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This site offers an abundance of information on Earth's biomes (rainforest, tundra, taiga, desert, temperate, and grasslands), as well as marine and freshwater ecosystems. The site features relevant facts, pictures, maps, indigenous plants and animals, additional links, and much more.

This resource is a wonderful reference, not a lesson plan. Teachers will need to provide an objective and structure for student interaction with the website.

Type: Educational Software / Tool

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will continue their consideration of the legal water dispute between Florida and Georgia and research the issues involved to create a point-counterpoint argument on whether the actions of humans in Georgia affect the aquatic ecosystems in Florida. They will apply their understanding of factors that affect aquatic ecosystems as well as the impact that humans can have on the environment in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will be introduced to the legal water dispute between Florida and Georgia. They will research the issues involved to explore whether/how the actions of humans in Georgia affect the aquatic ecosystems in Florida. Students will discover how disputes like this one between states are addressed in the United States during this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will help their teacher figure out where her water samples came from by determining their relative salinity. With this information and a picture map of areas of the Intercoastal Waterway, they will locate possible sources of the samples.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze an informational text that describes the results of a recent study that has found a link between past ocean warming and the onset of "dead zones" in the Pacific Ocean off Oregon and Washington. This informational text is designed to support reading in the content area. The lesson plan includes text-dependent questions, a writing prompt, sample answers, and a writing rubric.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is intended to teach students regarding similarities and differences that are found within and between terrestrial and aquatic biomes. Students will become familiar with major terrestrial biomes and major aquatic biomes.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson addresses the importance and role the environment plays in the distribution and abundance of organisms in a particular area. Specifically it looks at the real world example of Galapagos penguins and their distribution on the Galapagos Islands, and archipelago located on the equator. Students will investigate how a penguin species can survive in a predominantly tropical climate while maintaining the basic biological characteristics that most penguins require, such as colder temperatures. The lesson addresses the importance that ocean currents play in affecting the distribution and abundance of this species.

Type: Lesson Plan

The purpose of this lesson is for students to conduct mini-experiments, demonstrating the physical properties of water. Students will collect data, diagram results, and generate a well-developed paragraph describing the various effects of water pressure and temperature.

Type: Lesson Plan

Ocean Camouflage Colors explores the concept of light-wave absorption by ocean water and how it alters color perception and consequently the appropriate choice for protective coloration in the ocean. After exploring the students' prior knowledge of concepts like color perception, absorption and reflection, the class watches a video clip of a diver who takes a red apple ( and some colorful plastic) diving in the Caribbean. After some further discussion and the creation of a set of notes, students are given a more formal reading activity with 5 questions to complete independently (in most cases). This reading activity can be used in class or possibly as a homework exercise if time is short. Ocean Camouflage Colors was intended as an extension activity to support the 2 mini-labs in Ocean Camouflage. The reading portion can be used alone to bring students who were absent the day of the mini-labs "up to speed" OR it can be used as a review exercise prior to a test OR a homework activity for further practice.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will complete two mini-labs to explore how colors change as you descend in an aquatic environment. Based on their observations they are challenged to design a camouflage pattern which could be used below the upper, sun-lit portions of the ocean, AND defend their design decisions in written form.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson uses an article from the National Science Foundation to inform the reader about the surprising results of a study done on coral reefs in Palau. The article discusses the effects that ocean acidification normally has on coral reefs and then describes the unique situation encountered in Palau. Scientists discovered coral reefs thriving in waters with a lower pH than normal. The article discusses how scientists are unsure of why these coral reefs are thriving, but future studies could reveal the answers. This lesson is designed to support reading in the content area. The lesson plan includes a note-taking guide, text-dependent questions, a writing prompt, answer keys, and a writing rubric.

Type: Lesson Plan

Learn how the distribution of aquatic life forms is affected by light, temperature, and salinity with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Sandra Brooke, from FSU Marine Lab, talks about undersea canyon ecosystems.

Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.

Type: Perspectives Video: Expert

Learn all the information about coral and corral that knowledge!

Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.

Type: Perspectives Video: Expert

This biologist will brighten your day with a discussion on colorful (or not) ways that marine organisms have adapted to ocean lighting.

Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.

Type: Perspectives Video: Expert

Sink into science as a biologist floats a few thoughts about physiological adaptations marine animals use to stay at the right depth.

Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.

Type: Perspectives Video: Expert

This informational text resource is designed to support reading in the content area. The article discusses the impact that ocean acidification typically has on coral reefs in water with low pH. The text goes on to describe the surprising results of a study done on coral reefs in Palau that are thriving despite living in water with low pH. Researchers must conduct further tests to determine why this is happening, but it gives them hope that some coral reefs might be able to withstand future levels of ocean acidification.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. The text describes the results of a recent study that has found a link between past ocean warming and the onset of "dead zones" in the Pacific Ocean off Oregon and Washington.

Type: Text Resource

This short video opens up the oceans' microscopic ecosystem, revealing its beauty and complexity. Footage from the Plankton Chronicles Project is used to create a video designed to ignite wonder and curiosity about this hidden world that underpins our own food chain.

Type: Tutorial