Activity 1
Ocean Exploration
Essential Question: How can technology help us explore the ocean?
Standards: Science and Technology
Benchmark A: Give examples of how technological advances, influenced by scientific knowledge, affect the quality of life.
1) Explain how technology influences the quality of life.
Scientific Ways of Knowing
5) Research how men and women of all countries and cultures have contributed to the development of science.
Student will begin the lesson by watching a video on deep sea exploration. The video can be found here http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_ballard_on_exploring_the_oceans.html. After watching the video, the class will have a discussion about deep sea exploration vehicles. The class will mention why they think they are important and why we need to explore the oceans. Next, the students will be separated into groups by counting off 1-8 so hopefully there are about 3 students per group. Next, the teacher will give them a list of exploration vehicles (see list below) with each group choosing one vehicle to research. Groups cannot research the same vehicles. The students will be asked to collect certain information (see list below). After doing the research and putting the results in a visual presentation, the students will present their findings to the class. At the end, the project will be represented with a bulletin board decorated as the ocean. The students will put their exploration vehicle in an area that it can explore.
Exploration Vehicles:
Alvin
Argo II
Dolphin 3K
DSL-120A
JASON
Kaiko
Nautile
Sea Link,
Shinkai 6500
Trieste
Information:
Greatest depth to which it can descend, Inventor's name and year it was invented, Number of persons it can carry (if any), Length, What sets it apart from other submersibles, Country who owns or operates it, Type of data the submersible collects, Type of technology used aboard it, At least one major discovery accomplished with it.
Standards: Science and Technology
Benchmark A: Give examples of how technological advances, influenced by scientific knowledge, affect the quality of life.
1) Explain how technology influences the quality of life.
Scientific Ways of Knowing
5) Research how men and women of all countries and cultures have contributed to the development of science.
Student will begin the lesson by watching a video on deep sea exploration. The video can be found here http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_ballard_on_exploring_the_oceans.html. After watching the video, the class will have a discussion about deep sea exploration vehicles. The class will mention why they think they are important and why we need to explore the oceans. Next, the students will be separated into groups by counting off 1-8 so hopefully there are about 3 students per group. Next, the teacher will give them a list of exploration vehicles (see list below) with each group choosing one vehicle to research. Groups cannot research the same vehicles. The students will be asked to collect certain information (see list below). After doing the research and putting the results in a visual presentation, the students will present their findings to the class. At the end, the project will be represented with a bulletin board decorated as the ocean. The students will put their exploration vehicle in an area that it can explore.
Exploration Vehicles:
Alvin
Argo II
Dolphin 3K
DSL-120A
JASON
Kaiko
Nautile
Sea Link,
Shinkai 6500
Trieste
Information:
Greatest depth to which it can descend, Inventor's name and year it was invented, Number of persons it can carry (if any), Length, What sets it apart from other submersibles, Country who owns or operates it, Type of data the submersible collects, Type of technology used aboard it, At least one major discovery accomplished with it.
Activity 2
Ocean Currents and Weather
Essential Question: Does the ocean impact the people living inland as well as on the coast?
Standards: Scientific Inquiry
1) Choose the appropriate tools or instruments and use relevant safety procedures to complete scientific investigations.
Earth and Space Benchmark C: Describe interactions of matter and energy throughout the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere (e.g., watercycle, weather and pollution).
Start the lesson by pulling up a map of the world on the projector; this will be used to explain to the students that all the oceans make up one “world” ocean. Next, the class will discuss which areas of the world the warmer water is and where the colder water is located. Then, the class will be separated in groups of 4 to complete a lab activity. The lab activity will require a clear baking dish, warm water, food colored ice cubes, and a lab report. The students will fill the baking dish about half full of warm water, and then place an ice cube on each end of the baking dish. The groups will then record what they see and draw a labeled representation of what happened. The teacher then will have to explain to the students that this is how currents are formed in the ocean. The next day, the class will have a presentation about how currents affect the weather of the world since they now know why the currents are there. Then after the presentation, the students will do research on an ocean current picked by them and present it to the class at a later date. The presentation will include some type of visual aid like a poster board.
Standards: Scientific Inquiry
1) Choose the appropriate tools or instruments and use relevant safety procedures to complete scientific investigations.
Earth and Space Benchmark C: Describe interactions of matter and energy throughout the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere (e.g., watercycle, weather and pollution).
Start the lesson by pulling up a map of the world on the projector; this will be used to explain to the students that all the oceans make up one “world” ocean. Next, the class will discuss which areas of the world the warmer water is and where the colder water is located. Then, the class will be separated in groups of 4 to complete a lab activity. The lab activity will require a clear baking dish, warm water, food colored ice cubes, and a lab report. The students will fill the baking dish about half full of warm water, and then place an ice cube on each end of the baking dish. The groups will then record what they see and draw a labeled representation of what happened. The teacher then will have to explain to the students that this is how currents are formed in the ocean. The next day, the class will have a presentation about how currents affect the weather of the world since they now know why the currents are there. Then after the presentation, the students will do research on an ocean current picked by them and present it to the class at a later date. The presentation will include some type of visual aid like a poster board.
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