Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pollution Solution

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students explore the concept of environmental stewardship. In this science lesson, students investigate the effects of oil spills and brainstorm ideas to help companies avoid them as they create models to demonstrate their attributes and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wave Math

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students identify the different factors affecting the size and shape of ocean waves. In this math lesson, students calculate wave speed and wavelength given a mathematical formula.
Lesson Plan
Ocean Explorer

Living with the Heat

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Young oceanographers study the Submarine Ring of Fire, which is a series of deep-water volcanic vents that come up from the ocean floor. Learners take a close look at the unique ecosystems that are associated with these areas, how these...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Graham Cracker Plate Tectonics

For Teachers 7th - 10th
In this plate tectonics worksheet, students use Graham crackers, frosting, water and a paper plate to simulate tectonic processes such as convergent, divergent and transforming plate boundaries.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Light Stick Chemistry

For Teachers 5th - 8th
In groups of three with the lights off and the shades drawn, investigators place inactivated light sticks, in three beakers: one filled with ice water, another with lukewarm water, and the other with room temperature water. They wait...
Unit Plan
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Curated OER

Plate Tectonics: First Grade Lesson Plans and Activities

For Teachers 1st Standards
A set of first grade geology lessons focuses on plate tectonics and movement of plate boundaries. During the pre-lab, learners experience three types of plate movement through a kinesthetic demonstration. The lab...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Whales and Fish: Creatures of the Deep

For Students 5th Standards
Practice comparing and contrasting details in informational text with a reading passage about whales. It explains the ways that fish and whales are similar, as well as the ways they are different, and specific characteristics of various...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wreck Detectives

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Junior archaeologists examine types of artifacts from the Bronze Age on the internet. In collaborative groups, they create a story about a ship from this period and then construct a model of the ocean floor after their ship has sunk....
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

The Composition of Seawater

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
High schoolers explore the concept of finding the composition of seawater.  In this finding the composition of seawater instructional activity, students make a saturated salt water solution.  High schoolers discuss why there is...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WONDERFUL, WATERFUL WETLANDS

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students list characteristics of wetland and describe the functions of a wetland.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Edible Rock Layers

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students use edible food items to conduct an experiment that simulates the movement, folding, and faulting of rock strata like sandstone, siltstone, limestone, and shale. Students then get to eat the experiment when completed.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Remote Sensing and Landsat Satellite Imagery

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers comprehend how satellites use remote sensing to produce images. They use supervised classification with Landsat images. Students recognize that the earth's surface has different basic land surfaces that reflect/emit...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mystery of the Megaplume

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Read through the extensive background information and then lead your geology or physical oceanography class through an investigation of actual temperature anomaly data from the Juan de Fuca ridge. They translate the data onto a plot,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It Looks Like Champagne

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers determine some practical implications of the discovery of liquid carbon dioxide in deep-ocean ecosystems. They interpret phase diagrams and explain the meaning of "critical point" and "triple point."
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Coral Reefs

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Young scholars identify locations of coral reefs, both in the water and around the globe, identify relative depth of corals in the ocean by observing behavior of cold and warm saltwater, and create models of coral reefs.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sedimentation Lab Activity

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students predict how sediments in a water column will settle.  In this earth science lesson, students examine the layers of sedimentation. Students are given sediments to place into a column of water and observe how they settle....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Freshwater/Saltwater "Eggs-Periment"

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore water properties by conducting a class experiment. In this buoyancy instructional activity, students utilize freshwater, saltwater, plastic cups, hard boiled eggs and food coloring to experiment with the floating...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How High Does the Atmosphere Go?

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students explain how relatively thin the atmosphere is, compared to the size of the planet, and determine the relative extent of the four major atmospheric layers.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Snow on Sea Ice

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine different samples of ice and predict the amount of snow that has fallen in a given year. Using a calculator, they graph the various thicknesses. They analyze the graphs to determine the relationship between the...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Tomography

For Students 6th - 12th
In this tomography worksheet, students read about how tomography is used to help oceanographers learn more about the Earth's surface below the ocean. Students complete 3 short answer questions based on the reading.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sea Activities

For Teachers K
Students explore the sea. In this biology lesson plan, student investigate sea creatures, and sea water. Students discover how to convert sea water into fresh drinking water as well.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Keep it Complex

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students consider the importance of biodiversity in the ocean layers. In this oceanography lesson, students use the Shannon-Weaver diversity index to analyze data.  Students analyze the information collected and write a report...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pollution Solution

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the topic of oil pollution and how it affects the global ocean. They discuss oil spills in recent history and use problem solving skills to decide what strategies could be used to actually clean up an oil spill. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Salty Experiment

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Learners study salty and fresh waters.  In this harbor estuary lesson students complete a lab activity on salinity and describe what happened.