Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Let's Go Fact Fishing!

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students work in pairs to research animals in the ocean. They use the Internet, encyclopedias, and resource books to complete an information sheet with a photo of the animal and three facts. They present their mini-reports to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Pollution

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore ocean pollution.  In this ecology lesson, students view a video entitled This Pretty Planet and identify common biodegradable products. Students participate in activities designed to simulate the negative effects of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Layering and Circulation

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students examine relationships and interactions between different types of water. They experiment with colored water of different temperature and salinity and discuss how the results relate to real ocean currents.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fish Fashion 101

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners explore fish anatomy. In this fish anatomy and adaptation lesson, students define and identify the location of fish body parts. Learners add these parts of a fish's anatomy to a life-sized fish costume worn by a student. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Zones

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students create a mural showing ocean zones and the diversity of ocean life. They use reference books to create a list of plants and animals that would live in each zone.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creatures of the Sea

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders complete a two-month long unit on the physical characteristics of the oceans and animal environments. They create a "Creatures of the Sea" alphabet book in collaboration with a kindergarten class, conduct Internet...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Group Foraging

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Learners explore co-operation by researching ocean life. In this fish science lesson, students identify many vocabulary terms associated with oceanography and discuss what group foraging means among fish. Learners utilize paints and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Camouflage, Protection, & Adaptations—Who am I?

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Learners explore ocean animal adaptations. In this animal adaptations activity, students examine how different ocean animals use adaptations other than camouflage to protect themselves.
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

Bioluminescence 2009: Living Light on the Deep Sea Floor Expedition - Now You See Me, Now You Don't

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students examine bioluminescence and camouflage of deep sea creatures. For this deep sea creatures lesson, students investigate the visible and near-visible light spectrum. They work in small groups to complete a light, color, 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
University of California

Plankton

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Plankton: so much more than just a SpongeBob character. Three different activities have kids looking at both phytoplankton and zooplankton in pictures, as well as collecting their own samples (depending on your access to a saltwater...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Journey to the Unknown

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Go where no one has gone before. Learners experience what it is like to be a scientist exploring new territory. Using audio and a scripted text, pupils take a trip in the depths of the ocean. They follow their trip with a hands-on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Under the Sea

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Tropical fish are a great subject for any art project, they are colorful, interesting, and can go along with under water themed stories read in class, learner written narratives, or Marine Biology units. This set of instructions will...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Plastic in the Sea

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
How much plastic do people use? Class members identify how plastic is involved in their daily lives by looking at food packaging either at a grocery store or at home. Learners view statistics for the amount of plastics found on a beach...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean's 4

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students create a video about their oceanography unit where they role-play various animals from the ocean. In this oceanography lesson, students create a paper mural and then costumes for the animals. Students role-play the animals and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

People and the Ocean

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Students view a demonstration of the ocean and what we can do to help it, and also identify seafood items that students would order on a menu. In this ocean lesson plan, students learn how people are connected to the ocean and how we can...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring the National Marine Sanctuaries: A Lesson in Habitats and Human Impacts

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the marine sanctuaries in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. They discover the interdependence of all living things and work together in groups to create a poster about what they have discovered during the lesson. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

2005 Hidden Ocean Expedition What's Eating You?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Analyze data and make inferences about the trophic position of organisms in the Canada marine food web. After a review of the geography and formula, discuss results and write an essay to improve the understanding of Artic food webs.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mesozoic Sea Life Diorama

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students create a diorama depicting Mesozoic sea life. They color a template and add shells and pebbles to the diorama to depict the ocean floor.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Interrelationships Within the Marine Community

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders create an electronic story showing the interrelationship of species within the marine environment. They utilize the educational software, 'Destination Ocean' during this engaging lesson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Organize Ocean Animal Research

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders research a variety of ocean animals, organizing the facts in the form of a database. They input the results of the research into the appropriate field of their database for their Oceanography Science Unit.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Life in the Coral Reef

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study life forms in coral reefs. For this ocean life lesson, students study life in coral reefs as they create a coral reef sculpture.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Race

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Students play game simulating route turtle hatchlings take from clutch to ocean, and describe threats hatchlings face and how this affects the marine turtle population.