Ocean Resources

Visit the Curricula Library for standards-based lesson plans on the ocean and oil spills. Or check out EE Week's Oil Spill Resources page for information to help you teach about the Gulf oil spill. 

ARKive Google Earth Plugin
ARKive is an initiative that strives to promote conservation of threatened species through wildlife imagery. Through a partnership with Google and Google Earth, ARKive has created a layer within Google Earth Oceans focusing on hundreds of marine species around the world. Students can explore the globe and click on a link to learn more about a species by accessing ARKive's database of images, videos and information.

Bay Backpack
Bay Backpack is an online resource for teachers and environmental educators to engage students in hands-on learning about the Chesapeake Bay and its local waterways. The site houses resources on forests, farming, development and many other environmental topics that affect the Bay. Bay Backpack resources include books, multimedia tools, curriculum guides and individual lesson plans. In addition, visitors can search for professional development and funding opportunities on the site. The goal of Bay Backpack is to provide educators with the necessary resources to enable students to gain a deep understanding of environmental themes in the Chesapeake Bay and its local streams and rivers.

Blue Legacy
Blue Legacy is an initiative started by Alexandra Cousteau, granddaughter of the legendary Jacques Cousteau, to engage individuals around the world in telling the story of our water planet. The initiative aims to shape society's dialogue to include water as one of the defining topics of the century, inspiring people to take action on critical water challenges.

Bridge Ocean Education Teacher Resource Center
Bridge Ocean Education Teacher Resource Center offers K-12 teachers a large selection of marine education resources, including lesson plans, information on research and data, professional development opportunities and grants and awards. The site also provides information on careers and colleges and universities for students that may be interested in learning more about marine science.

Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE)
The Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) Network encourages collaboration among research scientists and educators in order to advance ocean discovery and emphasize the vital role of the oceans in our lives. COSEE has centers in several U.S. regions and provides resources for scientists, educators and students.

Consortium for Ocean Leadership
The Consortium for Ocean Leadership represents 94 of the leading public and private ocean research and education institutions, aquaria and industry with the mission to advance research, education and sound ocean policy. The consortium includes several educational components, including the Marine Geoscience Leadership Symposium, Deep Earth Academy, the National Ocean Sciences Bwol and the Ocean Sciences Educators Retreat.

The COOL Classroom
The COOL Classroom is a series of Internet-based instructional modules that link middle and high school classrooms with active research investigations at the Rutgers Marine & Coastal Sciences COOLroom, a collaboration of oceanographers studying the coastal ocean off the coast of New Jersey.

COSEE NOW
The Networked Ocean World (NOW) is a website developed by the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellences (COSEE) that links ocean scientists and educators in the real and virtual world. 

Deep Earth Academy
Deep Earth Academy, developed by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, is a website that facilitates and developes programs and materials based on scientific ocean drilling expeditions and Earth Systems Science to strengthen students' science, mathematics and analytical skills. The website includes curriuculm and classroom activities, videos, posters, books and more.

Disneynature Oceans Educational Materials
"Oceans," a film from Disneynature, explores the harsh reality and amazing creatures that inhabit the waters that sustain all of mankind. The film's website provides video clips, a photo gallery and materials for educators, including an educational activity guide and educator's guide. 

Earth Gauge Climate and Oceans Facts
Earth Gauge provides environmental and climate knowledge to broadcast meteorologists in order to increase the public's knowledge to make environmentally informed decisions. The website provides facts and information relating climate to a number of topics, including oceans.

Estuaries.gov
Estuaries.gov is a website all about estuaries from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Estuarine Research Reserve System. In addition to providing general information on estuaries, the website provides classroom resources and curricula on estuaries.

FOCUS: Forests, Oceans, Climate and Us
FOCUS is a nationwide campaign in partnership with the Forest Service, NOAA and the Wyland Foundation, which uses art and science to make kids aware of the shared relationship between the health of each ecosystem and the health of the planet. The FOCUS program features mural painting events in communities across the nation.

