STANDARD - ABILITIES NECESSARY TO DO SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
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Ocean Drifters - NOAA Ocean Explorer 
Lesson PlanSummary
Students first learn about the different groups of plankton and their characteristics. Then the students make a model plankton cell which is neutrally or slightly negatively buoyant.
Photosynthesis by marine plants produces much of the oxygen in the atmosphere and uses much of the carbon dioxide.
Education Standards
75 minsPhotosynthesis and Respiration in Seagrass - COSEE Coastal Trends
Lesson PlanSummary
Students conduct a hands-on experiment that illustrates how different levels of light affect photosynthesis and respiration in seagrass. Note: instructor may need to be creative with timing of the experiment to allow for an adequate incubation period.
Photosynthesis by marine plants produces much of the oxygen in the atmosphere and uses much of the carbon dioxide.
Education Standards
Being Productive in the Arctic Ocean - NOAA Ocean Explorer
Summary
Students investigate the three major realms of the ocean in the Arctic region and identify limits on primary productivity in the region.
Photosynthesis by marine plants produces much of the oxygen in the atmosphere and uses much of the carbon dioxide.
Education Standards
Plant Pigments in Oceanography - Classroom BATS (Bermuda Atlantic Time Series)
Summary
Students first learn how oceanographers study chlorophyll in the water to determine global plankton distribution, then conduct a hands-on activity to extract chlorophyll from a plant. Students also examine time series data to explore the seasonal and spatial distribution of plankton in the ocean.
Primary productivity is distributed throughout the world according to several factors
Education Standards
It's All Connected: Trophic Tag - COSEE Coastal Trends and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary
In this active game that illustrates the concepts of ecological balance, interdependence, and trophic energy transfer in marine food webs, students play the roles of organisms that are representative of the different aquatic trophic levels. The game can be played using various environmental conditions and manipulations of organism ratios to achieve a balanced marine ecosystem.
Ocean from A to Z - COSEE Coastal Trends
Summary
Students create multi-media projects in which they research and report on organisms for each letter of the alphabet. The research is conducted in class and/or on their own over a two-week period.
There is a high diversity of life in the ocean with a wide range of functions and interactions.
Education Standards
Phyto or Zoo? - COSEE Coastal Trends
Summary
Students are introduced to different phytoplankton and zooplankton and build their own dichotomous key through an inquiry based lesson
There is a high diversity of life in the ocean with a wide range of functions and interactions.
Education Standards
The Odd Couple - NOAA Ocean Explorer
Summary
Students learn about symbiotic relationships among organisms of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands through observations and readings of expedition log entries.
There is a high diversity of life in the ocean with a wide range of functions and interactions.
Education Standards
Culturing Bacteria - COSEE Coastal Trends
Summary
Students collect water samples, plate the samples on suitable agar, and count bacteria colonies present in each sample to compare and contrast the types of bacteria living in a variety of aquatic environments.
Create a Bacterial Ecosystem - COSEE Coastal Trends
Summary
In this activity, students mix mud, water, a carbon source, and a sulfur source together in a clear bottle to create a stratified “column” of bacterial communities. Activity requires time to set up in the classroom as well as periodic observations as the "column" stabilizes (4-6 weeks)
