NOAA
History's Thermometers
How is sea coral like a thermometer? Part three of a six-part series from NOAA describes how oceanographers can use coral growth to estimate water temperature over time. Life science pupils manipulate data to determine the age of corals...
Curated OER
A Comparison of Cloud Coverage over Africa
Students identify different climate regions and local weather patterns. In this cloud coverage lesson students use NASA satellite data and import it into Excel.
K12 Reader
Natural Resources
What natural resources are available in your area? Your learners can consider this question after reading a brief passage about natural and renewable resources. After reading, class members respond to five questions related to the reading.
Curated OER
Does Global Warming Increase the Intensity of Atmospheric Natural Disasters?
Students study global warming by communicating the problem, process and solutions. For this global lesson students use graphs, research and write a critical stance on natural disasters.
Curated OER
The Fact of Global Warming
Students investigate the harmful impact of global warming by reading news articles. For this environmental care lesson, students analyze an article about the Kyoto Protocol and its goal of saving our environment. Students investigate...
Curated OER
Fish Hazards
Young scholars study the Pacific salmon and see the different challenges they face. In this environment lesson plan students complete several activities that show how humans have affected the salmon environment. These activities have...
Curated OER
The Nutrient Cycles
Students investigate the circle of sea life by creating nitrogen compound models. For this oceanography lesson, students discuss sea creatures and where their waste goes. Students identify nitrogen cycles in the ocean by viewing...
Curated OER
Oceanic Absorption- Oceanic Sequestration
Young scholars examine the techniques that may be used to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In this pollution instructional activity students simulate oceanic sequestration using chemistry.
Curated OER
Mixing and Stirring
Students experience mixing through dancing. In this physical science lesson plan, students not only dance to show mixing but also demonstrate mixing and stirring by combining milk and chocolate milk.
Curated OER
Ocean Currents
Young scholars examine ocean currents. In this investigative lesson, students examine ocean currents and the relationship between the ocean, our atmosphere, and the weather. They will create a model of an ocean current.
Curated OER
GLOBAL WARMING
Learners form definitions of the greenhouse effect based on prior knowledge, class discussion, viewing diagrams, and participate in group brainstorming sessions and class discussions related to the impact of the greenhouse effect and...
Curated OER
Rain Forest Adventures
Students identify and describe where tropical rain forests are located and examine the geographical correlation between rainfall and rain forest. They brainstorm what they think they know about tropical rain forests - where they're...
Curated OER
Temperature of the Pacific Ocean
Young scientists demonstrate how the Earth's temperature has varied gradually in the past. They attempt to answer four questions which all pertain to how the Pacific Ocean's temperature has evolved over time. Internet research, and a...
Curated OER
Are You Getting Thirsty?
Students study droughts and how they affect communities and coastal ecosystems. In this ecosystems lesson plan students use data to examine drought conditions in certain areas.
Curated OER
Signs of Change: Tree Rings
Students identify and experiment with dendrochronology (the study of tree rings to answer ecological questions about the recent past) and come up with conclusions as to what possible climatic conditions might affect tree growth in their...
NOAA
El Niño
El Nino, La Nina ... and the Santa Maria? The 11th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program explains the mechanism of El Nino/Southern Oscillation. Pupils use previous data to determine...
NOAA
The Biogeochemical Cycle
The biogeochemical cycle ... no physics? The fourth installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program introduces the biogeochemical cycle by having pupils simulate movement between Earth's...
Curated OER
Coral Bleaching in the Caribbean
Students practice analyzing images, maps and graphs from Internet-based educational resources. They explore the correlation between sea surface temperature and coral bleaching. Students comprehend that coral reefs are collections of tiny...
Curated OER
Geographic Effects on Precipitation, Water Vapor and Temperature
Students investigate the factors affecting climate using Live Access Server. In this geography lesson, students graph atmospheric data using Excel spreadsheet. They compare and contrast temperature, precipitation and water vapor of two...
Curated OER
Coral Bleaching: Making Our Oceans Whiter
Students study coral reefs and the controversy over coral bleaching. They role-play a debate over the issue and come up with a compromise to protect the reefs and the economies that depend on them.
Curated OER
CURRENT AND CLIMATE
Students study currents and how they have been used to plot courses for travel. They examine the ocean currents in both the Atlantic and Pacific and discuss their effect on local weather.
Curated OER
How Temperature Affects Density
Students examine the effects of temperature and density in ocean currents. In this density instructional activity, students explain how coastal climates are impacted by ocean currents. They investigate how the ocean currents are affected...
Curated OER
Currently Warm
Seventh graders investigate how ocean currents affect climate. In this earth science lesson, 7th graders draw and label the current in their assigned ocean. They discuss how currents from the poles differ from the equator.
Curated OER
Bats and Hot Dogs
Students identify patterns and relationships from data that is collected and solve variables. In this investigative lesson plan students study ocean productivity, the nitrogen cycle and phytoplankton then answer questions.