Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Field Trip - Marine Science Institute

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Young scholars discover the ocean life of the San Francisco Bay. In this ocean lesson, students take a Discovery Voyage of the Bay ecosystem through the Marine Science Institute. Also available are inland voyages, ocean labs, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life on the Edge: Exploring Deep Ocean Habitats Cool Corals

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the basic morphology of Lophelia corals and polyps to determine the significance of these organisms. They detail the reasons that biological communities are focusing on the Lophelia corals as major conservation efforts.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Life Mural

For Teachers K - 5th
Young scholars conduct Internet research on ocean life, view pictures of sea life, and create a class ocean life mural.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Life

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the fossil remains of ancient sea creatures. They create casts of fossils and identify how sea fossils are formed and consider what type of information fossils can give to scientists.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Oceans: Reading Comprehension

For Students 4th - 8th
Practice reading comprehension by approaching oceanography through 2 pages of informational text. The text give introductory coverage of oceanography in practice, ocean zones, names of the 5 oceans, ocean features, and marine life. Three...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Top to Bottom

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Marine science classes read about the 2005 North Atlantic Stepping Stones Expedition and review climate change. They use maps to locate the seamount chains. In collaborative groups, they research how climate change may be altering the...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Empty Oceans

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In groups of four, pupils brainstorm about seafood. They view the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch website to examine the problems caused by the seafood industry. Learners are then brought back together to discuss what they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Oceans in Motion

For Teachers K - 3rd
This simple lesson introduces children to basic marine life as well as to show them the necessity of protecting aquatic environments. Some famous marine life animals are introduced via vocabulary words, then children cut out pictures of...
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
Curated OER

Specialized for the Sea

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students use pictures and make a mural to investigate how ocean animals are adapted to certain parts of their environment.
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Journey to the Bottom of the Sea

For Students 6th - 12th
Follow the path to the sea floor. Pupils play an online interactive board game to reach the bottom of the sea. Participants must match descriptions of creatures to a property of water dealing with oxygen, food, light, or density to move...
Lesson Plan
1
1
NOAA

Sediments

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Calcareous ooze ... what an interesting name! The 15th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program focuses on sediments found on the ocean floor. After viewing the slideshow lecture,...
Lesson Plan
Dawn N . Ericson

California Kelp Forest Restoration

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
This unit is so cool, you won't be able to "kelp" yourself! Intended for all grades, this science and activity guide for teachers offers a unique opportunity to understand kelp's role as a valuable ecological resource. Teachers and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Coral Bleaching in the Caribbean

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students practice analyzing images, maps and graphs from Internet-based educational resources. They explore the correlation between sea surface temperature and coral bleaching. Students comprehend that coral reefs are collections of tiny...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Climate, Corals and Change

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Global warming isn't just an issue on land; deep ocean waters are also showing troubling signs. Young scientists learn more about deep water corals and the many recent discoveries researchers have made. Then they examine data related to...
Lesson Plan
Aquarium of the Pacific

Kelp Forest Conservation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
There otter be a better way. As a class, groups work together to create a food web based on the organisms in the kelp forest. Budding scientists watch a video on the kelp forest to see how the organisms create a food web and hear about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Oil on the Beach

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students explore how oil pollutes the oceans. For this science lesson, students investigate various materials that could be used to clean up an oil spill. Students discuss which materials worked best and how humans can reduce oil spills.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life on the Hardbottom

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students find similarities and differences between a biotrope habitat and an ecosystem.  In this hardbottom biotrope lesson, students research and respond to inquiry questions about a biotrope.  Students identify three...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Predator/Prey Activity: Fish Feeding, Environments, and General Behavior

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students explore concepts of environment and survival among different marine life, focusing on the ocean environment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From the Gulf of Mexico to the Moons of Jupiter

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare deep ocean conditions to those found on the moons of Jupiter. In this Earth science instructional activity, students consider the possibilities and conditions needed to support simple life. Students examine the habitats...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Harmful Is It?

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Pupils complete a form that requires them to make decisions about how severely different types of marine debris affect people, animals, vessels, communities. Results are totaled and analyzed to determine which types of marine debris are...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Global Warming - The Heat is On: Global Climate Change Revisited

For Teachers 6th - 8th
After listening to your lecture on climate change, young scientists access NOAA's database listing Mauna Loa's carbon dioxide data. They graph the monthly means and then compare their graphs to NOAA's. This is a concise plan that could...
Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Coral Reef Habitat Match

For Teachers K - 2nd Standards
Different animals live in different habitats, and each animal has specifically adaptive traits that make them tailor-made for their environments. This is true on land and in the ocean. Little ones examine how various marine animals have...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Journey to Deep Sea Vents

For Students 6th - 12th
Take a deep dive into oceanography. The online interactive allows for learners to board a submersible to dive to the bottom of the ocean to investigate sea vents. On the way down, individuals see different marine life at different...