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Unit Plan
NOAA

Noaa: National Ocean Service: Education: Tides and Water Levels

For Students 9th - 10th
A great resource for explaining and understanding tides. Find out what tides are and why it is so important to monitor them. This is an extensive tutorial followed by a set of review questions. All of the information can be downloaded as...
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Website
NOAA

Noaa: National Ocean Service: Tides Online

For Students 9th - 10th
Coast to coast tide data. Links to state and storm information, historical data and frequently asked questions all about tides.
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Handout
Texas A&M University

Ocean World: Currents

For Students 9th - 10th
Get some information about ocean currents on this site. Learn that currents can be driven either by the winds or mixing at deeper levels.
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Unit Plan
NOAA

Noaa: National Weather Service: Jetstream: Tsunamis

For Students 9th - 10th
Online school for weather presents an abundance of information about tsunamis. Explore how they form, where they occur, how to prepare for one, and how to survive one. A review quiz and lesson plans are included for further enhancement...
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Website
NOAA

Noaa: The Ocean's Role in Weather and Climate

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of resources - interactive activities and teacher tutorials - on the impact the ocean has on weather and climate.
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Activity
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Lab 5: It's All Connected: Global Circulation

For Teachers 9th - 10th
An investigation that is part of a series of lab lessons that expose students to Earth Systems through research, data, and visualizations. During this lab, students will focus on the pathways of wind and water to and from their location...
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Article
DOGO Media

Dogo News: Tiny Sea Animals May Drive Sea Currents

For Students 3rd - 8th
New research suggests that very tiny sea creatures in very huge numbers may contribute to the movement of the oceans' currents. Debate and more research are still necessary to prove this. Includes video.
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Website
NASA

Nasa: El Nino

For Students 3rd - 5th
A concise explanation of El Nino. Discusses global wind patterns and ocean temperatures. Offers interactive weather-related learning activities.
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Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: One World Ocean

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
In this activity, students learn about ocean currents and the difference between salt and fresh water. They use colored ice cubes to see how cold and warm water mix and how this mixing causes currents. Also, students learn how surface...
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Website
NASA

Nasa: Sci Jinks: How to Escape Rip Currents

For Students 9th - 10th
Rip currents can be dangerous. Discover what they are and how you can be safe when they are present.
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Website
NOAA

Noaa: National Ocean Service: Education: Currents

For Students 9th - 10th
Illustrated tutorial explains the numerous factors which shape ocean currents. Animations help students visualize how these aspects constantly affect the water movement in the ocean and how scientists use this information to study ocean...
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Ocean Planet

For Students 9th - 10th
Detailed website that was a companion to a 1995 traveling exhibit of the Smithsonian. Links to lesson plans and other educational materials are at the bottom of the page. Enter the exhibition to explore the world of the ocean.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Ocean Planet: Ocean Currents

For Students 9th - 10th
The Ocean Planet exhibit at the Smithsonian explains the general features of ocean circulation. A general look at upwelling, deep water, and currents are combined for an overall view.
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Professional Doc
Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education, Stevens Institute of Technology

Ciese: K 12 Education Curriculum: Online Classroom Projects

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This site presents projects for individual classrooms and collaborative projects that can be done with other classes or schools. Most of these are science projects.
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Unit Plan
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Woods Hole Oceanography Institute: Deep Ocean Circulation

For Students 9th - 10th
What causes the circulation of ocean waters that are too deep to be affected by wind? Find out how salinity and temperature drive the deep sea currents. This resource has several videos and an online quiz.
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Handout
Other

Seafriends Marine Conservation and Education Centre: Oceanography: Waves

For Students 9th - 10th
A very detailed article on the characteristics of waves and wave behavior. It discusses the influence waves have on the marine environment and the global climate, the physics of wave motion, the interactions between waves and wind, wave...
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Mapping Ocean Currents

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
An unfortunate spill of 92,000 rubber ducks into the ocean in 1992 elicited invaluable information about global ocean currents as scientists tracked their journeys around the world. In this lesson, students first learn about the Ocean...
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Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Great Ocean Conveyor Belt: Part I

For Students 9th - 10th
This image from GRID-Arendal depicts the major circulation pattern of the ocean, illustrating interactions between temperature, salinity, and depth. Includes a background reading handout and several discussion questions.
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eBook
Other

Earth Science: Earth's Surface and Heat [Pdf]

For Students 6th - 8th
This textbook chapter looks at the role of temperature in sustaining life on Earth and on weather and climate. It discusses the Earth's movements and the seasons, the circulation of the oceans, wind and weather, and the water cycle....
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Website
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Wave Action

For Students 9th - 10th
Students are asked to explain the interactions between the ocean and the shore.
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Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Heat on the Move

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This activity is meant to be one of many common experiences that help students understand that convection is a major driving force on our planet.
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Lesson Plan
Climate Literacy

Clean: Global Ocean Conveyor Belt

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This hands-on activity explores the driving forces behind global thermohaline circulation.
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Handout
Other

Kites as Education: Wind Origins

For Students 9th - 10th
This "kite science" site offers information on wind and the atmospheric conditions that cause it. From "Principles of Aeronautics."
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Website
Other

Univ. Of South Carolina: Www Tide and Current Prediction

For Students 9th - 10th
The Univeristy of South Carolina provides predictions for tides and currents from all coasts of the U.S. Also provides useful related links.