Marine Biology - Diving Into Science

This class is formatted to be fun and interactive while we learn an entire school year's curriculum. We wrap in reviews often, so students may join at any time without missing any material. 

In class, we use 360-degree movies to feel immersed under the ocean, slideshows, interactive games such as Blooket, on-camera science experiments, and of course, a plethora of really cool photos! 

Marine biology is a category of science that often gets overlooked. My goal is to introduce students to this subject in a way they can carry with them, understanding how important the ocean is to our planet! 




JANUARY
Week of January 7 - Ocean characteristics. Salt water egg science experiment. Ocean currents, buoyancy, looking at how the Dead Sea works. 
Week of January 14 - Ocean zones. Ocean zone food coloring experiment. Learning the ocean zones. (Sunlight, twilight, midnight, abyss, and trench.) - Students will also learn their scientific names "Epipelagic, mesopelagic, etc.)
Week of January 21 - Coral reefs. Photograph observation and 360-degree deep dive. The different types of coral life, how they get their energy, and why they are important to ocean life. 
Week of January 7 - Marine invertebrates. This week covers animals such as jellyfish, starfish, sand dollars, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, sponges, and urchins.

FEBRUARY
Week of February 7 - Marine invertebrates. This week covers more about crustaceans, cephalopods, and a case study on the colossal squid.
Week of February 14 - Marine reptiles. Turtles, crocodiles, marine iguanas, and sea snakes.
Week of February 21 - Fish - Pirañas, deep sea fish, and parrot fish. We will also be reading The Fish my Mary Oliver.
Week of February 28 - Shark anatomy. Different species of sharks. Fun shark facts! Interview video with shark conservation biologist. 

MARCH
Week of March 7 - Seals, sea lions, manatees, dolphins, polar bears, and whales. (Very cool whale video this week with whale sounds.)
Week of March 14 - Vocab: "Toothed / baleen whales, lobtailing, breaching, logging, and syphopping." Study on bowhead whales, minke whales, and beluga whale.
Week of March 21 - Marine birds - Marine animal report activity! Different types of birds and why they have different looking beaks. (What's the different jobs of the beaks?) Who was Rachel Carson? 
Week of March 28 - Ocean exploration. The technological evolution of submarines, scuba gear, and deep-diving robots. Immersive 360-video for scuba diving in coral reefs.