Teacher Quick Picks - Oceans & Marine Life

Oceans & Marine Life

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Books

 

Primary

 

 

Atlantic, G. Brian Karas Inventive picture book introduction to characteristics of the Atlantic Ocean.

 

 

 

The Earth is Mostly Ocean, Allan Fowler Basic facts from the rookie Read-About Science series.

 

 

 

Humphrey the Lost Whale: A True Story, Wendy Tokuda In 1985, a migrating humpback whale entered the San Francisco Bay and swam 64 miles inland before being led back to the sea by concerned people.

 

 

 

The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor, Joanna Cole Ms. Frizzle takes her class on another entertaining but educational field trip.

 

 

 

The Ocean Is…, Kathleen W. Kranking Stunning underwater photographs illustrate verses about the many life forms found under the ocean’s surface.

 

 

 

Sea Creatures, Sue Malyan Several ocean creatures are featured in this vividly illustrated book for early elementary students. An additional illustration accompanying each animal shows children how big the animal actually is.

 

 

 

Under the Sea, Angela Wilkes Facts, questions, puzzles, and a story about ocean animals.

 

Middle Grades

 

Awesome Ocean Science!, Cindy A. Littlefield Great hands-on activities that help kids explore various aspects of ocean life.

 

Bill Nye the Science Guy’s Big Blue Ocean, Bill Nye Informative chapters each include a simple science experiment that reinforces a fact about the ocean and its inhabitants.

 

 

Exploring the Deep, Dark Sea, Gail Gibbons Intriguing detail about the history and science of deep-sea diving, the different ocean zones, and what lives in each zone.

 

Ocean, Miranda MacQuitty An “Eyewitness” book, packed with facts, illustrations, diagrams, and photographs.

 

 

 

Ocean Food Chains, Emma Lynch Producers, consumers, and decomposers: who eats who in the ocean and how we can protect ocean food chains.

 

 

 

Ocean Watch, Martyn Bramwell Environmental concerns and issues and how we can prevent more damage to the ocean and protect our planet.

 

 

Simon & Schuster Children’s Guide to Sea Creatures, Jinny Johnson Over 100 sea creatures, divided by habitat, are described and illustrated in this easy to use book.

 

Audio-Visual Material

 

Ocean Educational thirty minute video from the Eyewitness Video series.

Links to Internet Web Sites

Oceans

Marine Wildlife

Information about various underwater species and the threats each one faces are offered by this conservation-focused site.

 

OceanLink

This website is dedicated to ocean education and includes information on careers in marine biology and answers to common questions about the ocean and marine life.

 

Planet Ocean

Eye-catching and easy to navigate, this is a great site for young students that also includes detailed teacher tips for incorporating the website into a lesson plan.

 

What’s It Like Where You Live – Temperate Oceans

Information-packed website by the Missouri Botanical Garden includes answers to frequently asked questions, data on ocean depths, the differences between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and much more.

 

What’s It Like Where You Live – Tropical Oceans

Another section of the Missouri Botanical Garden website on biomes and ecosystems, most of this site focuses on coral reefs.

 

Marine Life

Information on an interesting class of mollusks.

 

Monterey Bay Aquarium

The website for the Monterey Bay Aquarium allows visitors to explore aquarium exhibits such as the kelp forest and the giant octopus, and also offers activities and games, information about aquarium careers, and fun facts about scuba diving on its “Teachers & Kids” page.

 

NOVA Online: Kingdom of the Seahorse

Fascinating info about seahorses, including the fact that it is the male who gives birth! Also includes information about other animal “superdads.”

 

Sea World/Busch Gardens Animals

Extensive in-depth information about a variety of species. For example, the beluga whale entry includes the following information: scientific classification, habitat and distribution, physical characteristics, communication, behavior, diet and eating habits, and more. Also includes teacher guides and classroom activities.

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