OCEAN LITERACY FRAMEWORK FOR GRADES 9 - 12
Ocean Literacy Principles:
The Earth has one big ocean with many features
The ocean & life in the ocean shape the features of the earth
The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate
The ocean makes Earth habitable
The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems
The ocean and humans are inextricably interconnected
The ocean is largely unexplored
Click here to download the pdf version of this framework.
Click here to learn how this framework fits the BC Curriculum Outcomes for Grades 9-12
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LESSON PLAN - OCEAN LAYERING: DENSITY, TEMPERATURE, SALINITY & CIRCULATION
WEBSITE - PROPERTIES OF OCEAN WATER
VIDEO - WHY IS THE OCEAN SALTY?
EXPERIMENT - SALT WATER DENSITY
VIDEO - WHY DOES ICE FLOAT IN WATER?
VIDEO - WATER DENSITY AND TEMPERATURE
VIDEO - THE ACID TEST
EXPERIMENT - EFFECTS OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ON MARINE LIFE (WORKSHEET)
EXPERIMENT - OCEAN ACIDIFICATION AND DRY ICE
LESSON PLAN - OCEAN CURRENTS
VIDEO - HOW DO CURRENTS WORK
WEBSITE - NASA CURRENT SIMULATOR MODEL
EXPERIMENT - CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF MELTING ICE
ACTIVITY - CURRENTS AND MARINE LIFE
VIDEO - NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON EXPLAINS TIDES (Warning: uses some mature language)
WEBSITE - ALL ABOUT TIDES
ACTIVITY - SIMRS LOW TIDE SCAVENGER HUNT AND CHALLENGE QUESTIONS
LESSON PLAN - THE SECRETS OF SEDIMENTS
LESSON PLAN - PLATE TECTONICS
VIDEO - PLATE TECTONICS EXPLAINED
LESSON PLAN - FOSSIL FORAMS AND THE SCIENTIFIC PROCESS
VIDEO - HOW THE EARTH WILL LOOK IN 250 MILLION YEARS
VIDEO - WEATHERING AND EROSION EXPLAINED
ACTIVITY - WEATHERING AND EROSION
ACTIVITY - SAND INVESTIGATION
CRAFT - SOAP STONE WHALES & FISH
LESSON PLAN - CARBON AND NITROGEN CYCLE
VIDEO - VOX THE CARBON CYCLE AND HUMANS
ACTIVITY - MY CARBON FOOTPRINT CALCULATOR
VIDEO - HOW WHALES CHANGE THE CLIMATE
ACTIVITY/CRAFT - DRAW A SIMPLE CARBON CYCLE: "THE WHALE PUMP
VIDEO - THE NITROGEN CYCLE
WEBSITE/VIDEO - BBC SALMON AND THE NITROGEN CYCLE
RESEARCH ARTICLE - T. E. REIMCHEN ET AL. (2002) ISOTOPIC EVIDENCE FOR ENRICHMENT OF SALMON-DERIVED NUTIRIENTS IN VEGETATION, SOIL, AND INSECTS IN RIPARIAN ZONES IN COASTAL BRITISH COLUMBIA
RESEARCH ARTICLE - C. E. WILKINSON ET AL. (2005) UPTAKE OF SALMON-DERIVED NITROGEN BY MOSSES AND LIVERWORTS IN COASTAL BRITISH COLUMBIA
VIDEO - EUTROPHICATION
VIDEO WORKSHEET - EUTROPHICATION (ANSWER KEY)
VIDEO - THE HYDROLOGIC AND CARBON CYCLES
GAME - THE CARBON CYCLE
VIDEO - NASA THE OCEAN AND CLIMATE CONTROL
LESSON PLAN - WHAT IS EL NINO?
