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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Invisible Life

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
By setting up an aquarium in the classroom, learners are able to describe some macroscopic and microscopic organisms that are found inside. This well-designed, and educationally rich lesson requires pupils to use microscopes to view...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

Deep-Sea Ecosystems – Life is Weird!

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
A pool of brine in the deep sea can be up to four times as salty as the surrounding sea water. The deep sea ecosystem relies on chemosynthesis and the organisms that live there are often strange to us. The lesson focuses on researching...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From the Gulf of Mexico to the Moons of Jupiter

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers compare deep ocean conditions to those found on the moons of Jupiter. In this Earth science instructional activity, students consider the possibilities and conditions needed to support simple life. High schoolers examine...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

Importance of Deep-Sea Ecosystems – Chemists with No Backbones

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
Marine invertebrates offer us many new options for developing pharmaceutical drugs, such as w-conotoxin MVIIA, which is extracted from the cone snail and is a potent painkiller. The lesson encourages scholars to research various types of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Microbes Help Ecosystems

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders observe different microorganisms under the microscope. In this biology lesson plan, 6th graders draw and describe the samples they see. They study the root nodules of plants and explain how the plants benefit from those...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Historical Harbor Habitats

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders create food web displays in the classroom. In this ecology lesson, 10th graders identify the different pollutants in the environment and their effect on organisms. They collect samples of sediments from the harbor and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Microfishing

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students use a simple method to collect living microorganisms from natural and/or artificial environments and develop skills in microscopy, observation, drawing, speculation, hypothesizing, oral presentation, and raising questions.
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

Importance of Deep-Sea Ecosystems – The Benthic Drugstore

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
You never know what you will find next in the deep sea ecosystem. So far, scientists have found items that work as anti-tumor agents, anti-inflammatory agents, agents that stop uncontrolled cell division, and much more. The lesson begins...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science: Microcosms in the Biosphere

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In a series of lessons, examine the impact on humans by microcosms in the biosphere. Among the plans structured for learners with different abilities and learning styles, are activities describing the symbiotic relationship, drawing the...
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Lesson Plan
Bridge

Mercury - Mercury is Rising

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Hold a discussion in your class about the increase in mercury being found in fish that are caught commercially as food for humans. Given a worksheet, learners then calculate how much fish a person can safely eat each month to remain...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bioluminescence

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students differentiate chemiluminescence from bioluminescence. In this biology lesson, students explain how fireflies and other animals emit light. They discuss the applications of engineered bioluminescence.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossil Formation

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Young scholars discuss fossils. In this science lesson, students simulate fossils within Earth's layers by using gummy fish and bread.
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Unit Plan
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Episd: Aquatic Organisms

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Study the research of aquatic organisms and how they move and live. Be prepared to give examples of the types of these wet organisms.
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Handout
NASA

Nasa Earth Observatory: What Are Phytoplankton? Fact Sheet

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the characteristics of and different species of phytoplankton. Topics highlighted in this article include photosynthesis, global change, and the marine food chain.
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Article
Society for Science and the Public

Science News for Students: Beneath the Sea

For Students 9th - 10th
What does it mean to be alive? Scientists are now revisiting this question as they discover previously unknown microorganisms at the bottom of the ocean.