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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Layers

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students investigate how temperature and salinity causes ocean layering. In this ecology lesson, students observe and sketch their experimental result. They report their findings in class.
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Website
NOAA

Noaa: National Weather Service: Jetstream: The Ocean

For Students 9th - 10th
Online school for weather presents a complete guide to the ocean and its effect on our weather such as El Nino, hurricanes, floods, and droughts. Explores layers of the ocean, sea water, waves, tides, rip currents, and more. A review...
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Adapting Under Pressure

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students learn about James Cameron's Challenger Deep dive and about the marine animals that live in different layers of the ocean. They then study the characteristics of the hadalpelagic zone at the bottom of the ocean, and imagine and...
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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
Idaho State University

Global Wind Systems [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
A great description of the global scale circulation and heat energy. Discusses a single-cell model, a three-cell model, jet streams and more.
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Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: The Differences Between Benthic and Pelagic Zones

For Students 4th - 8th
Learn the characteristics of these two oceanic zones and of the plants and animals that live in them.
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Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: Facts About the Marine Biome

For Students 4th - 7th
Describes the characteristics of the marine biome, the plants and animals that live in each of the four ocean zones, coral reefs and estuaries, the climate of the marine biome, and the marine food web.