
Master Lesson Plan: Commotion in the Ocean
This 5-9 week unit was created for 5th grade classrooms to address VA standards 5.5, 5.6, and 5.7 on ocean systems. The scenario and problem question for this unit are focused around developing strategies to minimize the impact to the ocean environment if the energy resources are devloped in the ocean off the coast of Virginia. To do this, students will work through a number of other questions to help them develop their ideas. First, students will learn about the general process of different forms of energy production. Lesson 1: Student will research how oil and natural gas is found and extracted & how wind and tidal power is utilized & discourse findings. Next, students will explore the geologic characteristics of the ocean. Lesson 2: Students will use data to analyze depth and graph the structure of the ocean floor and then use this data to develop a model and topographic maps of different physical characteristics. Next, students will explore the physical characteristics of the ocean water. Lesson 3: Students will analyze the relationship between temperature and depth in the ocean. Lesson 4: Students will explore salinity and changes in water pressure through the ocean. Lesson 5: Students will inquire about what causes waves and tides and explore how the ocean water moves. Lesson 6: Students will explore how we could get energy from the ocean using water turbines and currents. Next, students will examine the ocean ecosystem. Lesson 7: Students will examine what types of organisms live in the ocean, the different zones they live, the characteristics of each zone, and the survival strategies organisms use to live in these ecosystems. Lesson 8: Students will explore energy flow in a food chain and web. How does understanding marine food webs help us to minimize the impact from energy extraction on this ecosystem. Next, students will examine the land and ocean relationships. Lesson 9: Students will explore the relationship between the oceans and land using stream tables. Lesson 10: Students will investigate the impact on coastlines from storms and develop strategies for minimizing their impact on these ecosystems. Finally, students will examine the human impacts on the ocean. Lesson 11: Students will examine endangered species and the processes for how organisms become endangered. Lesson 12: Students will explore how developing energy resources affects our oceans and beaches. Using all of their research and experimental data, they will develop a plan to minimize the impact of the development of these resoureces off the coast of Virginia.
Question How can we minimize the impact to the ocean environment if the energy resources are developed off the coast of Virginia? |
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Problem ~ Scenario
Energy resources off the east coast of North America are very valuable. One of the most significant energy issues facing President Obama is whether to allow leasing of offshore land for drilling oil and natural gas, where production has been off-limits. Scientists are investigating areas off the coast of Virginia to develop these resources. Residents and tourists on the east coast are concerned about the development of these energy resources in the Atlantic Ocean. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will offer leases for drilling of oil and natural gas, and will also offer for auction the development of wind or tidal turbine farms off the east coast. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is enlisting you and your team to determine how to minimize the impact of these energy resources on our environment. As a member of the DEQ advisory task force you will investigate the issues, evaluate the impacts of the different energy options, and inform the public. |
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Task ~ Culminating Project
Develop a report for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Your report could include presentations, videos, interviews, and other forms of communication to address concerns, trends, and workable solutions for the impact of offshore energy resources. |
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Student Role (research job)
Oceanographers/Oceanologists hired by DEQ: cover a wide range of topics including marine life and ecosystems, ocean circulations, plate tectonics and the geology of the sea floor, and the chemical and physical properties of the oceans. |
Unit Title: Commotion in the Ocean PBL SOL 5.6 |
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Level 3 Question(s) Addressed: | |
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Content Standard(s): | NOS Aspects |
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Student Objective(s) for this lesson: | |
The student will research how oil and natural gas is found and extracted & how wind and tidal power is utilized & discourse findings (NOS). | |
Safety Concerns in this lesson: | |
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Ocean Problem Based Unit Question Map
[Commotion in the Ocean Question Map.jpg]
DAY 1 – Introduce problem, scenario, and brainstorm questions for question map
MATERIALS: Poster paper, Post-it Notes, Markers DAY 2 – Discuss question map (teacher created) and brainstorm ideas for culminating activity Research how oil and natural gas is found and extracted & how wind and tidal power is utilized & discourse findings (NOS) Discuss the energy resources currently being utilized and those being proposed by the government. MATERIALS: Computers, BOEM website, Curriculum map
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Level 3 Question(s) Addressed: | |
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Date(s): Days 3 - 5 | |
Content Standard(s): | NOS Aspects |
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Student Objective(s) for this lesson: | |
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Misconceptions to address in this lesson: | |
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Safety Concerns in this lesson: | |
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Activities Days 3 – 5 | ||
Activity #1 Introduce ocean floor vocabulary using Smartboard lesson and foldable |
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Time: Approximate time to complete this activity: 1 day (class period) | ||
Materials
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Guiding Questions | ||
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Plan | ||
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Differentiation: Strategy 1: Students will have a variety of resources to assist in | ||
ELL Modification: Modification: give an example of the foldable and show an example of pictures | ||
Check for Understanding: Check in with students throughout this activity for comfort with the Gizmos activity and graphing the ocean floor. Assist as needed. |
Activities Days 3 – 5 | ||
Activity #2 Create a model of the ocean floor and points for a topographical map [ ![]() |
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Time: Approximate time to complete this activity: 1 day (class period) | ||
Materials
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Guiding Questions | ||
1. What does the ocean floor look like? 2. Are there any ocean feature you can identify? |
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Plan | ||
1. The ocean floor is not flat. It gradually slopes from the coast, then drops dramatically down to the abyssal plain. There are mountains rising from the ocean floor.
