Sea Grant

In this 2nd grade unit, the students will explore the habitats of plants and animals. Students will: learn that animals must have oxygen, food/water, and shelterlearn that plants need carbon dioxide, sun, water, and food (minerals).observe adaptations that allow animals and plants to avoid predators. learn how plants and animals rely on each other to survive and reproduce. Included are the digital adaptation for the lesson plan, observation sheet, Venn Diagram, "Human habitat" worksheet, "Marine

A teacher lesson plan and a two-page worksheet for middle school students on zooplankton biodiversity. Adaptable for elementary and high school. Objectives addressed include species richness calculations and critical thinking. Product created by Delaware Sea Grant. Downloadable as a PDF. Essential Question: What is the biodiversity of a plankton sample from lower Delaware Bay, USA? Objectives Addressed by This Product:Name at least three zooplankters living in Delaware BayIdentify three similari

Lesson originally developed by Ohio Sea Grant. Plants and animals can serve as indicators of ecosystem health. Sometimes the smallest organisms are the biggest indicators of water quality. Benthic macroinvertebrates, small aquatic animals or larval forms of insects, do not have a backbone and are bottom-dwelling organisms. Because macroinvertebrates spend their entire lives in a small area, they often show the effects of environmental changes. The species and number of benthic macroinvertebrates

Curriculum originally developed by Oregon Sea Grant. This five-lesson high school curriculum seeks to increase student understanding about ocean acidification and help them understand that it is an issue they can address. There are five lessons in the unit and a final Call to Action project. Lesson 1 begins by exploring a real-life story of the near collapse of the oyster industry that occurred from 2007 to 2009 along the U.S. west coast. The lesson continues with an overview of OA and explorat

An outline for a three week hands-on wet lab experiment modeling the Charles River floating wetland for middle school students. Adaptable for elementary school. Includes links to obtain lab material and additional educational resources. Objectives addressed include an introduction to the Charles River floating wetland ecosystem, hands-on engagement, and challenges this ecosystem faces. Product created by MIT Sea Grant. Downloadable as a PDF. Relevant NGSS Disciplinary Core Idea(s) Addressed by T

A comprehensive guide to teaching your students about mercury as a pollutant in aquatic ecosystems and the dangers of its bioaccumulation in marine food webs. This lesson plan includes: Activity 1: "Movin’ On Up: Bioaccumulation in Marine Food Webs" contains an introduction to marine food webs, trophic levels, energy transfer, trophic pyramids, bioaccumulation, and pollutants.Activity 2: "Bioaccumulation in Georgia Waters" is an activity that will help students to visualize how pollutants move t

In this 3rd grade unit, the students explore the different climate regions of the world. Students will: learn the differences between climate and weatherlearn how weather and climate data can be analyzed to help predict future conditionsdetermine the causes and effects of natural disasters determine how they can prepare for disastrous eventsVisit the NOAA Central Library and Sea Grant's BRIDGE to browse other educational materials.

This lesson is an introduction to the challenges faced by marine scientists as they try to quantify the use of different habitats by marine animals and estimate the sizes of marine animal populations. Using the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab (Callinectes sapidus,Latin for ‘beautiful’ or ‘savory swimmer’) as a model species around which to frame the lesson. This lesson covers both life science concepts (populations, interactions between organisms and the environment) and general scientific skills. T

The objective of this Texas Estuary Food Web Jenga lesson plan for students in Grades 6-12 is to: Understand the difference between a food chain and a food web Understand what ecosystems, food chains and food webs are Understand that humans are part of ecosystems and food websConnect human actions with changes in the ecosystem. This Food Web Jenga Lesson Plan is adopted from New Jersey Sea Grant's Education Program (njseagrant.org​). Overview for teachers: This lesson plan models an estuarine

A teacher lesson plan and two unique multi-part worksheets for high school students on zooplankton migration. Includes an answer key. Objectives addressed include an introduction to zooplankton, graphing, data analysis, and species diversity analysis. Product created by Delaware Sea Grant. Downloadable as a PDF. Essential Question: How do the behavioral adaptations of zooplankton, specifically their migration patterns, increase their chances of survival? Relevant NGSS Disciplinary Core Idea(s) A

