Educators' Corner
Our Ocean Portal Educators’ Corner provides you with activities, lessons and educational resources to bring the ocean to life for your students. We have collected top resources from our collaborators to provide you with teacher-tested, ocean science materials for your classroom. We hope these resources, along with the rich experience of the Ocean Portal, will help you inspire the next generation of ocean stewards.
Featured Lesson Plans
Keeping Watch on Coral Reefs
Students learn why coral reefs are important, and what can be done to protect them from major threats.
Long Live the Sharks and Rays
Students will learn about adaptations that have helped sharks and rays survive. Students will explore similarities and differences between sharks, rays and other fish and that different types of sharks and rays have different temperaments and diets and that some of the largest sharks and rays are the most gentle.
Focus on Farmer Fish
In this two part lesson, students gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between environmental factors and organism adaptations through a focused study on a specific coral reef denizen—the personable farmerfish. Students first take part in an interactive PowerPoint presentation to gain background knowledge and then apply learned concepts by participating in a board game.
Search Lesson Plans
Find lessons/activities by topic, title or grade levels. Sort by newest or alphabetically. Lessons were developed by ocean science and education organizations like NOAA, COSEE, and NMEA to help you bring the ocean to your classroom.
Grade Level
Lesson Subject
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.
I, Robot, Can Do That
NOAA Ocean Explorer
Students describe and contrast three types of underwater robots. Students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using robots in the exploration of the ocean. Students identify a robotic vehicle that best suits a specific exploration task.
A Tale of Deep Corals
NOAA Ocean Explorer
Students describe and explain the two hypotheses for the frequent occurrence of deep-sea corals in the vicinity of hydrocarbon seeps. Students evaluate relevant experimental data and explain how this data may support or refute these hypotheses. Students define and contrast coincidence and causality, explain the relevance of these terms to hypotheses such as those related to deep-sea corals and hydrocarbon seeps.
Where There’s Smoke…
NOAA Ocean Explorer
Students explain how fundamental relationships between melting and boiling points, solubility, temperature and pressure can help to develop plausible explanations for observed chemical phenomena in the vicinity of subduction volcanoes.
Keep it Complex
NOAA Ocean Explorer
Students describe the significance of complexity in benthic habitats to organisms that live in these habitats. Students describe at least three attributes of benthic habitats that can increase the physical complexity of these habitats. Students provide examples of organisms that increase the structural complexity of their communities. Students infer and explain relationships between species diversity and habitat complexity in benthic communities.
How Diverse is That?
NOAA Ocean Explorer
Students discuss the meaning of biological diversity. Students will compare and contrast the concepts of “variety” and “relative abundance” as they relate to biological diversity. Students calculate the appropriate numeric indicator that describes biological diversity of communities given the abundance and distribution data of species in two communities.
Animals of the Fire Ice
NOAA Ocean Explorer
Students define and describe methane hydrate ice worms and hydrate shrimp. Students infer how methane hydrate ice worms and hydrate shrimp obtain their food. Students infer how methane hydrate ice worms and hydrate shrimp may interact with other species in the biological communities of which they are part. Students build a methane hydrate molecule.
Wreck Detectives
NOAA Ocean Explorer
Students utilize a grid system to document the location of artifacts recovered from a model shipwreck site. Students use data about the location and types of artifacts recovered from a model shipwreck site to draw inferences about the sunken ship and the people who were aboard. Students identify and explain types of evidence and expertise that can help verify the nature and historical content of artifacts recovered from shipwrecks.
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.
Frozen Out
NOAA Ocean Explorer
Students explain the concepts of indicator species and microhabitats. Students compare and contrast “average regional conditions” with “site-specific conditions.” Students explain at least three examples of the impacts of climate change on top predators in the Arctic.