ACTIVITY - EFFECT OF HURRICANE STORM SURGES
VIDEO - ALBEDO AND POSITIVE FEEDBACK LOOPS
VIDEO WORKSHEET - UNDERSTANDING POSITIVE FEEDBACK LOOPS AND ALBEDO
ACTIVITY - SWIMMING FISHES
VIDEO - OCEAN ACIDIFICATION
EXPERIMENT - SIMRS EFFECTS OF ACIDIFICATION ON OCEAN ORGANISMS (WORKSHEET)
VIDEO - WARMING OCEANS AND MARINE SPECIES MIGRATION
WORKSHEET - SIMRS WARM WATER INVADERS (ANSWER KEY)
MOVIE - CHASING CORAL
MOVIE WORKSHEET - CHASING CORAL
VIDEO - HAKAI SEA STAR WASTING
ACTIVITY - SIMRS SEA STAR SURVEY
VIDEO - INTRODUCTION TO PRINCIPLE #4
LESSON PLAN - OCEAN PRIMARY PRODUCERS
VIDEO - CYANOBACTERIA & THE ORIGINS OF OXYGEN
VIDEO WORKSHEET - SIMRS THE ORIGINS OF OXYGEN (ANSWER KEY)
VIDEO - PHYTOPLANKTON: THE MOST IMPORTANT LIFE ON EARTH
ACTIVITY - PLANKTON LAB
VIDEO - THE IMPORTANCE OF KELP
ACTIVITY - SIMRS SEAWEED SCAVENGER HUNT
VIDEO - HYDROTHERMAL VENTS AND THE ORIGINS OF LIFE
LESSON PLAN - HYDROTHERMAL VENTS
WEBSITE (CONTAINS VIDEOS, LESSON PLANS, ACTIVITIES, AND WORKSHEETS) - FOSSIL WHALES AND WHALE EVOLUTION
VIDEO - EVOLUTION OF WHALES PT. 1
VIDEO - EVOLUTION OF WHALES PT. 2
VIDEO WORKSHEET - EVOLUTION OF WHALES (ANSWER KEY)
VIDEO - NOAA KILLER WHALE ANATOMY
VIDEO PRESENTATION - BUILD-A-WHALE: EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY & ANATOMY OF KILLER WHALES
VIDEO - INTRODUCTION TO PRINCIPLE #5
ACTIVITY - INTRODUCTION TO OCEAN ZONES
LESSON PLAN - FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA NEARSHORE HABITAT
VIDEO - OTHER WORLDLY CREATURES OF THE DEPTHS
VIDEO WORKSHEET - OTHER WORDLY CREATURES OF THE DEPTHS (ANSWER KEY)
LESSON PLAN - LIGHT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE DEEP DARK OCEAN
ACTIVITY - PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT
GAME - KELP FOREST CAMOUFLAGE
ACTIVITY - INTERTIDAL TRANSECT
VIDEO - TEDEX WHAT WE ARE LEARNING FROM THE LANGUAGE OF WHALES
VIDEO - LONG DISTANCE COMMUNICATION IN BLUE WHALES
WORKSHEET - ECOTYPE RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT
VIDEO - GUESS THE ECOTYPE VIDEOS: (VIDEO 1 ) (VIDEO 2) (VIDEO 3) (VIDEO 4) (VIDEO 5)
VIDEO WORKSHEET - GUESS THE ECOTYPE ASSIGNMENT (ANSWER KEY)
EXPERIMENT - HOW DO WHALES STAY WARM
LESSON PLANS (5) - FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA CASE STUDY OF BC KILLER WHALES
WEBSITE (WITH VIDEOS AND 7 LESSONS PLANS) - SHOUTING WHALES
STORY MAP - ASSESSING JUVENILE SALMON IN CLAYOQUOT SOUND
WEBSITE - CWFS HUMANS AND WILD SALMON IN CLAYOQUOT SOUND
WORKSHEET - WILD SALMON IN CLAYOQUOT SOUND
GAME - BIOMAGNIFICATION
ACTIVITY - SOUTHERN RESIDENT RESEARCH PROJECT
ACTIVITY - ECOCHALLENGE FOR ORCA RECOVERY
WEBSITE - THE SEAFOOD WATCH
LESSON PLAN - FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA FIRST NATIONS FISHERIES
LESSON PLAN - FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
BACKGROUND WORKSHEET - SHIFTING BASELINES
ACTIVITY - SURFRIDER YOUTH ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP STUDENT WORKBOOK
VIDEO - A PLASTIC OCEAN (ALSO AVAILABLE ON NETFLIX)
VIDEO WORKSHEET - A PLASTIC OCEAN (TEACHER’S KEY)
WEBSITE - SURFRIDER VI CLEAN UP DATA
ACTIVITY - SURFRIDER SOLO BEACH CLEANUP GUIDELINES
WEBSITE - LOCAL MARINE DEBRIS ARTIST
LESSON PLAN - EXPLORING EXPLORATIONS
LESSON PLAN - WHY DO WE EXPLORE THE OCEAN?
LESSON PLAN (9 UNITS) - LEARNING OCEAN SCIENCE THROUGH OCEAN EXPLORATION
ACTIVITY - UNDERWATER CAMERAS: I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE (POD 1) (POD 2) (POD 3)
GAME/CITIZEN SCIENCE - DIGITAL FISHERS
WEBSITE - BC CETACEAN SIGHTINGS NETWORK
WORKSHEET - BC CETACEAN SIGHTINGS NETWORK
STORY MAP - THE KAKAWIN OF CLAYOQUOT SOUND
STORY MAP - TESTING HYPOTHESIS FOR THE MYSTERIOUS DISTRIBUTION OF WANDERING SALAMANDERS
STORY MAP - TRACKING SHOREBIRDS IN CLAYOQUOT SOUND
ACTIVITY - BUILD AND ROV CHALLENGE
VIDEO - MARIANA TRENCH - THE DEEPEST & MOST UNEXPLORED PLACE ON THE PLANET
VIDEO - 2019 NAUTILUS EXPEDITION HIGHLIGHTS
VIDEO WORKSHEET - MARIANA TRENCH & E/V NAUTILUS (DATASHEET)
WEBSITE - NAUTILUS LIVE
LESSON PLAN/ACTIVITY - SCIENTIFIC MODEL BEHAVIOUR
LESSON PLAN - OCEAN OBSERVATORIES (PRESENTATION) (LESSON)
LESSON PLAN - INTERPRETING DATA (PRESENTATION) (LESSON)