Related: Sixth Grade
LESSON PLANS AND ACTIVITIES
Click on a lesson plan or activity name to learn more about it
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In this activity, students will be able to compare and contrast the pelagic, benthic and sea ice realms of the Arctic Ocean, name at least three organisms that are typical of each of these three realms, and explain how the pelagic, benthic and sea ice realms interact with each other.
For more information:
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov -
In this activity, students will be able to compare and contrast at least three different groups of organisms that are included in ‘gelatinous zooplankton’, describe how gelatinous zooplankton fit into marine food webs, and explain how inadequate information about an organism may lead to that organism being perceived as insignificant.
For more information:
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov -
Biomes: Wild Arctic
/ Discovery EducationThis lesson investigates the plants and animals that live in the Arctic. Students will learn key terms, including food web, zooplankton, and sea ice. They will also devise food chains found in the Arctic, these will then be expanded to food webs, showing the connections among all Arctic life.
For more information: http://discoveryeducation.com/ -
What Do People Know about the Arctic and Antarctic?
/ National Geographic XpeditionsIt's common to confuse characteristics of the Arctic and the Antarctic, and many people have never learned the differences between these two regions.
In this lesson, students will research the landscapes, climates, and animal life of the Polar Regions. They will then interview people to find out what they think and know about the regions. They will conclude by writing paragraphs explaining why it's important to know about the Polar Regions and detailing the differences between the two regions.
For more information: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/ -
Field Investigations: Using Outdoor Environments to Foster Student Learning of Scientific Processes
/ Texas Parks and WildlifeThis extensive guide has everything you need to know for conducting field studies with your students, especially the methods used for scientific field research. Included: why field study is important; preparing students for field investigations; and using data to help identify patterns and relationships.
For more information: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/ -
Be a Scientist
/ Monterey Bay AquariumLearn how scientists collect field data by being a scientist yourself! By studying a specific ecosystem, students learn how different scientists work together, what kinds of data scientists record, and experience the scientific process through observation and data collection.
For more information: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/ -
BioBlitz Organizational Guide
/ Connecticut State Museum of Natural History at UCONNLearn all about BioBlitz and how to organize one for your school. Includes a checklist and schedule.
For more information: http://www.cac.uconn.edu/mnhhome.html
http://web2.uconn.edu/mnh/bioblitz/ -
Prince William's Oily Mess - A Tale of Recovery
/ NOAA Ocean Service EducationHow does an ecosystem recover from a major one-time insult such as an oil spill?
As you will learn from this Discovery Story, the answer is not simple. It isn't easy to determine whether a particular area of shoreline has recovered from oiling during a spill, or how to expect it to look when it has.
This lesson includes links to many other oil related lesson plans. For more about NOAA Ocean Service Education, see here: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/welcome.html
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Climate Discovery Teachers Guide
/ National Center for Atmospheric ResearchA teaching guide produced by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. It contains four units (The Sun-Earth Connection, Investigating Climate Past, Present and Future) which contain several lesson plans appropriate for grades 5-9 on a variety of Earth Science topics about our planet’s climate system.
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Global Climate Change and Sea Level Rise
/ California Academy of SciencesStudents will learn via experimentation that ice formations on land will cause a rise in sea level when they melt, whereas ice formations on water will not cause a rise in sea level when they melt. Students will learn that ice is less dense than water and that ice displaces water equal to the mass of the ice. For more information: http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/
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Is Climate Change Good For Us?
/ Wild BCIn this activity students are encouraged to consider how climate change could impact them personally and how changes may affect their regions. Students will analyze the roles of organisms as part of interconnected food webs, populations, communities, and ecosystems, assess survival needs and interactions between organisms and the environment, assess the requirements for sustaining healthy local ecosystems evaluate human impacts on local ecosystems. For more information: http://wildbc.org/index.php/programs/climate-change-education/
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Climate Change Metaphors
/ Wild BCStudents will use and describe how a variety of objects provide metaphors for why climate change is occurring and the impacts resulting from it. Students will demonstrate the ability to interpret metaphors, describe the factors contributing to climate change and make connections between human behavior and environmental changes. For more information: http://wildbc.org/index.php/programs/climate-change-education/
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This group game is designed to help students explore the various aspects of global climate and to learn how human activity may affect climate. Student groups will be responsible for making decisions about activities that may impact global climate. Students will be able to identify the various human impacts on the environment. Students will be able to explain how lifestyles may be altered to become more favorable to the environment. Students will examine the role of individual decisions and their impact on the natural environment.
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This activity explores the potential for climate variability and change to trigger more frequent occurrences of El Nino, and the impacts that could result. Students will access information at remote sites using telecommunications. Students will identify impacts by reviewing past El Nino events. Students will analyze the data collected and predict what the consequences could be if, as some scientists predict, climate variability and change could create a permanent El Nino.
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This activity explores the potential for global climate change to increase the frequency and intensity of hurricanes and storm surges, and the impacts that could result. Students will explain the impact of hurricanes on coastal communities and identify possible trends in economic and human impacts by examining hurricane records. Students will predict impacts on coastal areas if hurricane frequency increases and sea level rises. Students will determine areas that are most vulnerable to hurricane surges by using topographic maps.
