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Ocean Exploration: Interactive Unit Study

In this 8-week course, students will explore and interact with various topics in ocean studies. Some topics include: pH, salinity, oil spills, and sea level rise all with hands-on activities or experiments!
Kristi Given, M.S.
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(121)
Class

What's included

8 live meetings
6 hrs 40 mins in-class hours

Class Experience

Welcome to Ocean Exploration: Interactive Unit Study! Join us each week to learn about a new marine topic. We will start with an introductory class that will prepare students with some basic facts and vocabulary associated with ocean science. This will lead us into our hands-on exploration activity with pH. Each class is meant to lightly introduce a new topic every week. Be sure to look at the topic list below! Students will be able to use gained knowledge from previous weeks to make hypotheses, observations, and collect data in other activities and experiments. Every week there will be a hands-on activity, experiment, or game for students to understand the concept being taught. I will post an optional activity, worksheet, or video after every class for students to continue learning throughout the week. 

Most of my classes are taught with hands-on activities for learning. When experimenting, I encourage students to make observations and test again if necessary (or if they just want to try a different method). Often students are seen adding materials, ingredients, and other elements to their experiments to develop a deeper understanding of the lesson. Sometimes classes get messy, but I always say "if it's messy you're learning and having fun!" 

Week one: Introduction to the ocean and pH activity 
Week two: Salinity, density, and ocean currents 
Week three: Plankton in the ocean 
Week four: Species, zones, and temperatures
Week five: Shark adaptations
Week six: Oil spills and the environment
Week seven: Understanding sea-level rise 
Week eight: Protecting the coast from hurricanes

Syllabus

8 Lessons
over 8 Weeks
Lesson 1:
Introduction to the ocean and pH activity
 An introductory class that will prepare students with some basic facts and vocabulary associated with ocean science, followed by a hands-on exploration activity with pH. 
50 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Salinity, density, and ocean currents
50 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Plankton in the ocean
50 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
Species, zones, and temperatures
50 mins online live lesson

Other Details

Supply List
*This is a complete list of supplies for this semester. In the classroom, there will be amazon links if students would like to purchase certain tools to use, such as pipettes. I will post in the classroom each week prior to the lesson the supplies needed. 

-red cabbage
-a knife and cutting board
-pot
-water
-measuring cup
-3 test tubes OR clear glasses for the visual baseline 
-eye droppers (Sometimes I use the small medicine syringes, if you can't get the eye droppers. You can always just use a spoon as well :)
-Choose several of these household items to test (you don't have to bring them all- just which ones you'd like to test!): bleach, orange juice, salt, pickle juice, shampoo, tomato juice, window cleaner)
-table salt
-yellow, blue, and red food coloring
-room temperature, ice-cold, and hot water 
-1 clear rectangular container (I usually use a clear tupperware type container. You'll want it to be clear so that you can see the reactions inside)
-1 book or block of wood (just something to put under the container to lift it up)
-1 measuring cup
-1 mixing spoon 
-An aquarium or 5 gallon bucket (filled with water) 
-Toothpicks
-Sponges
-Scissors
-Metal washers (or the small magnets that you use for crafts would work also)
-Feathers
-Beads
-Straws
9x13 glass dish or aluminum pans (you could also use a cake pan)
cold water
hot water
quart size liplock bags 
2 clothespins 
2 different color food dyes
2 pipettes 
1 rock
ice cubes 
towels in case we need to clean up 
1 quart jar, large glass, or cylinder shaped flower vase (anything that is clear and tall will work) 
water
cooking oil
corn syrup
dish soap
rubbing alcohol
food dye 
spoon 
extra cups 
-small bin of water (about the size we had last week will do) 
-two quart size baggies 
-vegetable oil
-more water (if you are near a sink or just want to have a cup of water ready that's good) 
-1 tissue 
 Oil: a mixture of 3 parts vegetable oil to 1 part cocoa powder
Water
Aluminum roasting pan or a longer plastic container 
Aluminum foil
Paper towels
Popsicle™ sticks
String
Nylon (cut-up pantyhose work best)
Loose hair (if you can't use hair, you can try cat or dog hair...sounds gross, but you'll definitely think it's interesting!!!)
Hay (if you can't find hair, we'll try it with hay)
Cotton balls
Any other materials that you want to try
Dawn dish detergent
Paper plates or aluminum pie plates to gather used materials, or you can use a plastic bag or trash can... just something to throw your items into as we finish with them 
-clear container 
-clay, silly putty or large rocks (rocks will probably be the least messiest) 
-ice cubes
-water
-ruler
-tape
-a box fan or other type of fan and a place to plug it in 
-any of all of the following supplies: pipe cleaners, cardboard, glue, popsicle sticks, rubberbands, paper clips, cardstock, toothpicks, or plastic baggies, toilet paper rolls, egg cartons
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined January, 2021
4.9
121reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Science from Green Mountain College
Bachelor's Degree in Science from Washington College
Hi! My name is Kristi and I am so happy you ventured over to my science learning lab! 

My goal is for students to have fun, maybe get messy, and gain a love for science! My teaching style is interactive and hands-on as I try to bring science to life. My classes work well for the kinesthetic learner. 
You will find that most of my classes have a hands-on component to complement the learning experience and my presentations are very visual. 

I do my very best to keep prices lower than average as I understand how quickly classes add up for parents. Keeping the prices lower also helps parents as there are material lists for experiments and activities. However, almost every class that I have has a coupon! Please reach out if you need assistance. 

When I am not teaching I love to spend time with my daughter outside, gardening, raising chicks, and learning new skills. My goal is to combine some of my hobbies while teaching. 

I have been teaching environmental science to students in pre-k through 12th grade for over 12 years. I have taught in various settings including outdoors, in classrooms, and online. I currently run my own business developing and delivering science lessons and custom curriculums to students in school settings, early learning centers, scouts, libraries, and more! I received my B.A.s in Environmental Science and Sociology in 2016 and my M.S. in Resilient and Sustainable Communities in 2019.

Reviews

Live Group Course
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$108

for 8 classes
1x per week, 8 weeks
50 min

Completed by 10 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-14
3-8 learners per class

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