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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan #3 ~ Ocean Currents

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders experiment to understand the ocean's currents.  In this ocean current lesson, 6th graders complete an experiment with two bottles of water and an index card to discover information about the ocean current.  Students...
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Activity
Discovery Education

Motion in the Ocean

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
How do temperature changes affect ocean currents? Scholars explore convection currents by demonstrating the flow of water in a baking dish. They use ice, heat, and food coloring to see currents. Then, they draw conclusions about their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Factors Affecting Ocean Currents

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students design and conduct an experiment to determine the effect of salinity and temperature changes in the movement of ocean currents. In this earth science instructional activity, students record observations and collect data. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rubber Duckies and Ocean Currents

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore marine life by conducting a rubber duck experiment. In this water currents instructional activity, students practice identifying latitude and longitude coordinates on a map and define the currents of major oceans....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Streams

For Teachers 6th - 9th
The instructions for demonstrating ocean turnover are provided in this resource. You could set this up for your earth science class as part of a lecture on convection currents or as an explanation of how ocean currents form. An animation...
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Lesson Plan
Centers for Ocean Sciences

Ocean and Great Lakes Literacy: Principle 1

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Is your current lesson plan for salt and freshwater literacy leaving you high and dry? If so, dive into part one of a seven-part series that explores the physical features of Earth's salt and freshwater sources. Junior hydrologists...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Currents

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars determine how water and wind affect ocean currents. In this science investigation lesson, students follow the provided steps to enable them to consider how explorers may have used ocean currents to their advantage.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Ocean Circulation in the North Atlantic

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Swirling and churning, the waters of the North Atlantic play a vital role in Earth's climate! Discover the many factors that produce circulation using a multimedia lesson from PBS's Weather and Climate series for high schoolers. Scholars...
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Activity
Climate Research Facility

Ocean Currents

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
Young scientists investigate the effects of heating a beaker of ice water by dropping dye into the water and observing how the color circulates.
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Lesson Plan
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NOAA

Ocean Layers I

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How is it possible for ocean water to have layers? The sixth installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program investigates factors that cause different water densities to occur. Experiments...
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Lesson Plan
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Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)

Ocean Acidification: Whats and Hows

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Open this instructional activity by demonstrating the production of acidic carbon dioxide gas by activated yeast. Emerging ecologists then experiment with seashells to discover the effect of ocean acidification on shelled marine...
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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.
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

The Motions of the Oceans

For Teachers 6th
Students examine the topics of ocean waves, currents, and tides. They locate and label ocean currents on a world map, conduct experiments, analyze key vocabulary, view demonstrations and record the data, and complete handouts.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Currents

For Teachers K - 11th
Students discover the geography of Earth by analyzing water currents.  In this oceanography instructional activity, students create visual references on a map of the globe where and why major ocean currents are moving water.  Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Estuarine Currents

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students experiment observing a demonstration on models of density-driven currents which are typically found in an estuarine system of water flow. They compare/contrast water temperature and salinity to the formations of estuarine currents.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Ocean Conveyor

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students investigate water density. In this water density lesson, students conduct an experiment with food coloring, water and salt to see how the salt effects bodies of water.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Currents

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students demonstrate how ocean currents are influenced by changes in density. They discover that temperature and salintiy affect density as well. They participate in a short experiment to end the lesson.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating the Effect of Salinity on the Density and Stability of Water

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Water with varying amounts of dissolved salt are dyed and then used to compare densities. The objective is to discover the effect of salinity, and therefore density, on ocean water on the stability of the ocean. Many branches of science...
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Activity
University of Waikato

Water Temperature

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Water temperatures connect to the movement of the ocean. Pupils read two articles about the temperature and the motion of the oceans before small groups investigate the interaction of hot and cold water. Team members add cold and hot...
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Interactive
PBS

Coastline Change

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Continental drift happens over millions of years, but new perspective shows much faster changes. An informative resource offers a short term perspective using a series of satellite images. Viewers observe major changes to a coastline in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Currents

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students label the names, relative temperature, distribution, and direction of flow of major ocean currents on a world map. They also explore and model the natural forces that affect the movement of ocean currents through demonstrations...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating Convection Currents

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students examine how differences in the temperature and salinity of the water help create ocean currents. They perform an experiment which shows how temperature affects the circulation of ocean water.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Temperature

For Students 2nd - 6th
In this temperature worksheet, students conduct an experiment including water, measuring cups, a funnel, and more, to see how temperature affects ocean currents. Students read 5 directions and answer 7 questions.
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Lesson Plan
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STEM for Teachers

Tsunami!

For Teachers 4th - 6th
How does the depth of an ocean affect the speed of a tsunami's waves? Use Jell-o, graham crackers, and marshmallows to model the effects of an underwater earthquake and its resulting tsunami. The instructional activity includes hands-on...