Curated OER
Properties of the Ocean: Measurement
Students simulate the development of an underwater amusement park after reading background on Coral Reef State Park. They decide which factors they would need to consider such as the ocean floor, currents, wave patterns and water...
Curated OER
science: Light Up the Ocean
students investigate light levels under the ocean by conducting several simulations. After creating solutions representing seawater, they shine a light sensor on it to discover how light diffuses and is absorbed by the impurities in the...
Curated OER
Under Pressure: How Deep Can They Dive?
Students explore geography by conducting an in-class experiment. In this deep sea exploration lesson, students identify the different zones of the ocean and utilize water bottles, masking tape and scissors to conduct a water pressure...
Curated OER
Sea and Ice Salinity
Students conduct an experiment. In this salinity lesson, students learn about sea ice, why it is important and how changing amounts can affect the sea. Students conduct an experiment to find out the effects of salinity on the formation...
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)
Carbon Dioxide & Krill: Impacts
What effects do temperature and carbon dioxide levels have on the zooplankton of Antarctica? This concluding lesson plan in a short unit on climate change and the ocean helps environmental scientists answer these questions. After...
US Environmental Protection Agency
Sea Level: On the Rise
With the global temperature on the rise, the effects of climate change are starting to be seen. However, many people have a difficult time conceptualizing the long-term effects, such as sea levels rising. Given an easy and effective...
Curated OER
Estuarine Currents
Learners 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.
Curated OER
Weather and Oceans: Uneven Heating of the Earth
Students investigate what causes the heat on Earth. In this Earth heating lesson, students experiment with different heat sources and determine where the Earth gathers the most heat. Students explore vocabulary words associated with...
Curated OER
Whale Watcher Game Lesson
Students study the gray whale migration and compare their populations to the increasing ocean temperature. In this whale watcher instructional activity students draw a food chain.
Polar Trec
Do You See What Icy?
Here is a lesson that kicks off with a question. "How does ice floating on the ocean act as it melts?" As learners investigate this natural phenomenon, they'll discover that it has a lot to do with temperature, salinity, and the effect...
Curated OER
Light Stick Chemistry
In groups of three with the lights off and the shades drawn, investigators place inactivated light sticks, in three beakers: one filled with ice water, another with lukewarm water, and the other with room temperature water. They wait...
Curated OER
Sea Water Freeze
Middle schoolers observe how salinity affects the time it takes water to freeze. They participate in an experiment to determine that ice is essentially salt-free whether formed from fresh or salt water
Florida International University
Design Your Own
Apply scientific principles to designing an experiment to study organisms living on the coral reef in our oceans. Through reading, individuals learn about the coral reef ecosystem and important factors that affect its function. Using the...
Curated OER
What Are The Properties of Sea Water?
Ninth graders conduct research on the subject of sea water. They use a variety of resources to obtain information. There are helpful resource links listed in the lesson plan. In conjunction with the research students make inquiry of the...
Curated OER
Rock My World
Students conduct a hands-on experiment designed to demonstrate how continents and oceans formed and why the manner of formation is relevant to a study of volcanoes.
Curated OER
A Salty Experiment
Students study salty and fresh waters. In this harbor estuary lesson plan students complete a lab activity on salinity and describe what happened.
Curated OER
Density Dynamics
Students set up working models demonstrating lake turnover and the formation of deep water masses in the oceans.
Curated OER
How Does Your Garden Grow? Discovering How Weather Patterns Affect Natural Cycles
For the warm-up in this cool climate lesson, you will need to click on "Mapping" and then "US Mapping" once you arrive at NOAA's "US Climate at a Glance" page. Earth science explorers realize that 2012 was a warm winter for us. They read...
Curated OER
Upwelling - Cold One Day, Warm Another?
Discuss with your oceanographers what forces cause nearshore upwelling and downwelling. Display a line of wind vectors alongside a graph of the temperatures so that they can discover whether or not they are related. Discussion questions...
Curated OER
Bycatch
Bycatch is the unwanted and discarded marine life caught during commercial fishing. Young marine scientists review bycatch litigation and analyze graphs of bycatch data and answer questions about it. This raises awareness while...
American Chemical Society
Why Does Water Dissolve Salt?
Individuals explore solubility by modeling how water dissolves salts. They then view a video and compare how well water and alcohol dissolve salts, relating their comparisons to the structure of each molecule.
Curated OER
Weather, Sea Level Rise and Climate Change Course
Students explain the impact of glacial melting to global climate change. In this environmental science lesson, students design an experiment to investigate the effect of salinity change to melting glaciers. They share their results to...
Curated OER
Your Own El Nino
Students conduct an experiment. In this El Nino lesson, students learn where El Nino storms come from, what they consist of and what effects they have. Students also complete an experiment where they create a miniature El Nino.
Curated OER
Modeling Estuaries
Students create a model estuary. For this modeling estuaries lesson, students identify characteristics and mix water of varying densities. Students form a hypothesis, conduct an experiment, and analyze the results.