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LESSON PLANS AND ACTIVITIES

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  • Exploring Explorations

    / NOAA Ocean Service

    Students will describe human benefits that have resulted from explorations of the Earth’s deep oceans.

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

    Grades: 6-8, 9-12

  • Expedition to the Poles

    / National Geographic Xpeditions

    Students will pretend they have just returned from a year in the Arctic or Antarctic. By exploring web sites about expeditions to these regions and creating posters illustrating what they could have seen or done, students will have a better understanding of what life would be like in Polar Region without actually visiting them.
    For more information: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/

    Grades: 3-5

  • Environmental Issues in the Polar Regions

    / National Geographic Xpeditions

    The Polar Regions are frequently neglected in discussions of the environment, but they shouldn't be. The environment of the Polar Regions is particularly susceptible to human impacts such as pollution and the depletion of the ozone layer. Moreover, the effects of global warming on the Polar Regions are likely to have major repercussions in the rest of the world.

    Grades: 9-12

  • Do You Know the Fish You're Eating

    / WETA/PBS Marine Fisheries and Aquaculture Series

    Students design and conduct research to discover firsthand what type of fish is being sold in their community, where this fish comes from, and whether that fish is an overfished species. This lesson gives students a chance to do their own market research and discover first-hand what type of fish is being sold to the public. It also provides an introduction to fish as an important food source and as an industry controlled partly by supply and demand.

    Grades: 6-8, 9-12

  • Deep Lights

    / NOAA Ocean Explorer

    Students compare and contrast the various methods (chemiluminescence, bioluminescence, fluorescence, phosphorescence, triboluminescence) of light-production in deep-sea organisms. Students infer the light-producing process that is responsible for light emission based on observations of an ecosystem.

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

    Grades: 6-8

  • Corrosion to Corals

    / NOAA Ocean Explorer

    Students will be able to describe galvanic exchange and explain how this process produces electric currents. Given two dissimilar metals and information on their position in an Electromotive Series, students will be able to predict which of the metals will deteriorate if they are placed in a salt solution. Students will also be able to describe the effect of electric currents on the availability of metal ions, and how this might contribute to the growth of corals on shipwrecks.

    For more information:

    Grades: 6-8

  • Coral Reef Symbiosis

    / Moorea Coral Reef LTER Education

    This lesson introduces the idea of interrelationships among organisms and how these could help them persist in a coral reef ecosystem. Students will learn about symbiotic relationships, with mutualism among coral and zooxanthellae as the model organisms in this first lesson. Topics include the transfer of energy and matter through the processes of photosynthesis and respiration. These concepts are approached through the marine environment, rather than the terrestrial environment, which allows most students to take a step out of their comfort zone.

    Grades: 6-8

  • Coral Conservation

    / NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program

    Students will learn about the natural and human threats to coral reefs including destructive fishing practices.

    For more information about the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, visit http://coralreef.noaa.gov.

    Grades: 3-5, 6-8

  • Collision Course

    / Massachusetts Marine Educators

    Students analyze maps of shipping lanes and whale sightings to devise a new shipping lane through the Stellwagon Bank National Marine Sanctuary to minimize ship strikes on whales.

    For more information:
    http://www.massmarineeducators.org/.

    Grades: 6-8, 9-12

  • Climate Change Metaphors

    / Wild BC

    Students 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/

    Grades: 3-5, 6-8

  • Caution! Do Not Bleach

    / NOAA Ocean Service

    Students learn why coral reefs are important, and what possible explanations are for the phenomenon known as “coral bleaching.”

    For more information about NOAA Ocean Service, visit http://oceanservice.noaa.gov.

    Grades: 9-12

  • Caribbean Coral Reef and Climate Case Study

    / NOAA Ocean Service

    Through a case study and related activities, students learn where coral reefs are found and what conditions are necessary for their survival.

    For more information about NOAA Ocean Service, visit http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education.

    Grades: 6-8

  • Calling All Explorers

    / NOAA Ocean Explorer

    Students research and write about what it means to be an ocean explorer, both modern and historic. Students describe the nature of the ocean and ocean exploration. Students meet science mentors and role models online. For more information: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov.

    Grades: 6-8, 9-12

  • Call to Arms

    / NOAA Ocean Explorer

    Students describe human arm motion, design/construct mechanical arm model that biomimics human arms. Students describe simple machine aspects of their mechanical arm models. Students define mechanical advantage and discuss the importance of its use in robotic arm design. Students will describe four common robotic arm designs that biomimic human arm motion.

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

    Grades: 6-8

  • Biomes: Wild Arctic

    / Discovery Education

    This 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/

    Grades: 6-8