This page provides a list of oceanographic and educational resources. It contains links to videos, other web sites, and books that contain materials related to ocean sciences for use in science classrooms. There is also a bibliography that lists many of the hundreds of scientific articles that  have resulted from BATS-related research, and a glossary that defines oceanographic terms. If you know of any appropriate resources that we donīt list here, please let us know by sending an e-mail to cbats@bbsr.edu.

Videos

Voyage of the Mimi
This video series was developed and produced by Bank Street College with funding from the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation.  The first season had 13 episodes (26 fifteen-minute sections) and was about a group studying humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine. The second season had 12 episodes (24 discreet sections) and concerned Maya archeology. Each episode covers a wide range of facts about sailing, the ocean, and marine life.  It is based on a crew of researchers who venture into the oceans to study whales and other marine life.  Along their voyage they teach viewers about sailing, recording marine data, marine biology, oceanography, and other topics.  This video series also comes with an instructional manual that includes several lesson plans, and activities directly related to the videos that encompass a wide range of subject areas. 

Web Sites
(these are arranged alphabetically)

Bermuda Atlantic Time Series Study
http://www.bbsr.edu/bats

This site provides access to the full suite of BATS oceanographic data sets, including some parameters not accessible via the Classroom BATS web pages.

Bill Nye the Science Guy
http://nyelabs.kcts.org/

"Bill Nye the Science Guy" is a TV show designed to educate children about science while still entertaining them. This page does have links to ocean-related topics, but is primarily concerned with science in general. Educators will probably be most interested in the "Teacher's Lounge" section of the page.

Education Sites
http://www.met.fsu.edu/explores/projatm/places.html

This page contains links to many education sites related to earth and planetary sciences. Examples include links to NASA's Quest program, The Weather Underground, and the Franklin Institute Science Museum.

General Resources
http://www.openseas.com/oceanweb.htm

This web site is an extensive list of various institutions and organizations that deal with Oceanography and Marine Biology.  It is a great resource for finding local, national, and international organizations and projects that deal with these subjects.   

GeoBlox
http://www.geoblox.com/geobloxproducts.htm

From this page you can order block models for oceanography, plate tectonics, topographic land forms, and geology. These block models allow students to get hands-on experience with various science concepts. Also available are Paleozoic marine life models appropriate for use with elementary school students.

International Year of the Ocean- Kids' and Teachers' Resources
http://www.yoto98.noaa.gov/kids.htm

Offers several different activities and resources for kids about marine life. It includes a list of 25 things you can do to save coral reefs!

Jake the Sea Dog
http://thegateway.org/lesson/lp_1282.html

"Ask Jake the Sea Dog," is a question-answering and referral service that contains accurate information about marine science.  The site also includes previously asked questions and answers, links to other sites, and a list of reading books that deal with Marine Biology.  This site can be used for children as well as adults.

JPL PoDAAC page: Physical Oceanography from Space
http://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/kids/index.html

This page approaches physical oceanography and altimetry from a fairly basic point of view that is appropriate for advanced elementary or middle school students. It contains an introduction to physical oceanography, an introduction to satellite oceanography and how it is used, and also contains some oceanographic history and oceanographic "news."

Making Waves!  (University of South Florida)
http://waves.marine.usf.edu/

Making Waves is a multimedia approach to studying ocean sciences aimed at middle school students. A team of scientists and teachers jointly publish ocean science articles on a regular basis in the InterActive Teacher magazine. The curriculum is designed to be a three-step process. First the students read the articles. Then they try the lessons for the curricular activities associated with each article. Lastly, they surf resources on the web using the links provided to learn more about individual topics. Options for classrooms that are not on-line are also available.

Monterey Bay Aquarium
http://www.mbayaq.org/

This page features online excerpts from exhibits at the Monterey Bay aquarium. Also present are electronic postcards with photos of marine animals. The Learning Center has a kids' section (in "kids' E-Q") with educational games such as habitat tic-tac-toe, printable marine coloring pages and crosswords, along with other activities. Also in the Learning Center is a teacher's section ("teachers' E-Q") that discusses youth programs as well as educator workshops that are available at the aquarium.