What factors affect biodiversity and community structure in West Coast kelp forests? This lesson plan by Oregon Sea Grant includes: "Surface Splash" activity with videos and online article"Virtual Dive" activity with presentation and dive photos"Deep Dive" activity parts I, II, and III with presentation, video, worksheets, handouts, online resources, and project"Dive Dive" activity parts 4a and 4b with video, presentation, and worksheetField trip resources with field trip data gathering and grap

Educator Activity Plan originally developed by Sarah Pedigo and E.V. Bell, S.C. Sea Grant Consortium. ObjectivesDescribe the characteristics of an estuary.Explain the life cycle of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica.Identify physical and behavioral characteristics that oysters have adapted to live in estuaries.Demonstrate an oyster’s ability to filter particulate matter from a water body.Measure turbidity, temperature, pH, and salinity of estuarine water.Determine ways that oysters contri

A teacher lesson plan, a student activity and worksheet, and discussion questions for 3rd and 4th grade students understanding wind direction and its impact on human lives. Answer key included. Objectives addressed include reading a rose compass and naming wind directions, data acquisition, data analysis, and critical thinking. Product created by Delaware Sea Grant. Downloadable as a PDF. Essential Question: How do we name the wind direction? Objectives Addressed by This Product:Name wind direct

Students will identify the six basic types of plastics (based upon the designated recycling codes printed on them) and learn about how their various densities cause them to either sink or float in the oceans. Students will learn how long it takes to completely degrade various types of plastics, and how they break down into various sizes of plastics and microplastics in the ocean. Using a simple ultraviolet light technique, students will examine samples of sand/sediment and water to discover whet

A teacher lesson plan and two unique five-page worksheets for middle school students on zooplankton migration. Includes an answer key. Objectives addressed include an introduction to zooplankton and behavioral adaptations, data analysis, and critical thinking. Product created by Delaware Sea Grant. Downloadable as a PDF. Essential Question: How do behavioral adaptations of zooplankton, specifically their migration patterns, increase their chances of survival? Relevant NGSS Disciplinary Core Idea

Salt March-Climate Change Teaching Module for 9th/10th grade Biology or General Science students as well as upper level science elective courses such as Environmental Science or Marine Science, as appropriate. Students will obtain an overview of a variety of different techniques for climate change research. Students will describe carbon- and nitrogen-based services associated with dominant coastal marsh plant species. Students will identify that shifts in dominant marsh species will alter ecosy

How does a newly-discovered beachgrass hybrid affect coastal ecosystems? This lesson plan by Oregon Sea Grant includes: "Discovering New Organisms" activity with vocabulary handout, and lesson presentation"Life Imitating Art" activity with reading source"Dunes of Ecology" activity with presentation and handout"Hybrid Beachgrass Discovery" activity with video, handout, field project, and classroom project"Career Connections" activity with internet resource and handout"Visualizing Data" activity w

An Interdisciplinary Curriculum to Explore our Role in Plastic Pollution developed by New York Sea Grant The Plastic Pollution and You curriculum is designed to supplement existing educational materials on plastic pollution and marine debris that connect students to these issues in their watershed. To build upon the existing efforts to educate students on the ecological impacts of this issue, we have created a cross-disciplinary curriculum that can be adapted to a wide range of grade levels. The

Using hands-on activities to teach students math and science concepts engages their senses and increases their understanding and ability to learn. Building small boats is one exercise that can be both fun and educational. This project is designed to teach students math and science objectives, help them develop team-building skills, and provide practical experience building and paddling their own pram, which is a boat similar to a kayak but with squared ends. Additionally, this activity allows st

Are green crabs invading Oregon estuaries and causing harmful impacts? This lesson plan from Oregon Sea Grant includes: Introduction lesson with video resources"Introduction to Invasive Green Crabs in Oregon" activity with narrated presentation and slides, and handouts"Species on the Move" activity with article and worksheet"Green Crab Abundance" activity with student dataset handout and worksheet, and teacher guidance and answer key"Data analysis" activity for student presentations of dataField