Seas and Oceans
This list supports the teaching of science through the topic of Seas and Oceans. Providing ideas and resources for linking aspects around Seas and Oceans to science topics such as: habitats, food chains, classification, skeletal structure, teeth, materials and possible affects on the environment.
Visit the primary resources for cross curricular topics webpage to access all resource lists:
https://www.stem.org.uk/cross-curricular-topics-resources
National SEA LIFE Centre: Key Stage Two Classroom Teaching Aids
Overview
This resource provides a basic set of 5 power points covering: classification, habitats, food chains, movement and adaptations which can be used in addition to the specified resources, as a plenary or as a starting point for the next lesson.
Web of Wildlife (Age 7 to 11)
Habitats
Children can study then compare and contrast the different habitats in the variety of seas and oceans around the world e.g. tropical sea e.g. Pacific Ocean V colder sea e.g. North Sea . This could then lead to discussion and adaptation work around how fish, mammals, birds etc adapt to survive in different environments. For the more able pupils this could then lead to further research into the characteristics of deep sea ecosystems and how those organisms survive in such deep sea conditions.
Dinner at the Reef: Food Chains (Age 7 to 11)
Food chains
Children can often recall and understand simple land based food chains but often struggle to realise the differences in fresh/ salt water food chains or in warm /cold sea and ocean food chains. This resource explores the differences between a land based food chain starting with a green plant and a sea or ocean based food chain starting with seaweed etc.
ARKive's Adaptation: Design a Species Activity
Adaptation
This activity is designed to teach pupils about the concept of adaptation, using the marine environment as an example of how different species are adapted to survive in a particular type of habitat. Pupils can then design their own species adapted to a particular sea or ocean habitat.
Skeletons 1
Skeletons 1
This brief video is an introduction to the skeletons of humans and other animals includes X-ray images of static and moving humans and cheetahs. It also includes images of the skeletons of a bird, a frog and a fish.
The children could then go onto identify differences in the life processes between land and sea animals and the differences in skeletal structure and the way in which they move.
Sizing Up Species (Age 7 to 11)
Skeletal differences
The children can compare their estimates of a species’ length (those linked to a specific habitat/ocean or sea) to its actual dimensions and compare it to their own heights. This series of activities is designed to teach children about measurement and the different sizes of animal species in relation to their own. In the second activity, children research the height of different plant and animal species.
Beat the Flood STEM challenge
Materials
As the climate in the World is gradually changing and fears are spreading with regards to a sea level rise, this resource (set on a fictitious island coping with the devastating effects of flooding caused by climate change) enables pupils to use their skills to help them design and build a model of a flood- proof house. Activities to help them with their design include testing materials (for strength and absorbency) and structures.
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Eco consultants
Environmental impact
Research is showing that a huge percentage of the large predators in the ocean are gone and that their populations are collapsing. This is mainly due to man harvesting too many fish out of the sea, before the remaining populations are able to reproduce. Soon, the oceans will simply run out of fish. Encourage the children to build a range of food chains with a focus on the fish population and let them see what the knock on effects will be at the different stages of the food chain as the population numbers fluctuate in the different levels. If you have a Fish and Chip shop close to the school you could interview the shop owner and discuss the changes in the fish which they sell due to the restrictions on the fishing quotas of cod and haddock because of their reduced population numbers.
This resource produced as part of the Smart Science package gives examples of how different environmental changes could have an impact on the food chain and lifecycles within the Galapagos Islands. For example if the sea currents change and affect the humpback whale migration routes or if there is an oil spill and the zoo plankton are tremendously reduced in number.
ARKive's Adaptation: Design a Species Activity
Habitat destruction
This activity also suggests extension activities such as a discussion of environmental factors and habitat destruction by humans on particular habitats and species that live there.