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...

It's time to mix things up! Introduce biology scholars to the latest topic in marine research—invertebrates! The third installment in a five-part series of Invertebrates lessons explains the hypothesis that tiny, migrating shrimp are...

Surely, the biggest fish in the lake will benefit from a meal of big, tasty shrimp! Take biology scholars on a trip to Flathead Lake in the second of a five-part Invertebrates series. Scientists currently studying the lake take the...

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.

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...

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 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!

Holoplankton are always plankton, whereas meroplankton are only plankton as larvae. Reveal several examples of each to your young marine biologists with this PowerPoint presentation. The first seven slides, an introduction to...

High schoolers are exposed to the variety of ways in which scientist use remote sensing and it used in everyday life. They investigate about zooplankton and fish. Students list the two important groups of organisms in both aquatic and...

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 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.

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. 

Students explore what a food web is. In this science lesson, students examine how nutrients and other pollutants enter a lake and play a food web game whereby students pretend they are either zooplankton, planktivore, piscivore, or...

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...

Students explore the attributes of plankton. In this plankton lesson, students read This is the Sea That Feeds Us and discuss food chains. Students discover the differences between phytoplankton and zooplankton as they examine the...

For this plankton worksheet, students draw a line between the larvae and the adult. Students write the name of each adult animal under the 8 drawings.

Fourth graders, in pairs, explore energy transfer and species interrelationships by viewing slides on a microscope. hey explore phytoplankton (producers) and zooplankton (consumers)