NOAA
A Day in the Life of an Ocean Explorer
What's life like aboard an ocean exploration vessel? Junior oceanographers examine the important role of communication in ocean research in lesson two of a five-part series from NOAA. The materials introduce the class to life on...
NOAA
Wet Maps
How do oceanographers make maps under water? Junior explorers discover the technologies and processes involved in creating bathymetric maps in part three of a five-part series designed for fifth- and sixth-grade pupils. The lesson...
NOAA
Mapping the Deep-Ocean Floor
How do you create a map of the ocean floor without getting wet? Middle school oceanographers discover the process of bathymetric mapping in the third installment in a five-part series of lessons designed for seventh and eighth graders....
NOAA
Watching in 3D
Bring the ocean floor to life! Earth science scholars discover the process of deep sea mapping in the third installment in a series of five lessons about ocean exploration. The teacher's guide includes helpful resources, worksheets, and...
NOAA
A Quest for Anomalies
Sometimes scientists learn more from unexpected findings than from routine analysis! Junior oceanographers dive deep to explore hydrothermal vent communities in the fourth instructional activity in a series of five. Scholars examine data...
NOAA
Through Robot Eyes
How do robots assist ocean explorers in collecting data and images? The final installment in a five-part series has science scholars examine underwater images collected by robots and identify the organisms shown. Groups then calculate...
Curated OER
Mooring Mobiles Lab
Oceanography experts use candy to construct a model of a bio-physical mooring that would test a variety of factors. Each piece of equipment to be included on the mooring is described within the write-up. As pupils gather the candies for...
Curated OER
Marine Fisheries Management
Almost 200 slides make this a vast collection! It is a quirky collection, titled "Marine Fisheries Management," but having little to do with that occupation. What you will find are two-toned blue backgrounds with no pictures, but a few...
Curated OER
Sharks and Fishes
Learners explain the role of the school of fish as the prey and the shark as the predator, as they participate in the game Sharks and Fishes. They demonstrate quick physical movement, and trickery, by sucessfully staying away from the...
Curated OER
An Oceanographic Proxy
High schoolers conduct experiments on a sample of sea water. In this oceanography lesson, students inquire how conductivity is used to approximate the salinity ocean water. High schoolers construct their own conductivity meters and...
Curated OER
Conditions at Sea Data Activity
Learners study how to forecast sea conditions. In this oceanography instructional activity students complete a class activity on wave making.
NOAA
Into the Deep
Take young scientists into the depths of the world's ocean with the second instructional activity of this three-part earth science series. After first drawing pictures representing how they imagine the bottom of the ocean to appear,...
Curated OER
Oceanography
Fifth graders study the topography of the ocean floor. They determine its ever changing nature as they examine currents and trade winds. They write paragraph describing how the winds might affect land formations after the discussion of...
Curated OER
Scuba Diving
Students discover that scuba diving is more than a sport. It's a science that operationally integrates physics, chemistry, physiology, and oceanography. They perform a simple experiment which simulates the air tanks used in scuba diving.
Curated OER
Antarctica
Students explore why Antarctica is so important to the planet. They investigate the physical characteristics. Students create their own unique treaty of governance for Antarctica and discuss how laws are enforced in Antarctica.
Curated OER
Photography and Composition
Students examine the techniques and principles of photographic composition using various scientific tools such as a camera, a digital computer scanner, and a computer.
Florida International University
Pipeline to the Coral Reefs
Discover firsthand the effects of internal waves on coral reefs. Through a series of experiments, learners simulate internal waves and upwelling events as they make observations on the movement of water and other debris. They then...
Curated OER
A Model of the Sea-floor
Students create a paper model to illustrate sea-floor spreading.
Polar Trec
Mini-Ocean Bathymetric Mapping Research Cruise
Middle or high schoolers transform into oceanographers in a week-long simulation. To begin, each group follows directions to create a model of the ocean floor with specified features. Next, the groups prepare to set sail on a research...
Curated OER
Exploring the Water Cycle
The water cycle is one of earth's most easily observable processes, but demonstrating each step within classroom walls can be a challenge. Through a series of videos and quick demonstrations, cover each aspect of the hydrologic cycle in...
NOAA
Plate Tectonics I
Young geologists get a glimpse beneath the earth's surface in this plate tectonics investigation. After first learning about the different layers of the earth and the constant movement of its plates, young...
Curated OER
Ocean Circulation
Students view and analyze buoy, satellite, temperature vs depth data to study about ocean circulation and how is related to atmospheric circulation. They read and interpret satellite image data related to: Surface wind speeds, Wave...
Curated OER
The Great MPA Debate
Students study the 'Marine Protected Areas' process. In this ocean lesson students work in groups, conduct research and present it to the class.
Curated OER
Coasts
Students explain the different types of marine coasts and where they are located in the United States and its territories. They explain and identify some of the life forms that inhabit different marine coastal regions.