2. On student models label energy sites (tidal, wind, oil, gas) that are currently being utilized from discussion and research on Day 2.
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Differentiation: Strategy 1: Students will work with partners that have been chosen for them to utilize strengths. | ||
ELL Modification: Modification: Student will work with another student with whom she/he works well. | ||
Check for Understanding:
How you will assess or check for student understanding throughout this activity. Quick assessment: Label an example of the ocean floor. |
Activities Days 3 – 5 | |
Activity #3 Graphing the Sea Floor [ ![]() |
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Time Approximate time to complete this activity: 1 day (class period) | |
Materials
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Guiding Questions | |
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Plan | |
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Differentiation:
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ELL Modification:
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Check for Understanding: Check in with students throughout this activity for comfort with the Gizmos activity and graphing the ocean floor. Assist as needed. Collect graph to assess understanding. |
Unit Title: Commotion in the Ocean PBL SOL 5.6 [ |
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Level 3 Question(s) Addressed: | |
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Date(s): Day 6-Day 13 | |
Content Standard(s): | NOS Aspects |
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Student Objective(s) for this lesson: | |
A. We will investigate the physical characterisitics of the ocean. B. We will discuss how these physical characterisitics would effect the energy resource development off the coast of Virginia. |
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Misconceptions to address in this lesson: | |
3. Waves, tides, and currents are all caused the same way and have the same effect on the water's movement. | |
Safety Concerns in this lesson: | |
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Activities Days 6 – 13 | ||
#1 Making Waves and Tides [ ![]() |
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Time Two 45 min sessions at least | | |
Materials
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Guiding Questions | ||
4. What causes waves? 5. What are tides? 6. How does the ocean move? |
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Plan | ||
Part 1 of the activity:Wave demonstration- place water in a pan with a fan going across it on low, change the speed to high- discuss what the students observe happening Students will create a wave bottle. Have students draw their wave bottles in their notebooks. Have a wave bottle made to model for the group- what happens if detergent or cooking oil is added-use the teacher's model not the students' so theirs is not ruined. Discuss what happens to the wave.
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Differentiation
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ELL Modification
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Check for Understanding Listen to responses to questions, read responses in notebooks, listen to discourse |
Activities Days 6 – 13 | |
#2 Temperature and Depth [ ![]() |
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Time: 45 min | |
Materials:
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Guiding Questions | |
7. What changes as the ocean gets deeper? | |
Plan | |
Plans for part 1 of activity: Watch "Telling Temp" at studyjams.com Review how to read a thermometer. Students will answer T/F activities and create a line graph of data by going to 4 stations. (See lab sheet) Station 1-the teacher sets up cylinder with salt and ice in the bottom. Put black paper around to cover this area of the cylinder. Slowly pour in water ¾ way to top. The students measure the temp at the ¾ mark and record, then again at the very bottom and record. Station 2- the teacher sets up 2 large beakers of room temp water, and glues two small bottles to two tongue despressors-one with super cold blue water and one with hot red water. The student SLOWLY lowers the tongue depressor submerging the bottle of water into the large beaker and observes then do the second one. Station 3- have students' models, flipbooks, maps, SONAR info, etc available. Students use these materials to answer the question. Station 4- the teacher sets up the 4 beakers of water/ice/salt. The students take the temps of each and complete the lab sheet.
