When the sun's rays can't reach the producers in a food web, where does all the energy come from? Extreme environments call for extreme food sources. Young scientists investigate creatures that appear to get their energy from methane...

The Arctic food web may be more limited than other environments, but it has all the same components. With an interactive activity, pupils assume the roles of the components of an Arctic food chain. They move around and link themselves to...

Begin with a demonstration of exothermic reactions and discussion of chemosynthesis. Your aspiring oceanographers research vent communities and then craft a mural of a vent community. This is a terrific method of introducing learners to...

Plant and animal life of the ocean is the focus of this science lesson. Young scientists sort a variety of seashells and explore why many sea animals have shells. They examine the shells, write journal entries highlighting the...

What's it like to be a deep-sea explorer? Tap into the imaginations of your fifth and sixth graders with a vivid lesson, the second part of a six-part adventure. Learners close their eyes and submerge themselves in an expedition aboard...

Explore ocean habitats with a lesson plan that showcases the home of manatees and loggerhead turtles in Belize. Here, pupils compare and contrast the homes of ocean animals to those of humans, listen to an original short story...

Though the walrus spends roughly one third of its time on land, it eats organisms that live on the bottom of the ocean. The first in a series of five, the lesson plan uses a variety of plant and animal cards to have scholars build an...

Step right up! An engaging research-centered instructional activity, the third in a series of six, has young archaeologists study the amazing animals of the Cambrian explosion. Working in groups, they profile a breathtaking and odd...

Sea explorers and scientists have found that because of temperatures being two to three degrees Celsius at the bottom of the ocean, most animals are lethargic in order to conserve energy. In this web quest, pairs of learners read about...

Students examine ocean life by identifying methane hydrates.  In this ocean life lesson, students research organisms that live in the coldest, deepest parts of the ocean and live off methane hydrates.  Students create a group...

Young scholars examine the role of an oceanographer in trying to explore the ocean. Using wax paper, they divide it up to show the sunlight, twilight and midnight zones. To end the instructional activity, they identify the types of...

When Captain John Smith visited the Chesapeake Bay in the summer of 1608, what types of animals and habitats did he encounter? Your young historians will analyze primary source documents to answer this question, as well as compare...

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

Producers, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, decomposers. To begin a study of the forest ecosystem, learners examine the connections among the members of ecological communities.

Students imagine and describe fictitious sea animals that might live in the ocean. After reading an article, they reflect on new discoveries found in the ocean recently. Using the internet, they research the interdependence of animals...

Young scholars investigate marine life by researching aquatic organisms on the Internet. In this oceanography lesson, students monitor algae and animals of the ocean by identifying their population and habitat on data sheet ID cards....

Young scientists play tag as they act out the food pyramid in the ocean ecosystem. Energy circles pass from the smaller prey to the predators and at the end of the activity, a data chart and analysis questions allow pupils to apply their...

Students are read a book about the oceans and discuss the characterstics of the main character that makes him a leader. As a class, they use sponges and contruction paper to make their own ocean scene. To end the lesson plan, they add...

Learners explore the ocean in this earth science lesson. They use the Internet to gather information on parts of the ocean including the beach, ocean floor, continental shelf, trenches, and the animals that inhabit these parts.

Students create a paper model to illustrate sea-floor spreading.

So many shapes in our vast oceans. Young explorers can discover new shapes in a variety of ways in this lesson. One way is having free exploration with a pattern shape kit handed out by the teacher. Another is by viewing a...

A tube worm's outer covering is made of chitin, the same material that makes up the shells of lobsters and crabs. Scholars create tube worms and analyze and discuss the longevity of organisms living near cold seeps. They then discuss and...

Students explore the ocean depths. In this scenario based instructional activity, students pretend they are on a submarine in an unknown part of the ocean. By using clues the class discusses and determines where they are in the ocean....

What forest is in the ocean? The class watches a video that introduces the kelp forest and the parts of kelp. Learners dive into the ocean and see what different species live near the canopy, the midwater, and the bottom of the kelp...