A Deep Sea Dive Into STEM Exploration

Take the dive with Oceanic Exploration and journey from the tropics to the poles to inspect arctic food webs, simulate coral reef adaptations and survey everything from the great river deltas to the Mariana Trench. Through engineering design activities, challenge learners to collaborate on sustainability projects such as tracking great white sharks across the open ocean, answering and reflecting on important sea-dwelling questions about the variety of the oceans and the differences in ecosystems.

With action-packed, hands-on STEM activities, learners discover the physical and geological sciences that underpin all ocean life. In Oceanic Exploration, STEM education is your oyster!

Grades: 4-6
Students: Up to 30
Contact Hours: 12+

Subject Targets:

Physical Science, Life Science, Earth Science, Engineering Design, Math Connections

Recommended Settings:

• Summer Camps
• Classrooms
• Before & After-School Programs

Each Activity Includes:

• Schedule
• Topic Background Information & Vocabulary
• Step-By-Step Activity Instructions
• Opening & Closing Discussion
• Optional Extension Activities

Curriculum Topics:

1. Ocean Geography
2. The Water Cycle
3. Deltas and Density
4. Buoyancy and Adaptation
5. Surface Temperature and Plankton
6. The Arctic and the Food Chain
7. Coral Reefs and Adaptation
8. Underwater Volcanoes
9. Deep Sea Trenches
10. The Kelp Forest, Overfishing and Extinction
11. The Kelp Forest, Science Research and Saving the Sea Otter
12. Tracking the Great White Shark

Product Orientation:

• Half-hour free webinar orientation for purchases of $500+
• One-hour free webinar orientation for purchases of $1000+
• Additional training available for purchase

Complete Program Includes:

Oceanic Exploration comes with all the supplies needed for 30 students to complete 12 one-hour activities:

• Instructor Guide: 1
• Printed Student Pages: 30 sets
• Curriculum Digital Download: 1
• Storage Tub: 1
• Baking Soda: 1
• Bottle of Vinegar: 1
• Clay (1 lb): 7
• Colored Pencils (12 pack): 15
• Dice: 30
• Dry Erase Page Pockets: 31
• Dry Erase Markers: 31
• Electric Tea Kettle: 1
• Graduated Cylinders: 6
• Index Cards: 100
• Inflatable Beach Ball: 1
• Pencil Sharpeners: 6
• Plastic Containers: 6
• Pipettes: 32
• Rolls of Masking Tape: 6
• Salt (1 lb): 1
• Scissors: 15
• Set of Feathers: 1
• Set of Food Coloring: 1
• Sponge: 1

Curriculum Printed Copy Includes:

• Instructor Guide: 1
• Printed Student Pages: 30 sets

Curriculum Digital Download Includes:

Instructor Guide only, which includes master copies of all student pages.

Refill Kit Available:

Looking to use your Oceanic Exploration program with a new group of marine explorers? This refill kit will get them back to observing the great depths of the seas!

• Printed Student Pages: 30
• Baking Soda: 1
• Bottle of Vinegar: 1
• Colored Pencils (12 pack): 15
• Index Cards: 100
• Pipettes: 32
• Rolls of Masking Tape: 6
• Salt (1 lb): 1
• Set of Food Coloring: 1
• Sponge: 1

Habits of Mind:

16 thinking habits developed by Art Costa and Bena Kallick to empower students to succeed in a 21st-century learning environment.

• Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations
• Creating, Imagining, Innovating
• Gathering Data through All Senses
• Managing Impulsivity
• Persisting
• Questioning and Posing Problems
• Responding with Wonderment and Awe
• Striving for Accuracy
• Thinking about Thinking (Metacognition)
• Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision
• Thinking Flexibly
• Thinking Interdependently

21st Century Skills:

A set of widely-applicable abilities essential for success in the information age.

• Communication and Collaboration
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Flexibility and Adaptability
• Information, Media, and Technology Literacy
• Leadership and Responsibility
• Productivity and Accountability
• Social and Cross-Cultural Skills

© 2019 Battelle for Kids. battelleforkids.org. All Rights Reserved. Battelle for Kids was not involved in the production of this product and does not endorse it.

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics:

• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.G.A.2 Represent real world and mathematical problems by graphing points in the first quadrant of the coordinate plane, and interpret coordinate values of points in the context of the situation.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.C.3 Recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and understand concepts of volume measurement.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.EE.B.6 Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when solving a real-world or mathematical problem; understand that a variable can represent an unknown number, or, depending on the purpose at hand, any number in a specified set.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.RP.A.1 Understand ratio concepts and use ratio reasoning to solve problems.

© Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

Next Generation Science Standards:*

• NGSS 3-5-ETS1-2 Engineering Design
• NGSS 3-5-ETS1-3 Engineering Design
• NGSS 4-ESS1-1 The History of Planet Earth
• NGSS 4-ESS2-1 Weathering and Erosion
• NGSS 4-ESS2-2 Plate Tectonics
• NGSS 4-LS1-1 Structure and Function
• NGSS 5-ESS2-1 Modeling Earth’s Systems
• NGSS 5-ESS2-2 The Roles of Water
• NGSS 5-ESS3-1 Human Impacts on Earth Systems
• NGSS 5-LS2-1 Modeling Cycles of Matter
• NGSS 5-PS1-1 Structure and Properties of Matter
• NGSS 5-PS1-4 Investigating Chemical Reactions.
• NGSS MS-ETS1-2 Engineering Design
• NGSS MS-ESS2-2 Explaining Earth’s Materials and Systems
• NGSS MS-ESS2-3 Plate Tectonics
• NGSS MS-ESS2-4 Modeling the Water Cycle
• NGSS MS-ESS2-6 Weather and Climate
• NGSS MS-LS1-5 Growth and Development
• NGSS MS-LS1-6 Photosynthesis
• NGSS MS-LS2-1 Analyzing Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
• NGSS MS-LS2-2 Explaining Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
• NGSS MS-LS2-3 Modeling Energy Flows in Ecosystems
• NGSS MS-LS2-4 Population Dynamics in Ecosystems
• NGSS MS-LS4-4 Natural Selection
• NGSS MS-LS4-6 Adaptation
• NGSS MS-PS1-4 Structure and Properties Matter

* Next Generation Science Standards and NGSS is a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.

Julia Frisbie

Julia studied International Relations, Creative Writing, and Marine Biology at Stanford University. She fell in love with the kelp forest during a semester at the Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey, CA. Her two favorite marine animals are the harbor seal and the lettuce-leaf sea slug. She has a career in communications and enjoys hiking, sea kayaking, and seal spotting near her home in Anacortes, WA.