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Differentiation
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ELL Modification
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Check for Understanding Collect lab sheets and listen to resposes during discourse.
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Activities Days 6 – 13 | |
#3 Water Turbine Challenge and Currents [ ![]() |
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Time: Two 45 min sessions anda one hour session for the design challenge | |
Materials
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Guiding Questions | |
8. How do oceans move? 9. How could we get energy from the ocean? |
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Plan | |
Plans for part 1 of activity: Make water turbines- There are many video tutorials to watch on youtube for the instructor to watch to help with your comfort level. You may also want to show pictures of waterwheels above ground to give the students a direction.
Plans for part 2 of activity: Currents (AIMS activity and ducks in a flow) Aims Activity in: Horizontal Ocean Currents.pdf This may be a good spot to read in your science text about currents Ducks in the Flow (read story druing reading or read short article) HERE. http://www.windows2universe.org/teacher_resources/ocean_education/currents_main.html Students are to draw in warm and cold water currents onto the world map then glue into notes
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Differentiation
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ELL Modification
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Check for Understanding: Read reflections in notebooks, listen to comments during challenge, Check world map |
Activities Days 6 – 13 | |
#4 Salinity Lab and Water Pressure [ |
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Time: Two 45 min sessions | |
Materials
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Guiding Questions | |
10. Why is the ocean salty? 11. How does the ocean move? 12. What changes as the ocean gets deeper? |
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Plan | |
Plans for part 1 of activity: Salinity lab- Before giving the students the plastic eggs mark several cm increments above and below the middle of the egg with a permanent marker. Each group has one container of fresh water and one container of salt water. Place the eggs into the containers and record observations. Discuss the variables of the types of containers being the same, the amount of the liquid being the same, the eggs, and the placement of the egg into the water being either pointy end in first or the rounded end first. Both float. Now add playdough to the first cm mark of both eggs and replace into the water. Discuss observations. Add play dough to the next mark and repeat. Why does the egg in the salt water mix not sink as far as the egg in the fresh water? Read why the ocean is salty in textbook or HERE. http://chemistry.about.com/od/waterchemistry/f/why-is-the-ocean-salty.htm Guiding Questions to ask during this part of the activity: what are your observations and inferences about why one egg sinks more than the other?
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Differentiation
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ELL Modification
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Check for Understanding
Quiz on how ocean water moves and the term salinity Read reflections |
Unit Title: The Commotion in the Ocean PBL SOL 5.6 [ |
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Level 3 Question(s) Addressed: | ||
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Date(s): Day 14-16 | ||
Content Standard(s): | NOS Aspects | |
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Student Objective(s) for this lesson: | ||
C. TSW describe key functions of an ocean ecosystem. D. TSW construct and interpret a model of a marine food web. E. TSW identify how the characteristics of the ocean affect where organisms live. |
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Misconceptions to address in this lesson: | ||
13. Marine organisms live at the bottom of the ocean 14. Marine life is the same throughout the ocean |
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Safety Concerns in this lesson: | ||
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Activities Days 14 – 16 | |
#1 What is an ocean ecosystem? [ |
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Time: One 45 min. class session | |
Materials
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Guiding Questions | |
15. What type of organisms live in the ocean? 16. Why is it important to study ocean ecosystems? 17. How do energy resources affect ocean life? |
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Plan | |
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Differentiation
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ELL Modification
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Check for Understanding: Students completion of video worksheet and responses during discourse. |
Activities Days 14 – 16 | |
#2 What plants and animals live in or near the ocean? Life in the Food Chain (DOE) [ |
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Time: One 45 min class session | |
Materials
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Guiding Questions | |
Where does the energy flow always begin in a food chain? Where does the energy flow always end in a food chain? How does understanding maringe food webs help us to minimize the impact of the energy resources in the ocean environment? |
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Plan | |
Opening Set:
Procedure:
Conclusion Have students write an exit ticket by providing an example of a marine food chain that is different from one of the examples they just formed. |
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Differentiation
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ELL Modification
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Check for Understanding
Writing: Draw a picture of the food chain and describe it in a paragraph. What would happen to the food chain if one link was extinct? Explain. Other Options:
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Activities Days 14 – 16 | |
#3 Why do some animals live in deeper water than others? What lives in different ocean zones? (Disneynature Oceans Educators Guide) [ |
