's food source lives in the habitat in which it thrives. This is the focus of a video that explains why certain animals live in specific habitats.

This unit is so cool, you won't be able to "kelp" yourself! Intended for all grades, this science and activity guide for teachers offers a unique opportunity to understand kelp's role as a valuable ecological resource. Teachers and...

For as small as they are, plankton sure play an enormous role in maintaining marine ecosystems. Dive into an investigation of these tiny organisms with a hands-on life science activity in which children cut out pictures of sea animals...

Plankton: so much more than just a SpongeBob character. Three different activities have kids looking at both phytoplankton and zooplankton in pictures, as well as collecting their own samples (depending on your access to a saltwater...

Young scholars use satellite data to see the correlation between sea temperature and sunlight in the Gulf of Maine.  In this phytoplankton lesson students use Excel to analyze data. 

Young scholars build plankton models and compete to see which sinks most slowly. They write, or orally present ,the adaptations they incorporated to slow the sinking rate of their organisms. Race results can be grounds for some prizes!

Tomorrow's marine biologists journey through the world of phytoplankton when viewing this slide show. They are exposed to the shapes and life cycle of diatoms, and introduced to dinoflagellates, coccolithophorids, and silicoflagellates....

In this biology worksheet, students identify and define the vocabulary terms listed and make a prediction about the outcomes of the experiment. Then they complete the chart of the observations of the plankton diversity in drops of pond...

In this plankton key worksheet, students use drawings of phytoplankton and zooplankton to identify macro- invertebrates, diatoms and algae from a pond water sample.

Students brainstorm possible causes of zebra mussel migration and population expansion. They identify the key causes and effects of the disturbance of the Hudson River ecosystem and research causes and effects in the disturbances of...

In this phytoplankton worksheet, students read and study online information on plankton blooms to answer 8 short answer questions about the topic.

Students study Monterey Bay. For this Monterey Bay lesson, students create a model of upwelling around Monterey Bay. Students simulate surface water movement relative to prevailing winds.

Young scholars research phytoplankton and zooplankton. In this food chain lesson, students read This is the Sea That Feeds Us and discuss plankton, food chains, and webs. Young scholars define phytoplankton and compare them to land...