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Crinoids: Flowers f the Iowa Seas
Students study the rocks and fossils associated with the geologic landscape of Iowa. In this rocks and fossils instructional activity, students examine fossils that would be found in the Iowa landscape that show evidence of marine...
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Introduction to Ocean Grazers
Students explore biology by creating a poster with classmates. In this oceanography lesson, students identify the importance of coral reefs to the ocean's ecology and examine a food web of ocean animals. Students define a list of...
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The MPA “GamePlan”
Eighth graders explore the purpose of having Marine Protected Areas. In this environmental science lesson, 8th graders simulate the planning process by playing a board game. They explain the positive and negative effects of trade offs.
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Boston Harbor Cruise: A Shoreline Survey
The students take a harbor cruise, photograph, and draw shore line features attending to evidence of human impact/consequences, and its cost on marine/land animal habitats vegetation, weather patterns, signs of erosion, and the water...
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Stream Study
Students study the characteristics of a stream habitat. For this life science lesson, students use sieves, nets, and jars to collect aquatic organisms. Students also measure the temperature of the stream and calculate the speed of the...
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Getting Food
Students explore seashore ecosystems. In this marine animal biology lesson, students sort photographs of various sea creatures according to their eating habits and discuss each animal's identifiable traits. Students draw and label...
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I Can Preserve My Planet
Students explore renewable and nonrenewable resources. In this ocean preservation lesson, students use KWL charts to understand ways the ocean is important to our daily lives. Students create a poster or wirte a letter to someone...
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Mollusks
In this mollusks learning exercise, learners color several figures and label them with the correct parts. They complete 14 short answer questions related to mollusks.
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environment: Fresh and Saltwater Habitats
Students compare and contrast fresh and salt water coastal environments. After describing how sea animals adapt to their habitats, they design a variety of sea creatures and explain how the adaptations aid in the animals' survival. ...
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Frozen Out
Young scholars investigate how climate changes affect top predators in Arctic marine ecosystems. Students complete a worksheet and write a report based on their responses to a scientific paper.
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Nature Superfish
Students examine the billfish as a predator in the ocean. In this ocean, creatures, and tides lesson, students view video clips and discuss the sea creatures and scientists in the videos. Students create their own videos. students...
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Sharks: Scavenging Stomachs
Middle schoolers examine the role played by sharks in the marine food chain. They conduct a scavenger hunt collecting items that have actually been removed from the stomachs of sharks, and create a display that includes the items and...
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Sharks in Decline
Learners investigate common fishing methods used to capture sharks. They decide why these methods and the shark's reproductive biology are contributing to the quick reduction in the shark population.
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Comparing Sea Horses and Knights
Students investigate sea horses and knights. In this marine biology lesson, students read the book How to Hide an Octopus and discuss the purpose of camoflage. Students research knights and sea horses and record their research on their...
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Local Habitats
Students create dioramas that depict a habitat. In this habitat lesson, students use a variety of art items to develop either a marine, freshwater/pond, or forest habitat in a box. They write an expository essay about their habitat, and...
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Salmon Scavenger Hunt
Students go on a salmon scavenger hunt to find out about threats to salmon populations. They gather information about some of the reasons wild salmon have gone from such incredible abundance to relative scarcity, and about some of the...
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Journey To the Unkown
Students explore the ocean rift habitat off the Galapagos through an audio expedition, Internet research on deep sea animals, an explorer game and simulation of the exploration of the deep sea bottom. They focus on the actual NOAA...
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Activity 3 - Fish Anatomy: A Comparison Between Temperate and Antarctic Fishes
Students are explained that Antarctic Nototherioid fishes survive harsh conditions. These conditions would kill almost any other temperate zone organism. They work in small groups to investigate a typical temperate marine fish. ...
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Monitoring Coral Reefs
High schoolers investigate data on coral reef monitoring in a marine protected area in the Florida keys. In this coral reef lesson plan, students use online data from a marine protected coral reef to complete a worksheet about coral...
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Dirty Mud
Students examine geological information to study benthic marine habitats. In this watershed project, students examine wetland habitats and land uses in a watershed. They will use geological information to discuss the impact of pollution...
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Bioluminescence
Middle schoolers discover the concept of bioluminescence. They identify marine animals who have use this and why. They work together to test the function of bioluminescence as camouflage.
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The Robot Fisherman
Learners examine the use of robotic vehicles for fish surveys. In this ocean life lesson, students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using underwater robots and the requirements an underwater robot must meet in order to observe...
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Blue Planet: Tidal Seas
Students investigate how tides affect sea life. In this video based instructional activity, students view a video on how tides affect sea life. They do web-based research to find the answers to a series of questions and then play Tidal...
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A Piece of Cake
Students examine life under the sea to discover coral gardens and microhabitats. They demonstrate learning by creating an edible marine ecosystem with a sheet cake, icing, and different candies.