STANDARD - CONSTANCE CHANGE AND MEASUREMENT
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Being Productive in the Arctic Ocean - NOAA Ocean Explorer 
Lesson PlanSummary
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
60 minsPlant Pigments in Oceanography - Classroom BATS (Bermuda Atlantic Time Series)
Lesson PlanSummary
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.
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)
Where Will the Stripers Be? - University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary
Students examine the influence of abiotic factors on the location of populations of Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass through analysis of temperature and dissolved oxygen data.
Hatch to Catch - Bigelow Laboratory and Dartmouth College
Summary
In this web-based simulation activity, students manipulate environmental variables in order to create optimal environmental conditions that will generate high “hatch” to “catch” survival rates in newly spawned lobster larvae.
Open ocean aphotic/twilight zone: All that Glitters - NOAA Ocean Explorer
Summary
Students learn about deep-sea bioluminescence through a hands-on activity simulating the deep sea environment and the effect of lowered light on the different parts of the spectrum.
There are many diverse habitats in the open ocean, which contribute to the diversity of organisms.
Education Standards
Estuaries: Give Me Shelter - COSEE Coastal Trends
Summary
Students observe the feeding behavior and success rate of blue gill feeding on brine shrimp in two different environments; one with seagrass and one without.
Coastal ocean systems provide important habitats for organisms.
Education Standards
Wetlands: The Fragile Fringe - USGS
Summary
Students explore wetlands through a series of lessons ranging from wetland identification to investigating the beneficial functions of wetlands and causes of wetland loss.
Coastal ocean systems provide important habitats for organisms.
Education Standards
The Drill on the Spill: Learning About the Gulf Oil Leak in the Lab - New York Times, The Learning Network
Summary
Students explore the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Oil spill by accessing high quality data-based models and maps on the New York Times website. They also develop a research question about oil spills or clean-up technology and design a lab investigation to answer the question.
Humans affect the ocean and therefore must protect it.
Education Standards
