The Arts

"Specialized for the Sea" is a lesson plan developed by Sea Semester, a field program in marine and environmental studies for K-12 marine biology students. In the lesson plan, students use pictures and create a mural to investigate how ocean animals adapt to their environment.

The Coral Reef Teacher's Guide from Reef Relief, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting living coral reef ecosystems, provides lesson plans for grades K-12 on coral reefs. The lesson plans are spirally integrated with each grade level, building upon the previous one.

In this lesson plan from National Geographic, students learn about the ways marine animals have adapted to live at different depths of the ocean. Students create a simplified model of the ocean's depths and look at the photographs of David Doubilet to explore the idea of how photography can be used to help spread awareness about the ocean and its creatures.

In this lesson plan from National Geographic Xpeditions, students are introduced to the concept of bioluminescence and consider how animals in the deep, dark regions of the ocean benefit from having their own light source. The activity is appropriate for grades K-2 and adheres to National Geography Standards.

In this lesson plan from National Geographic Xpeditions, students learn about and act out the functions of the salt marsh habitat. The lesson is appropriate for grades 3-5 and adheres to National Geography Standards.