Games@NOAA
Games@NOAA is a portal to games and interactive activities on ocean and air themes. It hightlights the science and activities of NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other agencies and organizations promoting environmental stewardship.

Georgia Aquarium Aquatic Fact Sheets
The Georgia Aquarium website has many online educational resources. Among those are the Aquatic Fact Sheets, which include facts about aquatic animals and ecosystems. The fact sheets include information on both marine and freshwater environments, as well as aquatic careers.

Going Blue: A Kid's Guide to Saving Our Oceans & Waterways
Going Blue: A Kid's Guide to Saving Our Oceans & Waterways is a publication designed for ages 12 and up that seeks to inform youth about the challenges surrounding our waters and provide strategies and examples they need to see themselves as change agents. The book offers practical suggestions and activities to help kids plan and do a meaningful service project that benefits the planet's water system.

Hurricanes: Science and Society
This website, produced by the University of Rhode Island, addresses hurricanes from both a scientific and societal perspective. The three main sections include Hurricane Science, Hurricanes and Society and Hurricane History. Not only does this website explain the what, why and how of hurricanes, but it also contains a Hurricane Katrina case study, interactive history timeline and information on hurricane forecasting.

Jean-Michel Cousteau Ocean Adventures: For Educators
Designed primarily for middle school educators and students, Ocean Adventures resources are appropriate for use in both formal and informal educational settings. They are aligned with National Science Content Standards and Ocean Literacy Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts. Resources include lesson plans, videos, interactive games and articles.

Jonathan Bird's Blue World
Jonathan Bird is an Emmy Award winning cinematographer who is inviting the public into his blue world through his TV episodes available online. These "webisodes" are approximately ten minutes long and are accompanied by a series of study guides that can be used in the classroom to teach about the ocean and its inhabitants.

Learning about Coastal Trends
This free issue of Science Activities: Classroom Projects and Curriculum Ideas introduces educators to the importance of flowering plants that live underwater in marine and estuarine habitats. These seagrasses support human food sources, such as crabs and fish, as well as endangered animals, such as turtles and manatees. The authors provide educational materials to cover the who, what, when, where and why of seagrasses. Students become familiar with ecosystem interactions, global trends, current scientific research and the decisions and policy-making process involved in seagrass protection and conservation.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Classroom Resources
The Monterey Bay Aquarium offers an array of educational resources for educators looking to bring marine science into the classroom. Curricula and activities are organized by subject area and align to California and national standards. Games and interactive activities are also available online for students.

NASA Ocean Surface Topography from Space: Education
NASA provides educational resources on weather, climate and oceanic science for learners of all ages, including games, puzzles and facts for kids and resources, books, lesson plans and classroom activities for educators.

National Estuarine Research Reserve System K-12 Education Programs
The National Estuarine Research Reserve System offers educators lesson plans and classroom activities as well as professional development and student programs focused on the diverse and dynamic environments of estuaries.

National Geographic EdNet: Our Environment & Oceans for Life
National Geographic's Education Network is an online service that offers educators resources, news and professional development opportunities. The Our Environment & Oceans for Life website offers educators a host of ocean-related resources including classroom materials and relevant information on ocean science from experts in the field. Their Ocean Literacy materials are aligned to National Geography and Environmental Science Standards.

National Geographic The Ocean
National Geographic provides information, news stories, photo galleries, quizzes and other resources to help raise awareness of the ocean and critical challenges impacting it. Resources specifically designed for kids and educators are also available, including interviews with ocean explorers.

National Marine Educators Association
The National Marine Educators Association provides support for those engaged in marine and aquatic studies around the world. They hold annual marine education conferences and provide awards, scholarships and stipends to educators.

National Marine Sanctuaries
NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries aims to conserve and protect the nation's system of marine protected areas. The website provides information and resources for teachers, including curricula, workshops, opportunities for field studies and materials.

NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program
The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) partners with coral reef managers to work the reduce harm to, and restore the health of, coral reefs. The CRCP website provides resources for educators, which includes the Coral Reef Educational Resources CD, put together by the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. The CD contains lesson plans, posters, guides and resources, videos, student activities and slideshows.

NOAA Education Resources: Oceans and Coasts
The NOAA Education Resources website is a portal designed to provide educators with access to educational resources from NOAA and NOAA partner websites. Resources are organized by themes, topical collections and content type that are aligned with common teaching topics and expressed needs of educators. The Ocean and Coasts area of the website provides links to NOAA resources that help explore the physical and chemical properties of the ocean and its adjacent ecosystems to advance ocean literacy.

NOAA Habitat Conservation
The NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation protects, restores and promotes stewardship of coastal and marine habitat. The website offers a range of features appropriate for use in classrooms, including the Habitat Locator, an interactive map which highlights coastal and marine habitats in the United States; the Habitat Restoration Atlas, an interactive map that demonstrates restoration projects throughout the United States; habitat videos and finally, the Test Your Habitat IQ widget, a quiz which displays new questions every month and can be easily embedded on other websites at no cost.

NOAA Marine Debris Program - Outreach and Education
The NOAA Marine Debris Program educates the public on the topic of marin debris. The Outreach and Education webpage also includes links to activity books and curricula around the topic of marine debris, as well as posters, activity sheets and crafts.

NOAA Ocean Explorer
NOAA's Ocean Explorer program fosters collaboration between ocean explorers and teachers to increase ocean literacy. The website provides lesson plans and curricula as well as Expedition Education Modules -- units that contain information on expeditions, lesson plans, career connections and other resources -- and Multimedia Discovery Missions, which are interactive presentations and activities. The site also provides information on professional development opportunities for teachers.

National Ocean Sciences Bowl
The National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) is a nationally recognized and highly acclaimed high school academic competition that provides a forum for talented students to test their knowledge of the marine sciences including biology, chemistry, physics and geology. The NOSB was created in 1998 in honor of the International Year of the Ocean and has grown to include 25 regional competition locations with 300 schools and over 2,000 students participating annually.

NOAA Ocean Service Education
NOAA's Ocean Service Education website provides educational games, resources, projects and activities for students as well as lesson plans, curricula and professional development for teachers.

NOAA Office of Education Assets
NOAA's Office of Education provides a list of resources that are easily accessible via the Web. The list includes educational resources, data and multimedia dealing with ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, weather and climate sciences.

Oceans for Life Resources
National Geographic Blue Frontier now hosts the Oceans for Life educators materials developed with the National Marine Sanctuary Program. Topics include biological oceanography, ocean regions and habitats, physical ocean processes, human links to an impacts on the ocean and applications of oceanography. Virtual expeditions link the classroom experience with the individual National Marine Sanctuaries, research methods and technology and researchers' experiences. Fee, archived, online teacher workshops feature ocean researchers and policy makers.

Ocean Guardian Classroom
NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries is offering classrooms throughout the United States the opportunity to be involved in an exciting and innovative educational program. The Ocean Guardian Classroom is an action-based program for classrooms related to the conservation of local watersheds, the world's ocean and special ocean areas, like marine sanctuaries. The program provides classrooms with activities and other opportunities to become involved in projects in their local community. Registration is required, but it is free.

Ocean Literacy Network
Ocean Literacy is defined by the Ocean Literacy Network as "the understanding of the ocean's influence on you and your influence on the ocean." The Ocean Literacy Network provides an Ocean Literacy Framework, which includes seven ideas everyone should know about the ocean and how to teach or learn about them. The website also provides ocean research, news and ways to get involved.

