Lesson Plans

Anemonefish have a unique symbiotic relationship with sea anemones. This lesson plan investigates mutualistic, commensal, and parasitic symbiotic relationships in the sea.

Sharks have no buoyancy controls (a swim bladder) like other kinds of fish, so they tend to sink if they stop swimming. This lesson plan explores the concept of buoyancy--why things sink or float. It explains how bony fish control their buoyancy and how sharks have alternate strategies for controlling depth in the sea.

Colors, patterns and textures are used extensively by ocean animals for camouflage or to help themselves stand out. This lesson plan explores the science of light energy in air and water, and some of the adaptations for survival that benefit from the way in which light travels through water.

Coral reef growth is affected by the pH of the water in which it lives. This lesson plan demonstrates how pH is lowered in water with the addition of CO2. It explores the concepts of pH (what are acids and bases) and how a lower pH affects calcium carbonate to better understand "ocean acidification"--the changing of the pH of the ocean due to atmospheric CO2.

Explores organisms living in different realms in the southern ocean.

Explores organisms living in different realms in the southern ocean.

Anemonefish have a unique symbiotic relationship with sea anemones. This lesson plan investigates mutualistic, commensal, and parasitic symbiotic relationships in the sea.

Cenotes often have areas where salt water from the ocean and fresh water from the land mix, creating boundary layers called haloclines. This lesson plan improves understanding of density and how it is measured. It also explores ocean salinity and how layers of different densities can form in the ocean.

To understand how different plants and animals (like mangrove plants) can live in salt and fresh water environments, this lesson plan investigates osmosis in living cells and how marine creatures have adapted to salinity.

In the late summer or early fall, tropical and sub-tropical fish species are often found in waters along Southern New England and Mid-Atlantic states. They are transported northward by a powerful river in the sea known as the Gulf Stream. This lesson discusses the cause of currents and how they impact weather and life in the oceans.

The Manta rays of Yap rely on the current created by the changing of the tides to "hover" at a cleaning station. In many ways, tides are important to life in the ocean. This lesson plan helps promote better understanding of the lunar cycle and the relationship between the planetary gravitational forces between the Earth, sun and moon.

This lesson discusses types of plankton, their importance in ocean ecosystems, and methods of studying plankton. It combines life science and math.

This lesson plan builds on the relationship between the Basking shark and the lamprey to foster scientific inquiry and gain experience in the scientific method.

Giant clams are threatened by overfishing. This lesson plan teaches how to graph changes in population over time, define overfishing, and consider strategies to manage natural resources.

Shipwrecks are time capsules that give insight into the past. In this lesson plan, use a grid system to document the location of artifacts recovered from a shipwreck. Draw inferences about a shipwreck based upon artifacts.

Consider the impact of humans on manatee habitat and survival. Learn about manatee winter migration.

Many whales use sound to "see" their surroundings. What is sound and how does it travel in air and water? How can sound be used to measure distance?