Related: Biology

LESSON PLANS AND ACTIVITIES

Click on a lesson plan or activity name to learn more about it

  • Trophic relationships in Arctic marine ecosystems

    / NOAA

    In this activity, students will be able to describe how ratios of stable nitrogen isotopes can be used to study trophic relationships between marine organisms, make inferences about trophic relationships between organisms and habitats, and compare and contrast organisms in sea ice, pelagic, and benthic communities in terms of feeding strategies and consequent stable nitrogen isotope ratios.

    For more information:
    http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov

    Grades: 9-12

  • Three Cold Realms

    / NOAA Ocean Explorer

    Students describe three organisms important to the Arctic Ocean realms. Students compare and contrast the Arctic Ocean ecosystem that consists of sea ice, pelagic and benthic waters. Students identify three organisms typical of these three realms and describe how they interact with one another.

    For more information:
    http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov.

    Grades: 3-5

  • The Puzzle of Ice Age Americans

    / NOAA Ocean Explorer

    Students describe alternative theories for arrival of first humans to come to America. Students explain evidence for these theories and explain how exploration of a submerged segment of Gulf Of Mexico coast may give insight into origin of native Americans. Students describe role of skepticism in scientific theory.

    For more information:
    http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov.

    Grades: 9-12

  • The Good the Bad and the Arctic

    / NOAA Ocean Explorer

    Students identify and explain three lines of evidence that suggest arctic climate is changing. Students identify and discuss three social, economic, environmental consequences expected due to climate change in Arctic. Students identify three climate-related issues of concern to Arctic indigenous peoples. Students identify three ways in which Arctic climate change is likely to affect the rest of the Earth’s ecosystems.

    For more information:
    http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov.

    Grades: 9-12

  • Social, economic and environmental consequences of Arctic climate change

    / NOAA

    In this activity, students will be able to identify and explain at least three lines of evidence that suggest the Arctic climate is changing, identify and discuss at least three social, three economic and three environmental consequences expected as a result of Arctic climate change, identify at least three climate-related issues of concern to Arctic indigenous peoples, and identify at least three ways in which Arctic climate change is likely to affect the rest of the Earth’s ecosystems.

    For more information:
    http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov

    Grades: 9-12

  • Self Contained Gulf Oil Spill Kit

    Cynthia Cudaback / The Ocean and You

    A kit you can create to help your students understand the impacts of the Gulf Of Mexico oil spill. Easily contained in a box so clean up is easy...as compared to oil spills in real life! For more information, please see http://OceanAndYou.com

    Grades: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

  • Secrets of the Sediments

    / Deep Earth Academy/ Consortium for Ocean Leadership

    In this activity, students graph and analyze data from sediments collected off the coast of Santa Barbara, California to determine whether this information can be used to study historical climate change. For more information, www.deepearthacademy.org

    Grades: 6-8, 9-12

  • Rock Eaters of the Gulf of Alaska

    / NOAA Ocean Explorer

    Students will be able to compare and contrast the processes of photosynthesis and chemosynthesis; identify and describe sources of energy used by various organisms for chemosynthesis; predict what chemosynthetic reactions might be possible in selected extreme environments.

    For more information: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov.

    Grades: 9-12

  • Realms of the Arctic Ocean: pelagic, benthic and sea ice

    / NOAA

    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

    Grades: 3-5

  • Prince William's Oily Mess - A Tale of Recovery

    / NOAA Ocean Service Education

    How 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

    Grades: 6-8, 9-12

  • Off Base

    / NOAA Ocean Explorer

    Students define terms pH and buffer. Students explain in general terms the carbonate buffer system of seawater. Students explain Le Chatelier’s Principle and predict how the carbonate buffer system of seawater will respond to a change in concentration of hydrogen ions.

    For more information:
    http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov

    Grades: 9-12

  • Molecular Explorations

    / NOAA Ocean Service

    Students will be able to explain and carry out a simple process for separating DNA from tissue samples and complex mixtures. Students will also be able to explain the process of restriction enzyme analysis.

    For more information
    http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov.

    Grades: 9-12

  • Light at the Bottom of the Deep Dark Ocean

    / NOAA Ocean Explorer

    Students will be able to list the various adaptations that enable deep-sea fishes to survive; explain how biolouminescence helps deep-sea fish respond to food predator and reproductive pressures in their environments; explore how the structure of an appendage helps determine and utilize its function; describe how deepwater organisms respond to their dark environment.

    For more information: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov.

    Grades: 9-12

  • Just Jelly: ecological role of gelatinous zooplankton

    / NOAA

    In this activity, students will be able to compare and contrast the feeding strategies of at least three different types of gelatinous zooplankton, and explain why gelatinous zooplankton may function at several trophic levels within a marine food web. Given information on the vertical distribution of temperature in a water column, students will be able to make inferences about potential influences on the distribution of planktonic species in the water column.

    For more information:
    http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov

    Grades: 9-12

  • Fishing for the Future

    / WETA/PBS Marine Fisheries and Aquaculture Series

    Through a fishing simulation, students model several consecutive seasons of a commercial fishery and explore how technology, population growth, and sustainable practices impact fish catch and fisheries management. For more information: http://www.pbs.org/emptyoceans/educators/activities.html.

    Grades: 6-8, 9-12