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Time: One 45 min. class session | |
Materials
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Guiding Questions | |
What are the different ocean zones? Why can some organisms survive in certain zones? What are the characteristics of each zone? |
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Plan | |
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Differentiation
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ELL Modification
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Check for Understanding: Students present their diagrams and check for understanding. |
Unit Title: The Commotion in the Ocean PBL SOL 5.6 [ |
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Level 3 Question(s) Addressed: | |
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Date(s): Day 17-21 | |
Content Standard(s): | NOS Aspects |
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Student Objective(s) for this lesson: | |
F. TSW review the different types of storms. G. TSW construct a model of a coastline(continental shelf) including energy resources H. TSW mimic a storm and collect/record data from storm model. I. TSW infer the effects of the storm on the coastline |
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Misconceptions to address in this lesson: | |
18. Hurricanes only do damage on land. 19. Hurricanes form over land. |
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Safety Concerns in this lesson: | |
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Activities Days 17 – 21 | |
#1 Coastline Storm Damage [ |
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Time: Two 45 minute sessions at most | |
Materials
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Guiding Questions | |
20. How did Hurricane Sandy affect the beaches? 21. What damage did you observe? Be specific 22. What could have been done to minimize the damage? 23. What damage occurred to your coastline at the low wind speed/high wind speed? 24. How can you link your model damage to the damage seen on the video? Be specific. 25. What could you do to your model to minimize the damage? |
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Plan | |
Plans for part 1 of activity
Plans for part 2 of activity
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Differentiation
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ELL Modification
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Check for Understanding: Listen to responses during Discourse. |
Activities Days 17 – 21 | |
#2 Endangered Ocean Organisms [ |
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Time: One 45 minute session | |
Materials
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Guiding Questions | |
26. What does endangered mean? 27. What ocean organisms are endangered and why? Be specific. 28. What can we do? |
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Plan | |
Plans for activity
http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/01219/will%20stuff.htm http://keranakisocean.blogspot.com/2011/04/endangered-species-of-atlantic-ocean.html http://www.slideshare.net/FreeRadicalsBU/top-9-endangered-marine-mammals-in-the-atlantic
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Differentiation
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ELL Modification
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Check for Understanding
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Activities Days 17 – 21 | ||
#3 Oily Mess |
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Time: Two 45 minute sessions | | |
Materials
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Guiding Questions | ||
How does developing the energy resources affect our oceans and beaches? | ||
Plan | ||
Plans for part 1 of activity
http://safeshare.tv/w/pitkHWZeyc and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEWMqK5H4Z0 29. What did the oil spill do to the animals and thesurrounding areas? 30. How will the oil spill affect our ocean and beaches? After viewing the videos students will answer the two questions. Plans for part 2 of activity
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Differentiation
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ELL Modification
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Check for Understanding: Listen to responses in Discourse |
Activities Days 17 – 21 |
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#4 Land and Ocean Relationships [ |
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Time Four 45 minute sessions | ||
Materials
The lab may be found HERE. |
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Guiding Questions | ||
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Plan | ||
Plans for part 1 of activity – Coastal Erosion 1. Set up your stream table so that it is on the lowest rung of the stand. 2. Fill the top third of the stream table with a layer of sand that is nearly to the top of the stream table's walls. 3. Adjust the spigot at the end of the stream table so that water will not drain from it. 4. Use the buckets and fill the bottom portion of the stream table with water so that it just reaches the sand. Note: The water level should not be more than half the thickness of the sand. 5. Shape out a unique coastline in the stream table using your hands. If necessary wet the sand a bit to help shape your coastline. Students make the prediction and answer the question for Part 1. Discourse on Part 1
Plans for part 2 of activity
Plans for part 3 of activity – Breakwaters 23B
Plans for part 4 of activity – Seawalls
Plans for part 5 activity – Houses
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Differentiation
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ELL Modification
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Check for Understanding
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Additional Unit Resources:
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management: www.boem.gov
BOEM Virginia: http://www.boem.gov/State-Activities-Virginia/
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality: www.deq.virginia.gov
Marine Mapping and Data Tools: www.marinecadastre.gov
NOAA Ocean Education Resources: www.education.noaa.gov
Master Plan Created by:
Ms. Norris, Prices Fork ES, Ms. Coldren Round Hill ES, Ms. Pruett Highland Park ES, Ms. Seal St. Paul School
