Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Whales and Sea Ice: Investigating Insulation

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Learners investigate the properties of insulation as it relates to whales and sea ice. They research whales and examine the atmospheric changes that occur when there are changes in sea ice.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Gray Whale Obstacle Course Viewing Guide

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students complete a worksheet while watching a film about whales. They examine the human impact on whale migration and identify adaptations the whale has acquired in able to survive. They discover how global warming has effected the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Climate Change Challenge

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students participate in a demonstration in which they role-play polar bears and habitat components to demonstrate the impacts of climate change on the Arctic Ocean ecosystem.
Lesson Plan
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Geographic Features and Human Settlements

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders examine geography and settlements. In this geography instructional activity, 3rd graders participate in classroom activities that center on the idea that people settle where there are geographical features that sustain life.
Lesson Plan
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The Great Barracuda

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students explore oceanography by researching the great barracuda.  In this animal life lesson, students read several vocabulary terms dealing with ocean life and examine a drawing of a barracuda.  Students examine the many...
Lesson Plan
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Building an Underwater Habitat

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students investigate underwater habitats. In this underwater habitat lesson, students study Aquarius and design their own underwater habitat that can sustain life. Students work in groups and present their habitats to the class. Students...
Lesson Plan
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A Piece of Cake

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Learners examine life under the sea to discover coral gardens and microhabitats. They demonstrate learning by creating an edible marine ecosystem with a sheet cake, icing, and different candies.
Lesson Plan
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Creating a Pond Habitat

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students create a pond habitat inside and outside their classroom. In this pond lesson plan, students create a habitat with animals, water, and plants in order to create a proper pond habitat.
Lesson Plan
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I, Robot, Can Do That!

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students describe the three types of underwater robots and the advantages and disadvantages of using them.  In this underwater instructional activity students are given a task and identify the best robot for the job. 
Lesson Plan
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Evaporation

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study the water cycle and the different processes involved, specifically evaporation. They explore the processes of evaporation through hands-on collaborative activities and relate learning to life through...
Lesson Plan
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Pre-Columbian Settlements and People

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders describe the social, political, cultural and economic life and interactions among the people of California from the pre-Columbian societies to the Spanish mission and Mexican rancho periods.
Lesson Plan
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Monitoring Coral Reefs

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers investigate data on coral reef monitoring in a marine protected area in the Florida keys. For this coral reef lesson plan, students use online data from a marine protected coral reef to complete a worksheet about coral...
Lesson Plan
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Pleistocene Mammals

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Young scholars research the causes of the extinction of Pleistocene mammals.  In this Pleistocene mammals lesson, students read essays to understand the Pleistocene epoch. Young scholars write an essay about the personal impact of...
Lesson Plan
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I, Robot, Can Do That!

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students describe underwater robots. In this robot instructional activity, students describe and contrast three types of underwater robots used for scientific exploration. This instructional activity includes several activities, a...
Lesson Plan
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Bioluminescence

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discover the concept of bioluminescence. They identify marine animals who have use this and why. They work together to test the function of bioluminescence as camouflage.
Lesson Plan
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Sharks: Scavenging Stomachs

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the role played by sharks in the marine food chain. They conduct a scavenger hunt collecting items that have actually been removed from the stomachs of sharks, and create a display that includes the items and newspaper...
Lesson Plan
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Island Research

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students will work in small groups to gather information about the geography, history, economy, climate, culture, and other aspects of life on the island of Eleuthera. Lesson contains adaptations for all levels.
Lesson Plan
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Teaching Lewis and Clark: Tribal Cultures and Homelands

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students examine the attributes of the tribes that inhabited the Columbia River Basin. In this Lewis and Clark instructional activity, students participate in a classroom simulation that requires them to participate in a seasonal round,...
Lesson Plan
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Hawaii's Freshwater Animals - Species Report

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars explore biology by creating a report for the class. In this oceanography lesson, students research and identify the survival characteristics of a list of freshwater animals by utilizing the Internet and library. Young...
Lesson Plan
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GLOBAL WARMING

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students form definitions of the greenhouse effect based on prior knowledge, class discussion, viewing diagrams, and participate in group brainstorming sessions and class discussions related to the impact of the greenhouse effect and...
Lesson Plan
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The Artemia Hatchery

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students, in groups, develop their hatcheries, working cooperatively in its design and construction. The lessons begin with the introduction to Artemia as a primary food source of many aquaculture species during their larval stages.
Lesson Plan
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Sailors and Sharks

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Learners use the skills of fleeing and dodging in order to avoid being tagged. They begin standing on the ships (mats). One student, the shark, wears a pinney. At the signal from the teacher of "Sailors swim", the sailors scatter to a...
Lesson Plan
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Christopher Columbus

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students read about the good and bad aspects of Christopher Columbus in Jean Fritz's book, "Where do you think you're going, Christopher Columbus?" They conduct and analyze a survey about common myths and create a pop-up book.
Lesson Plan
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Myth-try Cards Activity

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students read creation myths to learn various cultural explanations for natural phenomena. They select sharks and write myths to explain physical structures, behaviors or roles in ecosystems. They research the animals to provide...