Educators and scientists working with NOAA developed a series of lesson plans for students in Grades 5 - 12 that are specifically tied to the remotely operated vehicle being used on this expedition.
Introduction to Underwater Robots (PDF, 242 kb)
Video Introduction to Underwater Robots
Grade Level: 5-12
Focus: How students can become active ocean explorers while viewing live video feeds during Okeanos Explorer expeditions (Physical Science/Earth Science)
Students learn how to access the Ocean Explorer website and access a live video feed of an Okeanos Explorer expedition; explore along with the ocean science community via live feeds during Okeanos Explorer expeditions; and learn how to track an expedition using the Okeanos Atlas.
Grade Level: 5-6
Focus: Engineering design (Physical Science/Technology)
Students explain how underwater robots are used in scientific exploration to gather data and help answer questions about the natural world; and design and optimize potential solutions for an ocean exploration problem.
Grade Level: 7-8
Focus: Use of robotics for ocean exploration (Physical Science/Technology)
Students explain how robotic vehicle technology is used to extend the exploration capacity of scientific investigations aboard the Okeanos Explorer; discuss how information from underwater robots about the variety of biological and geological conditions in marine ecosystems is relevant to the concept of biodiversity; and analyze and interpret video data from the Okeanos Explorer’s underwater robot to make inferences about environmental interactions of organisms in deep-sea ecosystems.
Grade Level: 9-12
Focus: Image analysis (Physical Science/Technology)
Students explain how robotic vehicle technology is used to extend the exploration capacity of scientific investigations aboard the Okeanos Explorer; use mathematics and computational thinking to show how lasers may be used in scientific investigations to calibrate images for size and distance measurements; and analyze and interpret video data from the Okeanos Explorer’s underwater robot to make inferences about environmental interactions of organisms in deep-sea ecosystems.
All lesson plans are correlated to: