STANDARD - ABILITIES NECESSARY TO DO SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
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Mapping Deep-Sea Features - NOAA Ocean Explorer 
Lesson PlanSummary
Students use actual bathymetric data to create a two-dimensional contour map of sea floor topographic features. Next, students create a three-dimensional model of the landform on the contour map they have created to illustrate how features are translated from three-dimensional to two-dimensional models.
There is one ocean with many basins and features shaped by the movement of the earth
Education Standards
The Biggest Plates on Earth - NOAA Ocean Explorer
Summary
Students use maps of the Pacific Basin to determine tectonic plate movement and differentiate the three types of boundaries that typically occur between tectonic plates.
Ocean and land movement has shaped the geologic features of the earth.
Education Standards
Sediment Bottle - COSEE Coastal Trends
Summary
Students mix a variety of sediments with water in a clear container to observe particle separation based on size.
Mud Is Mud...Or Is It? - NOAA Ocean Explorer
Summary
Students compare various types of deep sea sediments and evaluate the variables in each sediment type which could affect its suitability as habitat for living organisms.
The Nitrogen Cycle - COSEE Coastal Trends
Lesson PlanSummary
Students put together “puzzle piece” print-outs of the compounds comprising the nitrogen cycle and string the pieces together to reconstruct the pathways of the cycle.
The ocean is an integral part of the geochemical cycles. It is connected to land-based waterways, which transport materials to the ocean.
Education Standards
Carbon Cycle Game - Windows to the Universe
Summary
Students learn how carbon cycles through the Earth system through an online game.
The ocean is an integral part of the geochemical cycles. It is connected to land-based waterways, which transport materials to the ocean.
Education Standards
Density Driven Currents - COSEE Coastal Trends
Summary
Students add fresh water to dyed salt water in graduated cylinders or “density tanks” to demonstrate density differences in ocean and coastal waters and how these differences drive currents.
Monitoring Estuarine Water Quality - The NOAA Ocean Data Education Project
Summary
In this series of activities, students use data to explore temperature, dissolved oxygen, and salinity in ocean waters. In “Level 4,”students are asked to relate environmental conditions to Atlantic Sturgeon migration.
90+ minsSea Level Rise and Storm Surge - COSEE Coastal Trends
Summary
Students use topographic maps and tide data to predict coastline flooding associated with sea level rise. In a companion exercise students predict the extent of flooding due to storm surge.
The height of the ocean water (sea level) is affected by various physical forces and, in turn, affects coast lines.
Education Standards
Understanding Sea Level Using Real Data - The NOAA Ocean Education Project
Summary
Using real-time data, students learn how to access and interpret sea surface height and tide data through a series of five lessons.
The height of the ocean water (sea level) is affected by various physical forces and, in turn, affects coast lines.
Education Standards