Navy Oceanography
http://www.cnmoc.navy.mil/educate/neptune/neptune.htm

This site, Neptune's web, is hosted by the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. While the page is focused on oceanography, it also has a distinctly naval bent. Of main interest are the "Teacher's Realm" and the "Student's Sea of Knowledge." The "Student's Sea of Knowledge" provides facts about the oceans, a quiz, and a set of pages about the ocean including information on the ocean floor, marine life, waves, tides and currents, and more. Also included are links to other pages on marine science and a discussion on careers in oceanography. All of information in the student section is also included in the "Teacher's Realm", with the addition of lesson plans about oceanography in math, science, creative arts, language arts, social studies, and P. E.

Ocean Potions
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2714/

This site lists excellent marine education resources for teachers and students for grades K-8.

Oceanography Lesson Plans for Students
 http://www.cnmoc.navy.mil/educate/neptune/lesson/social/social.htm

This site includes lesson plans on Seaweed and Algae, Whale Migrations, Migration Patterns of turtles, and even ocean Morse code.  The lesson plans are mostly geared toward middle school science classes.

Oceanworld: (Texas A&M University)
http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/

Oceanworld contains a wealth of information about a variety of topics ranging from currents and El Niņo to fisheries and icebergs. Also included are classroom activities and questions as well as other resources and links for teachers.

Onset: Ocean Network of Science Educators Using Technology
http://geosun1.sjsu.edu/~dreed/onset/mission.html

ONSET represents a collaborative effort between San Francisco Bay Area campuses of the California State University system, government agencies, non-profit organizations, community colleges, and K-12 schools to enhance ocean science education at all levels of the curriculum. ONSET is designed to assist K-16 faculty and students in efforts to integrate computer-based resources with investigative field projects for science education at the high school through undergraduate college level. The page most likely to be of interest of educators not located in the San Francisco Bay area is the Exercises page. This page contains many exercises on various topics ranging from general oceanography, plate tectonics, and marine life to current issues such as marine pollution and marine policy. Each exercise contains a worksheet (PDF) to be printed out and given to the students. Students then work through this worksheet at the same time as they work through the exercise online. The exercises contain audio (RealPlayer) and other multimedia objects. Onset also contains links to other resources and ocean science education projects.

Project NOPP Drifters
http://www.drifters.doe.gov/

The goal of this page is to use data from drifting buoys to integrate ocean science into the classroom. There are four educational activities that cover tracking a drifter, building your own drifter, currents, and "moving water." Educational materials are available in .html format (for on-line viewing), PDF format, and Word format. Hands on activities as well as worksheets are used in the lessons. A teacher's key is also available.

Research and Information Centers
 http://www.chemie.biologie.de/home.html#MarineSciences/Oceanography

This site is a list of Oceanographic and Marine Biology research and information centers and projects that are going on throughout the world.  Links include "The Center for Marine Studies," and "Coral Reefs and Mangroves: Modeling Management."

Scripps Institute of Oceanography Ocean Careers
http://scilib.ucsd.edu/sio/guide/career.html

This site contains links to pages on pursuing careers in oceanography as well as links to job opportunities and internships in marine science. There are pages about careers in marine science in general as well as pages on more specific careers, such as aquaculture, ichthyology, and marine mammal science.

SeaWIFS
http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS.html

This page is mainly concerned with the SeaWIFS (Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor) project itself, but also contains a Teacher's Guide. The purpose of the SeaWIFS project is to provide quantitative data on global ocean bio-optical properties to the Earth science community. (Subtle changes in ocean color signify various types and quantities of marine phytoplankton). The materials presented in the Teacher's Guide are aimed at teachers of grades 9-10. The teacher's guide has a lesson on phytoplankton, the carbon cycle, and the greenhouse effect. Also provided are questions (and answers) and activities related to the lesson. A variety of other information is available on the main SeaWIFS page, including the background of the project, data sets, global images, and a "flip book."

Smithsonian Ocean Planet Exhibit
http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/ocean_planet.html

The Smithsonian's actual Ocean Science exhibit is traveling around the country, but the web-based version is very interesting as well. The exhibit starts with displays on sounds of the sea and sea people. The Sea Store is full of interesting information about commercial products and uses of the ocean. A section on Oceans in Peril discusses current threats such as pollution, habitat destruction, and overfishing. A large list of web-based oceanographic resources is also available.

