NOAA
Endangered Species Origami
Make sea turtle or whale origami in a hands-on activity that provides instructions for folding and facts for learning about each.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Weighing the Evidence for a Mass Extinction Part 2: On Land
What can fossils tell us about periods of extinction? Young scholars interpret fossil layers to make conclusions about changes in life during different geological time periods. They analyze the fossils for abundance and diversity as well...
Curated OER
Ocean Habitats
Young scholars examine the water samples from a demonstration and discuss the difference between fresh and salt water. They draw different animals that live near or in the ocean and how humans can harm the ocean habitat. They draw...
Curated OER
Phytoplankton and Ocean Color
Fifth graders identify function of phytoplankton in the biospere by conducting experiments and simulations and reading for information. They detect the presence of phytoplankton in bodies of water by examining ocean in satellite images...
Curated OER
'O'opu Life Cycle
Students investigate the life cycle of the 'o'opu also known as Hawaiian gobies. For this amphidromous living lesson, students discuss the reproductive cycle, create props and an obstacle course to demonstrate the importance of the...
Curated OER
Something Fishy Going On
Students create a video animation of how Swimmy gathered his fish friends together to form a great big fish that would frighten the predator tuna away. In art class each child create a small red fish which gets displayed in the ocean...
Curated OER
Ocean Life
Third graders create an ocean fish environment. In this ocean life lesson, 3rd graders create an ocean environment from clay. Students paint their sculptures with realistic colors emphasizing contrast, texture, and patterns.
Curated OER
Designing Tools for Ocean Exploration
Students explore the complexity of ocean exploration and the technological applications and capabilities required for ocean exploration. They consider the importance of teamwork in scientific research projects.
Curated OER
Marine Protected Areas
Learners role play different stakeholders perspective on the debate about Channel Islands. In this marine science lesson plan, students identify different types of Marine Protected Areas. They research about their stakeholder's point of...
Curated OER
Types of Marine Debris
Students conduct an experiment. In this marine debris and environment protection activity, students categorize trash into piles, predict whether these trash items will sink, float or be picked up and carried by the wind and then test...
Curated OER
Life Cycle of Hawaii's Honu
Students simulate the life cycle of Hawaii's Honu. In this Science lesson plan, students act out the life cycle of the Hawaiian sea turtle. Students determine and play the roles of prey and predator.
Curated OER
Sea Animals
In this sea animals worksheet, students will color and cut out five sea animals and glue them to their correct spot on the picture of the ocean floor.
Curated OER
Ocean Careers Exploration
Learners will work together in groups to gather information about careers in oceanography. They discover the need to have a diverse group of people on a team and then share their information with the class. Web links and materials are...
Curated OER
Waters of the Earth - Friends or Enemies
High Schoolers observe the paintings and drawings of Robert Harris, and do a study of the ocean that delves into human and physical geography. Learners make prints, listen to music, create a database, and perform research on a specific...
MDE k-12
Lesson 5: The Journey Becomes Larger Than Life!
Many muralists throughout history have focused on using their art to represent aspects of their culture or community. After thoroughly researching several muralists, budding artists will create a larger than life mural that contains...
Scientific American
Life-Sized Drawing
Ocean explorers or mathematicians research the wreck of the CSS H.L. Hunley. They investigate the actual dimensions of the Hunley using math and measuring skills. Afterward, they sketch a large scale drawing of the submarine outdoors on...
Curated OER
Marine Biology - The Story of Waves
When teaching about the movement of water in the ocean, this PowerPoint will be a terrific support. It covers how waves break and how they are generated. The causes of tides and tsunamis are also detailed. A couple of changes could make...
Curated OER
On the Trail of the Hudson's Migratory Fish
Using data related to the fish in the Hudson River area, learners calculate distance, elapsed time, and growth. They learn about migratory fish, the life cycle of a fish, analyze a map, and answer questions.
Curated OER
Ocean Life Lesson Plans
Students learn about life in the ocean with lessons that connect science, art, and environmental topics.
Curated OER
Magazine Project
Groups of students create magazines that contain stories and images of one aspect of the ocean, and ocean life. The expectations for the final products are quite high, so this lesson will require some effort to properly implement. A...
Wilderness Classroom
Ocean Life
Our oceans are composed of many complex relationships. Young oceanographers explore relationships between organisms, understand the world ocean's currents, and discover the effects of water pollution and how it behaves. There are three...
Curated OER
Water is Life
Krill is a very small ocean animal that is key to keeping the ocean ecosystem going. The class reviews food webs and chains, learns about the importance of krill, discusses krill anatomy, builds a model of a krill, and then has a...
Curated OER
Glacier Bay Pacific Halibut
The National Park Service has produced a high-quality presentation on the halibut population of Glacier Bay, Alaska. It takes the viewpoint of the marine biologists or rather, ichthyologists, who have been studying the adaptations,...
NOAA
It's a Roughy Life
Scientists recently discovered several previously unknown species at the Bear Seamount off the coast of New England. Scholars research these new species — benthopelagic, benthic, and seamount fish — and find out what makes them unique....