Ocean Motion
The Ocean Motion, designed for students ing rades 9-12, offers a review of the surface circulation of Earth's ocean, along with classroom investigations. The website features a toolbox of satellite and model data, allowing investigation of ocean surface current patterns and how they relate to topics of navegation, weather and cliamte, natural hazards and marine resources.

The Ocean Portal
The Ocean Portal, developed by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, is an interactive website that inspires awareness, understanding and stewardship of the world's oceans. In addition to an introduction to ocean science, marine life and a history of the ocean, this website provides lesson plans, activities and resources for educators.

The Ocean Project
The Ocean Project helps zoos, aquariums and museums educate their visitors and the public on the importance of ocean conservation by providing them with conservation communication, research, resources, tools and ocean information. The Ocean Project also coordinates World Oceans Day events worldwide annually in June.

Oceans and Coasts for Children, Students and Teachers
This web page, developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, offers students and educators materials, activities and games to help increase their awareness of water quality and fragile coastal ecosystems, such as estuaries.

Ocean Science Series
The Ocean Studies Board Division on Earth and Life Studies' set of online booklets compiled from National Academies reports addressing the state of the ocean and role of ocean science. Booklets in this series include "Oceans and Human Health," "Coastal Hazards," "Pollution in the Ocean," "Marine Ecosystems and Fisheries" and "Ocean Exploration."

Once Upon A Tide
"Once Upon A Tide" is a short, educational film that was developed as part of the Healthy Oceans, Healthy Humans project of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School. The film was produced for schools, museums, aquariums and theaters to help people understand that all life on Earth, including our own, depends on the ocean. The film's website includes educational "take-away" guides for viewers and curricula for teachers addressing how the ocean heals, sustains and nourishes us. The lesson plans are appropriate for grades 3-5 and align with National Science Education Standards. 

Planet Ocean
Planet Ocean, a project of Discovery Education, introduces students to the concept that 99 percent of all living space on the planet is in the ocean. The project provides information on the different ecosystems within the ocean and the species that inhabit them, as well as teacher tips and other resources.

Project AWARE
The Project AWARE Foundation works to conserve underwater environments through education, research and organizing cleanups. The website provides resources for kids, including information on how to organize a cleanup and an art contest. The website also provides a Teachers Guide, which includes lesson plans and activities on coral reefs, aquatic wildlife and water conservation.

Science with NOAA Research
Science with NOAA Research is a joint effort of NOAA and the College of Education at the University of South Alabama. The goal of the site is to provide middle school science students and teachers with research and investigation experiences using online resources. Topics includes El Niño, Storms, Atmosphere, Fisheries, Great Lakes and Oceans. Activity books can be downloaded from the website.

Teaching Physical Concepts in Oceanography: An Inquiry Based Approach
This supplement to Oceanography magazine focuses on educational approaches to help engage students in learning and offers a collection of hands-on/minds-on activities for teaching physical concepts that are fundamental in oceanography. These key concepts include density, pressure, buoyancy, heat and temperature and gravity waves. The supplement includes hands-on activities which can be adapted to suit middle and high school classes.

Water Planet Challenge
EarthEcho International's Water Planet Challenge engages middle and high school students in bringing about global change by taking action in their communities through service-learning projects. Once fully launched in fall of 2010, the Challenge will provide comprehensive science-based environmental education materials, tools and resources. The website currently provides a service-learning guide and data card that students can use for their service-learning projects.

WhaleNet
WhaleNet is an interactive educational website sponsored by Wheelock College and the National Science Foundation. This website organizes marine resources for students, teachers and the general public. WhaleNet highlights programs on their site, including a marine animal satellite tracking program, and provides summer educational opportunities.

Wyland Clean Water Challenge
The Wyland Clean Water Challenge is an art and science program developed by the Wyland Foundation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the Birch Aquarium at Scripps. The website includes curricula on oceans, as well as other information and educational resources.

Do you have an ocean resource you'd like to see listed here? Please let us know by contacting us at eeweek@neefusa.org.