Unit 1: The Ocean Planet
- 1. The Ocean Apple
- Apples are used as a model of Earth to demonstrate the tiny fraction of ocean that is productive.
- 2. The Ocean Planet
- Students use colored ice cubes in a glass of water to explore ocean currents.
- 3. Viewing the Ocean Planet: Plankton Patterns
- Plotting “satellite” and “shipboard” data on a grid, teams of students try to find the pattern of plankton in a section of ocean.
- Unit 2: Marine Environments
- 1. Marine Environments
- Introductory activity for class discussion of “What is an environment?” and an investigation of elements of both terrestrial and marine environments.
- 2. Connecting Marine Environments
- Students review vocabulary and concepts introduced in the preceding activity by completing a crossword puzzle.
- Unit 3: The Saltwater Environment
- 1. Water, Water Everywhere
- Students read graphs and compute percentages of the chemical elements dissolved in seawater.
- 2. Ocean Currents
- Using two soda pop bottles, students simulate ocean water of different densities, then predict what will happen and test their theories.
- 3. Density Currents in a Model Ocean
- Students make a small ocean model in a clear pan and observe currents caused by density differences due to temperature.
- Unit 4: The Deep Sea
- 1. Depth Line
- Students make a scale of ocean depth on a 4 meter length of adding machine tape, placing labels along the scale indicating notable events.
- 2. Properties of the Deep Sea
- Students use colored acetate sheets to simulate the color filtering effect of sea water depth, and to see how fish use this effect as camouflage.
- 3. How Low Can You Go?
- Students are introduced to the tremendous pressures and darkness of the deep sea by exploring the structural adaptations of the deep sea Angler Fish.
- 4. Designing Deep Sea Life
- Based on the information available to early scientists, students design and draw an organism that could live in the deep sea.
- 5. Design a Submersible Vehicle
- Using a variety of “junk items” provided by the teacher, students design and test a submersible vehicle.
- 6. Deep Sea Trawl Simulation
- Student teams conduct simulated trawls in the deep sea. Budgets are limited.
- 7. Analysis of Animal Adaptations
- Fish adapted to the completely dark, high pressure, very cold deep sea habitat are strange indeed.
- 8. Glowing in the Dark: Bioluminescence
- Students explore the effect of bioluminescence on communication and concealment in the deep sea, using flashlights to role play schooling behavior.
- 9. Cycling in the Hydrothermal Vents
- Food webs at a hydrothermal vent are illustrated by teams of students. Difference between Photosynthesis and Chemosynthesis is emphasized.
- Unit 5: Seawater Investigations
- 1. Now You See It, Now You Don’t
- Investigations with an egg in fresh and salt water and a clear explanation of WHY objects float.
- 2. Hydrometer Connection
- Students construct a hydrometer with soda straw and clay; then use it to determine relative salinity of solutions.
- 3. Cold As Ice
- By freezing water solutions of varying salinities, students see that salinity level affects the freezing point for water.
- 4. Salty Dog
- Students weigh and then heat a sample of salt water so it evaporates until only the salt is left. Then they weigh the salt, and calculate the salinity.
- Unit 6: Physical Features of the Marine Environment
- 1. What’s That Sound?
- Echo sounding data is used by students to plot the profile of the ocean bottom along a ship’s route.
- 2. Measuring the Ocean Depths
- Students build a model of the ocean floor in a shoebox, then probe and graph the depths to find the seafloor features hidden beneath the surface.
- 3. Bathymetric Mapping
- Using depth data on a map, students connect contour lines to create a bathymetric map.
- Unit 7: Marine Mammals
- 1. Whales and Food Chains
- Mathematical activity to calculate the energy flow in an ocean food web.
- 2. Baleen Strains
- Simulation of straining “plankton” (candy sprinkles and pepper) out of water using “baleen” (a paintbrush).
- 3. Sound Travels
- Students build an echolocation model: Using ramps and marbles, they calculate the distance to an object by recording the time it takes for a marble to reach it.
- 4. Field Studies of Whales
- Simulation of recognition of individual Orca whales: Students try to recognize classmates as they appear briefly from behind a butcher paper “ocean”.
- 5. Name That Whale: Cetacean Key
- Students identify a number of whales using a simple dichotomous key. Baleen and toothed whale groups are identified.
- 6. Orca Photo I.D.
- Field identification of Orca (Killer) whales is simulated: students use markings such as the “saddle patch” in actual whale photos to identify individuals.
- Production Credits
Below, you’ll find helpful resources for use with the above activities.
- Unit 1: The Ocean Planet
- Activity 1 The Ocean Apple
- Make your own earth globe part 1
- Make your own earth globe part 2
- Great-circle indicator
- We Care About Oceans Slide Show
- Slide Script
- Themes
- Oceans Activities
- Bibliography
- Glossary
- National. Wildlife Federation Creed
- Message from NWF Vice President
- Introduction
- Credits
- About the National Wildlife Federation
- Activity 3 Viewing the Ocean Planet: Plankton Patterns
- Atlantic, Florida plankton images
- California plankton images
- Understanding color-infrared photographs
- Unit 2: Marine Environments
- Activity 1 Marine Environments
- Root words
- National Wildlife Federation Habitats slide show
- Slide Script
- Unit 4: The Deep Sea
- Activity 3 – How Low Can You Go?
- Bathysphere image
- Activity 4 Designing Deep Sea Life
- How to find marine information
- Activity 5 Design a Submersible Vehicle
- Deep sea exploration images
- Unit 7: Marine Mammals
- Activity 6 Orca Photo I.D.
- Origami whale
- Killer whale article
- Whale photos key 1
- Whale photos key 2
- Whale photos key 3
- Whale photos key 4
- Whale catalog 1
- Whale photos master 1
- Whale photos master 2
- Whale photos master 3
- Whale photos master 4
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