Oceanography-- It's Not Just Whales, Icebergs, Sharks, Volcanoes & Rubber Ducks
Come and learn how open ocean temperatures connect to marine life, climate change and pollution and what STEM can do about it
Karen Fisher Favret the FractalMom
Average rating:
4.7
Number of reviews:(178)
What's included
8 live meetings
6 in-class hoursClass Experience
Welcome to Oceanography 101. It's Really Not Just Whales, Icebergs, Sharks, Coral Reefs, Volcanos and Rubber Ducks... we will learn about those too, but there is much more! This course will use experiments and discussions to explore the oceans. The students will learn a bit about each of the basic concepts of oceanography that graduate students in oceanography learn: how the heat from the sun drives the winds that form the major ocean currents, what chemical properties it has, how the shape of the ocean basins influences the waters above, and ways in which living organisms adapt and employ different strategies to succeed. In other words, how the water moves, what stuff is in it, how the size and shape of each ocean makes it unique, and who lives there. No background knowledge is expected, and the only homework is thinking over what we talked about and coming up with great questions to try to "Stump the Oceanographer" so I have to go learn something new. Learners will be asked to pick one experiment that we do together, and change it to explore a new aspect of what we have accomplished together. Week 1: What is oceanography, exactly? Figuring out what we already know... What is the difference between an oceanographer and a marine biologist? Basic definitions and global forces... Temperature, Salinity, Pressure, Earth's Rotation and Density Week 2: Ocean layers and biodiversity in the ocean What is the Mixed Layer, and why does it matter for marine life? Understanding fluid layers, diversity of planktonic life, and how the larger plants and animals fit in Week 3: Seasonal cycles and Satellite Oceanography How can looking at the ocean from Space give us a global picture of life in the ocean? Introduction to Remote Sensing, Climate Change and the Carbon Cycle Week 4: Rubber Duckies, Plastic, Pollution, and Surface Currents of the World Oceans What happens when things drift in the ocean? Can new inventions mitigate trash issues? Understanding connections: wind patterns, the Pacific Garbage Patch, & the Ocean Cleanup Project
Other Details
Parental Guidance
In this class, learners will be asked to experiment with water, document their world (digital pictures and recording sounds), and think about how they can invent something to help mitigate human impacts on the earth system.
Supply List
Week 1 jars, water, ice, salt, food coloring drops for making water layers; thermohaline demo Week 2 pennies and eye dropper, jar, index card, kleenex, cheesecloth: water droplets, spills and ripples, download iNaturalist to document species you see Week 3 remote sensing and download SpectrumView for the sounds you hear Week 4 collect "tiny trash" surface currents and pollution, buoyancy and rubber duckies
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined February, 2019
4.7
178reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Doctoral Degree in Science from Cornell University
FractalMom is an oceanographer-turned-biodiversity-scientist with two curious children who help her investigate the world. My goal is to get the next generation of Citizen Scientists out there working to understand our world, sharing their discoveries and inventions, and using scientific reasoning to make sense of their own observations. Reviews
Live Group Class
$150
for 8 classes2x per week, 4 weeks
45 min
Completed by 5 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-12
3-9 learners per class
