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.
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
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.
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Light in the Deep
Deepend
How are deep sea animals adapted to their environment? Students will explore one camouflage strategy of deep sea animals through an in-depth examination of light properties in ocean waters.
Marine Environments
Deepend
A series of lesson plans that help students understand the properties of the deep sea including hydrostatic pressure and ocean zones.
Light at the End of the Deep, Dark Ocean
DEEPEND
Students will experience the impact of bioluminescence on finding food and finding prey in the ocean. Students will be able to describe the positive and negative values of being able to produce light.
Hydrothermal Vent Food Web
DEEPEND
Students will make a food web diagram of the hydrothermal vent community and show the flow of energy and materials in this ecosystem.
Siphonophore
DEEPEND
A coloring book sheet of a siphonophore, a jelly-like sea creature.
Benthic Octopus Coloring Sheet
DEEPEND
A coloring book sheet of a benthic octopus.
Anglerfish Coloring Sheet
DEEPEND
A coloring sheet of a deep sea anglerfish.
Glass Squid
DEEPEND
A coloring book sheet of a glass squid.
Deep Red Madusa
DEEPEND
A coloring sheet of a deep sea jellyfish.
Introduction to the Deep Sea
DEEPEND
A series of six lesson plans based upon deep sea fish research conducted in the Gulf of Mexico.