NOAA
Methane Hydrates – What's the Big Deal?
Have you ever tried to light ice on fire? With methane hydrate, you can do exactly that. The ice forms with methane inside so it looks like ice, but is able to burn. The lesson plan uses group research and a hands-on activity to help...
Florida International University
The Good, the Bad and the Nasty Tasting
Examine the benefits of chemical defense mechanisms. Organisms in oceans use chemicals to ward off predators. Duplicate this adaptation using a hands-on experiment in which you ward off your predators (your pupils) with some...
Curated OER
Understanding Oceans
Students investigate how ocean currents affect our world. For this ocean currents lesson, students perform an experiment to show how cold water is near the poles and warm water is near the equator. Students use water, food coloring,...
Curated OER
Oceans
Students become aware of the differences between ocean water and lake water by smelling, tasting and seeing. They distinguish between land and bodies of water on a globe and gain increased awareness of oceans and life.
Curated OER
How Oceans Affect Climate
Students draw conclusions about how the ocean affects temperature. In this weather lesson plan, students use the Internet to gather data to help them come to a conclusion about how the climate in a certain region is directly affected by...
Curated OER
Plate Tectonics: First Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
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...
Curated OER
Rain On
Fourth graders study the water cycle and clouds. In this water cycle and cloud lesson, 4th graders determine the definition of condensation and watch a demonstration in which the teacher makes a cloud in a bottle. They discuss the water...
Curated OER
Ocean Exploration: Shapes and Patterns Under the Sea
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...
Curated OER
Explore the Ocean
Students explore the oceans from their origin. In this oceans lesson, students read and discuss excerpts from the Book of Genesis regarding the creation of the ocean. Students then clean up a mock oil spill, measure the volume and area...
Curated OER
Long Day?
Students become aware of the effects of tides on the Earth's rotation. In this tides instructional activity, students calculate the number of seconds lost over various periods of time.
Berkshire Museum
Where’s the Water?: Acting Out Science Cycles
Young scientists transform themselves into rivers, oceans, clouds, and drops of water in order to explore the water cycle. After assigning and explaining to students their different roles in the activity, the teacher reads aloud a...
Curated OER
Exploring The Depths!
Fifth graders make a model of the ocean floor. In this ocean characteristics lesson, 5th graders complete a KWL chart about the ocean floor, use the Ocean Depth Data Sheet to create a graph, and create a 3-D model of the ocean floor.
Polar Trec
Down to the Deep Virtual Lab
At a depth of 3,000 m in the ocean, the pressure is 300 times that at sea level! In the activity, individuals predict what will happen to Styrofoam cups submerged 3,000 meters into the ocean. They then convert these units to soccer...
NOAA
Fishy Deep-sea Designs!
Oceans represent more than 80 percent of all habitats, yet we know less about them than most other habitats on the planet. The instructor introduces the epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, twilight, and midnight zones in the ocean....
Curated OER
Ocean Life: A Heavy Subject
Second graders examine The Learning Page Fact Files about ocean life and categorize the data by weight and group. They distinguish between fish, mammals, and invertebrates and which weigh the most and the least. Students record their...
Curated OER
Plotting the Ocean Floor
Fourth graders plot points on a graph, connect the dots to make the ocean floor profile and label the topographical features. They utilize a worksheet and a website imbedded in this plan to plot the ocean floor.
Curated OER
High and Low Tides
Students collect real world data from the Web regarding high and low tides at various locations in the United States. They find a function which models this data and make predictions on tide levels based on the information found.
Curated OER
How much is Dirt Worth?
Students problem solve to understand the value of the Earth's soil. In this value of dirt lesson, students understand how much of Earth is made of dirt and how important to our survival it is.
Curated OER
Sea Ice Board Game
Students understand the sea ice cycle and can explain its stages. In this Sea Ice lesson, students play a game to identify types of sea ice. Students answer critical thinking questions about sea ice. Students complete a sea ice worksheet.
Curated OER
Composition of Ocean Water
Learners experiment to determine the composition of ocean water. In this ocean water composition lesson, students color in a grid that shows the percentage of each of the components of ocean water which include chloride, sodium, sulfate,...
Curated OER
Clam Hooping
Students explore ocean biology by capturing organisms on a beach. In this clam collecting lesson plan, students identify the clam species and discuss the anatomy of a clam as well as the importance they provide as a meal. Students...
Curated OER
The Sun as the Driving Force of the Water Cycle
Students study the water cycle and how the sun is an important factor. In this water cycle lesson plan students investigate how to desalinate water and explore the different densities of fresh versus saltwater.
Curated OER
Hurricane Frequency and Intensity
High schoolers examine hurricanes. In this web-based meteorology lesson, students study the relationship between ocean temperature and hurricane intensity. They differentiate between intensity and frequency of hurricanes.
Curated OER
What Lives in the Open Ocean and Where Do They Live?
Young scholars explore oceanography by participating in a flash card activity. In this ocean inhabitant lesson, students define a list of ocean related vocabulary terms and answer ocean geography study questions. Young scholars utilize...