Hold the sea in the palm of your hand! Amateur oceanographers work together to create models of an ocean ecosystem in the sixth and final installment in a series. Raise awareness of global ocean health issues through guided research,...

Trash collection can be a hassle, especially out in the ocean. The second of four parts in the Adrift in a Sea of Plastic unit has pupils research plastic trash islands in marine ecosystems. They investigate why they occur and potential...

Students study their role in eliminating ocean pollution and helping keep the oceans clean. In this environmental issues lesson, students define pollution and brainstorm examples of ocean pollution. Students define biodegradable and...

Students explore the role of chemicals in the pollution and destruction of ecosystems. They research factors that affect ecosystems and the methods being employed to counter them. In addition, they choose one water ecosystem that has...

How does carbon dioxide affect the world's oceans? The final installment in a series of six lessons has pupils research ocean acidification, then conduct an experiment to witness the delicate balance that exists in our seas. Materials...

Young scholars explore the topic of marine pollution. They define key vocabulary words, list examples of marine pollution, complete a true/false handout, read an article, and participate in a class discussion.

Young scholars explore marine life by conducting a rubber duck experiment. In this water currents lesson, students practice identifying latitude and longitude coordinates on a map and define the currents of major oceans. Young scholars...

Are our oceans really suffering due to the choices humans make? The sixth and final installment in the volume of activities challenges research groups to tackle one of six major topics that impact ocean health. After getting to the...

After an introduction to municipal sludge, middle school ecologists consider the pros and cons of dumping in the Hudson River Canyon. The class is split into two groups: one to debate in favor or dumping and one to debate against the...

Seventh graders observe and test for the presence of carbon dioxide gas. They compare concentrations of carbon dioxide gas and conclude high concentrations of carbon dioxide gas are unhealthy for human beings.

Can turning on the television lead to toxins in the food supply? The lesson offers an opportunity for young scientists to complete guided research. A worksheet lists each question as well as the web page necessary to answer the question....

Young scholars investigate how human beings impact ocean ecosystems. In this ocean ecosystem instructional activity, students explore how marine debris affects marine life. Internet resources are provided.

Marine biologists research sea ice communities. Assign some groups to construct paper models of sea ice communities in winter, and some to construct models of them in summer. The instructional activity is simplistic, but the Internet...

To get the word out that the Great Pacific garbage patch (GPGP) contains millions of pounds of non-biodegrading plastics, individuals research the GPGP and write an article for a newsletter. Researchers present their facts in a...

Learners explore the concept of pollution. In this environmental stewardship lesson plan, students examine primary sources to research the complexity of pollution and its effect on the Arctic.

Learners examine and plot atmospheric data on bar graphs.

Students perform experiments to examine if debris float, or blow in the wind. The effects of these characteristics on the marine debris are then discussed. They determine how a material can influence what becomes marine debris.

Students consider the life cycle of certain plastics products and propose improved recycling legislation in their own communities.

Students use a light microscope to observe the organisms living in a sample of ocean or fresh water. Students create a drawing of the organisms that they observe. Students then discuss the different body plans of the organisms and the...

Students explore the concept of environmental stewardship. In this science lesson plan, students investigate data from the International Coastal Cleanup, identify sources of marine debris, and discover the impacts of this debris on...

Students examine the environmental impact of global warming. In this environmental science instructional activity, students design and conduct an experiment about the effect of temperature on paramecia. They write a lab report about...

Fifth graders examine current events impacting aquatic life in their communities. They search for newspaper, magazine and television reports for information about aquatic life in local bodies of water. Students can write letters to...

Learners recognize the affects of technology on the environment. They examine data to determine methods to improve waater quality. A research paper is written to desribe recommendations for improving water in the future.

Students examine NASA's SeaWiFS Project Web site to explore how the SeaWiFS Project monitors environmental and climatic changes in the oceans and atmosphere. They answer questions and write a summary in support of continued funding for...