Language Arts

In this lesson plan from Discovery Education, students discuss the novel Moby Dick and reflect on what makes a hero tragic. The lesson includes a student debate of whether Captain Ahab was a tragic hero and reach a class decision about whether Captain Ahab fits the definition.

In this lesson plan from National Geographic Xpeditions, students explore the weather phenomena El Niño and La Niña. They learn about when and where these weather changes occur and about the effects they have on everything in their wake. The lesson is appropriate for grades 6-8 and adheres to National Geography Standards.

Ocean Planet is an exhibition created by the Smithsonian Institution to share recent ocean research with the public. The exhibit provides an online booklet that includes six lesson plans exploring different aspects of the oceans. The lesson plans may be used to meet content standards science and social studies.

In this lesson plan from Discovery Education, students review the video Science Investigations: Investigating the Earth's Waters. Students then imagine that they are visiting one of the places highlighted in the video and and create postcards with an illustration of the site on one side and a description on the other.

In this lesson plan from National Geographic Xpeditions, students learn about some of the important discoveries that oceanographers have made and some areas that they are still investigating. Students make posters explaining how oceanography is important and how it's used. The lesson is appropriate for grades 3-5 and adheres to National Geography Standards.