Something Fishy
http://ericir.syr.edu/Virtual/Lessons/science/biological/BIO0053.html

"Something Fishy" is a lesson plan for high school students that explores fish anatomy and its relationship to the ocean environment.  The activities force the learner to explore the adaptations that fish and other anatomy have to make in order to survive in their ocean environment.

Texas Classroom Activities
http://marple.as.utexas.edu:80/~WebSci/

This page is the home page for Roger Stryker's 5th grade class in Austin, Texas USA. This page shows some unique ways that science can be brought into the classroom through collaborative efforts. On this page are links to educational opportunities such as Passport to Knowledge and electronic field trips (live web-casts). Passport to Knowledge is an ongoing series of interactive learning experiences using broadcast TV, video, e-mail, and the World Wide Web.

TOPEX/Poseidon Education page
http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/education.html

There are 6 main sections on this page, each with lots of links. In each section, the activities are categorized by target audience, making it easy for educators to decide which activities to use. The Classroom Activities: Educator resources, K-12 section would appear to be of most interest to junior and high school educators. It contains a link to TOPEX/Poseidon classroom activities as well as links to other educational resources. The classroom activities focus on three major topics related to the ocean: world climate, the oceans themselves, and life in the oceans.

Woods Hole K-12
http://www.whoi.edu/k-12/

The K-12 resources link on this page lists many links related to oceanography, from marine animals to pollution to weather. Also of interest to educators is the link to the "Voyage to Puna Ridge" underwater volcano expedition and the "? Questions ?" link, with answers to such questions as "Why are jellyfish clear?" If the educator is located in the Cape Cod, MA area, links to educational resources at WHOI may also be of interest.

Real-Time Web Links

Current Sea Surface Temperature Map
http://psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/PSB/EPS/SST/data/FS_km5000.gif

This page is constantly updated with the most recent map of the ocean's surface temperature.

Current Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly Map
http://psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/PSB/EPS/SST/climo.html

This page is constantly updated with the most recent map of global sea surface temperature anomalies. This shows how the ocean's present temperature departs from the value that would be expected based on the long-term climatic average.

Global Wind Map
http://polar.wwb.noaa.gov/waves/g_windm.gif

This page contains a world map with current and forecasted global ocean winds, including direction.

Potential Coral Reef Bleaching Hotspots Map
http://psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/PSB/EPS/SST/climohot.html

This map highlights sea surface temperature anomalies that are greater than one degree above the maximum monthly climatological temperature. These areas are potential hotspots for coral-reef bleaching.

Sustainable Seas Expedition
http://sustainableseas.noaa.gov/

The Sustainable Seas Expedition is a three part program spanning 5 years. In part I, the expedition team will visit each of 12 U.S. marine sanctuaries, documenting each site's plants, animals, and habitats. In part II, new technologies will be used to study the ocean's "charismatic megafauna" such as marine mammals, sharks, rays, and turtles. In part III, the Sustainable Seas team will analyze and interpret the data. This web site is intended to provide readers with up-to-the-minute information on the status of the Sustainable Sea expeditions and reports from expedition participants. The principal offering on this site is the Mission Log, a day-to-day account of the adventures and discoveries of Dr. Sylvia Earle and other mission participants. This site also provides a detailed calendar of expedition events, and explanations of some of the exploration technologies being used in the expeditions.

Books

Oceans for Every Kid by Janice Ban Cleave
ISBN: 0-471-12453-2
Grade Levels: K-8

A book that contains fun projects and activities for schools, science fairs, etc.  Through these activities students can learn how fish move in the water, how pollutants contaminate the ocean, how to map out the ocean floor, and much more.

Oceanarium by Joanne Oppenheim
ISBN:0-553-371282
Grade Levels: K-8

Oceanarium is a living museum of coral reefs.  This book contains large visual images of life in the coral reef.  It also features valuable information about coral reefs and other life in the ocean.

Ocean Life by Less Holliday
ISBN:0-517-05151-6
Grade Levels: 5-8

This book contains extensive information about the ocean, including coral reefs.  The book also includes vivid photographs of various marine plants and animals.

Oceans, A thematic Unit by Mary Ellen Sterling
ISBN: 1-55734-284-9
Grade Levels: K-8

This book contains teacher-created materials about ocean life, including coral reefs. It  features classroom activities that incorporate many different school subjects, including language arts, science, art, geography, and mathematics.

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