Below are descriptions of the lesson plans have been developed for students in Grades 5 – 12 and are specifically tied to the Gulf of Mexico Expedition. The lesson plans are grouped into the following categories:
Grades 5-6
Grades 7-8
Grades 9-12 (chemical, biological, earth, and physical science).
All of the lesson plans are available in pdf format, and may be viewed and printed with the free Adobe Acrobat reader. To download a lesson plan, click on its title from the listing below.
Contact Paula Keener-Chavis, National Education Coordinator for the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration at paula.keener-chavis@noaa.gov if you have questions about the lesson plans or if you need additional information about their development.
Grades 5-6
Let’s Make a Tubeworm! (6 pages, 464k)
Focus: Symbiotic relationships in cold-seep communities (Life Science)
In this activity, students will be able to describe the process of chemosynthesis in general terms, contrast chemosynthesis and photosynthesis, describe major features of cold seep communities, and list at least five organisms typical of these communities. Students will also be able to define symbiosis, describe two examples of symbiosis in cold seep Communities, describe the anatomy of vestimentiferans, and explain how these organisms obtain their food.
Entering the Twilight Zone (6 pages, 468k)
Focus: Deep-sea habitats (Life Science)
In this activity, students will be able to describe major features of cold seep communities, and list at least five organisms typical of these communities and will infer probable trophic relationships within and between major deep-sea habitats. Students will also be able to describe in the process of chemosynthesis in general terms, contrast chemosynthesis and photosynthesis, and describe major deep-sea habitats and list at least three organisms typical of each habitat.
(top)
Grades 7-8
Monsters of the Deep (6 pages, 464k)
Focus: Predator-prey relationships between cold-seep communities and the surrounding deep-sea environment (Life Science)
In this activity, students will be able to describe major features of cold seep communities, and list at least five organisms typical of these communities; and will be able to infer probable trophic relationships among organisms typical of cold-seep communities and the surrounding deep-sea environment. Students will also be able to describe the process of chemosynthesis in general terms, contrast chemosynthesis and photosynthesis, and describe at least five deep-sea predator organisms.
One Tough Worm (8 pages, 476k)
Focus: Physiological adaptations to toxic and hypoxic environments (Life Science)
In this activity, students will be able to explain the process of chemosynthesis, explain the relevance of chemosynthesis to biological communities in the vicinity of cold seeps, and describe three physiological adaptations that enhance an organism’s ability to extract oxygen from its environment. Students will also be able to describe the problems posed by hydrogen sulfide for aerobic organisms, and explain three strategies for dealing with these problems.
(top)
Grades 9-12
Chemosynthesis for the Classroom (6 pages, 464k)
Focus: Chemosynthetic bacteria and succession in chemosynthetic communities (Chemistry/Biology)
In this activity, students will observe the development of chemosynthetic bacterial communities and will recognize that organisms modify their environment in ways that create opportunities for other organisms to thrive. Students will also be able to explain the process of chemosynthesis and the relevance of chemosynthesis to biological communities in the vicinity of cold seeps.
From the Gulf of Mexico to the Moons of Jupiter (6 pages, 46468k)
Focus: Adaptations to unique or “extreme” environments (earth science)
In this activity, students will be able to explain the process of chemosynthesis, explain the relevance of chemosynthesis to biological communities in the vicinity of cold seeps, and will be able to compare physical conditions in deep-sea “extreme” environments to conditions thought to exist on selected moons of Jupiter. Students will also discuss the relevance of chemosynthetic processes in cold seep communities to the possibility of life on other planetary bodies.
Biochemistry Detectives (8 pages, 480k)
Focus: Biochemical clues to energy-obtaining strategies (Chemistry)
In this activity, students will be able to explain the process of chemosynthesis, explain the relevance of chemosynthesis to biological communities in the vicinity of cold seeps, and describe three energy-obtaining strategies used by organisms in cold-seep communities. Students will also be able to interpret analyses of enzyme activity and 13C isotope values to draw inferences about energy-obtaining strategies used by organisms in cold-seep communities.
This Old Tubeworm (10 pages, 484k)
Focus: Growth rate and age of species in cold-seep communities
In this activity, students will be able to explain the process of chemosynthesis, explain the relevance of chemosynthesis to biological communities in the vicinity of cold seeps, and construct a graphic interpretation of age-specific growth, given data on incremental growth rates of different-sized individuals of the same species. Students will also be able to estimate the age of an individual of a specific size, given information on age-specific growth in individuals of the same species.
Sign up for the Ocean Explorer E-mail Update List.
