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Desalination: Creating a Solar Still
To better understand how solar power can aid in creating desalinated drinking water, the class creates a model still. They will build a model of a solar still, make observations, and discuss how the process works. While the idea behind...
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Ocean Stratigraphy Challenge
Students are asked to explain the sequence of rock and sediment types and to devise an experiment to test this hypothesis. It is intended for students with some prior knowledge of oceanography, sedimentary geology, and plate tectonics...
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Sea Stars and the Northern Abalone: A Race for Life!
Pupils compare and contrast the ecosystem, structure and behavior of survival of the abalone versus the sea star. They consider the ramifications of reintroducing the endangered abalone. They present their findings to the class.
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On the Mayflower Lesson Plan
Learners build a model of the Mayflower inside of the classroom in order to learn about the voyage of the Mayflower and the hardships faced by its passengers. For this American history lesson, students work in small groups to construct...
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Food Web Mystery
Students describe typical marine food webs, and explain why food is generally scarce in the deep-ocean environment. They discuss reasons that seamounts may support a higher density of biological organisms than would appear to be possible.
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Food for Thought
Learners understand the importance of each member of a food chain through a game. In this food chains lesson, students receive background information and then play a game to simulate what happens in the food chain of an endangered...
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Fish Are Animals Too
Students create posters that show how a shark is a major predator in kelp forests and coral reefs after studying the food webs for these ecosystems. They determine that fish are important animals in the ocean's web of life.
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Predators Among Us
Students study environmental science. In this ecosystems lesson, students discover how humans have an impact on life in the coral reef. They watch video clips and work on small group activities. This lesson includes links to the videos...
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Oil Spill Dangers
Students analyze the effects of oil spills on our environment and develop action plans to protect animals and habitats.
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Fisheries And Songs
Students view examples of songs that have the ocean and its life as their themes. After hearing and reading them, students write their own, having done research on the social and political issues of the ocean's environment.
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Tanker Spills
Students predict the flow of an oil spill and depict it on a map. They explain the predicted route of the oil spill using knowledge of ocean currents in a short presentation to their peers.
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Ecosystem Interactions Web
Students pick an ecosystem (forest, desert, coral reef, open ocean, grassland, mountain, savanna, etc.) and design an interaction web for their chosen ecosystem. Each group shares their ecosystem's web of life with the class.
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The Moon Made Me Do It!
Learners research lunar cycles and how it effects living organisms. In this investigative lesson students prepare written reports on the lunar cycles and the relationship between animal behavior and reproductivity then give an oral...
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Estuaries, Estuarine Habitats, and Adaptations
Middle schoolers conduct research on estuaries. They design and construct an estuary, describe the physical characteristics of an estuary, and create a diagram illustrating an estuarine food web.
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Supermarkets, Sustenance and Sustainability
Students investigate jungles and the people who depend upon them. In this sustainability lesson, students research wild life conservation and discover the importance of a jungle to Amazonian people. Students create a group...
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Starfish Project
Students discuss ocean waters, tides, tide pools and the animals which live in the tide pools. They practice the push and pull method with a chink of clay to create a starfish from clay. They apply texture and decorate the starfish...
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Who's New in the Deep Sea?
Students examine the methods and technology that scientists use to study the deep sea and other remote environments. In this ocean habitats lesson students make observations about organisms from video clips, generate questions and...
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Sea Activities
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.
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Shipwreck Alley
Students examine the different types of vessels used in commercial shipping. In this commercial shipping lesson students apply force and motion to problems of marine safety.
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Mountain Magic: Identifying the Basic Physical Characteristics of Mountains
Students read about and identify on maps the physical characteristics of mountains. For this mountains lesson plan, students also write about the characteristics using personification.
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For Creative Minds: What Makes an Animal a Mammal?
Students read about categories of mammals and their features. Students then construct a marine animal, using given print outs in the instructional activity. Students then create adaptations for their mammal, using a web site reference...
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Difficult Decisions: The Sakinaw Sockeye Case Study
Eighth graders examine Sakinaw Sockeye as species at risk, participate in role playing exercise to consider different perspectives of various interest groups, and try to come to consensus on how to deal with dwindling Sakinaw sockeye...
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My Friend, The Volcano
Students describe the positive impacts of volcanic activity on marine ecosystems. In this volcano lesson students explore the process that causes volcanic activity along the Mariana and Kermadec Island Arcs.
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Chewin' in the Chesapeake
Students examine a web page on food webs and select a habitat to research. In this research lesson students identify the organisms found in the food web and present their findings to the class.