Introduction—Tidepool Inquiry

Summary: These field activities introduce students of all ages to the intertidal habitats of rocky shores while safely exploring tidepools. Using guided inquiry and structured group investigation, students will observe species living in this diverse habitat to make and test hypotheses about adaptations and interactions that are occurring in the community.

Concepts to teach: Rocky shores, interactions and change, adaptations and survival, tidal cycles, community interactions, ecosystem balance.

Goals: Students will better understand the inhabitants of Oregon’s Rocky shores, by way of observation and guided exploration.

Standards:
6.2L.2, 6.3S.1, 7.3S.1, 8.3S.1

Specific Objectives: By the end of this activity, students will be able to:

1. Explore tidepools in a way that is safe for themselves and the habitat.
2. Identify the dominant organisms in the tidepool ecosystem.
3. Explain specific adaptations of species living in the rocky intertidal by making scientific hypothesis based on field observations.

Activity Links and Resources:

• Intertidal Investigations—This OCEP Summary includes guided inquiry questions for a visit to the rocky shore. The activity was adapted from University of Oregon’s Environmental Leadership Program, Marine Team 2008
• Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area in Newport is but one example of a coastal location for tidepool exploration.
  • Plan a field trip to Yaquina Head
  • How Wealthy is Your Tide Pool?—This lesson plan from Yaquina Head focuses on intertidal species richness and ecology, and outlines ranger-led field trip experiences for students. The lesson can be applied to other tidepool areas in Oregon.
  • Tidepool Brochure—this full color brochure from Oregon State Parks is a handy resource to have during tidepool explorations.

Assessment:

• Students create a personal meaning map for tidepools, where they draw and label what they know about tidepools prior to the field visit. After the field visit, students add to their personal meaning maps new information that they learned from the trip. The post-trip contributions can be drawn on the same page as the pre-trip map in a different color pen, or the students may make an entirely new map from scratch. Evaluate pre- and post-trip contributions for detail and accuracy.
• Create a food web using the animals discovered during the field experience.
• Data sheets and pre- and post-assessment ideas available in the “How Wealthy is Your Tide Pool?” lesson from Yaquina Head

Coastal Habitats & Species—Tides of the Estuary

Summary: This lesson is designed to give an introduction to how tides and tidal cycles work by having students visualize, act out, reading and graph how tidal cycles work. Context is given to tides by way of discussing and understanding how they influence life around the estuary and open coast.

Concepts to teach: Tidal cycles, interconnectedness and balance

Goals: Students will develop an understanding of the fundamental role and ways that tidal forces play on the waters and habitats of the estuary.

Standards:
3.2P.1, 4.2E.1, 5.1E.1, 5.2P.1

Specific Objectives:

1. Students will be able to describe the tides and the forces that influence their height and frequency.
2. Students will be able to accurately read a tabular and graph form tide table and identify at least two high tides and two low tides by time and elevation.
3. Students will be able to describe at least three ways the tides influence life and activities in the estuary.

Activity Links and Resources:

• The TIDES “Tides of Change” lessons were developed by the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve.
  • Summary of Tides of  the Estuary
• Tide Predictions for Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, OR
• NOAA Ocean Explorer: Tides—This narrated video provides a great visual for both how tides work and how they impact the earth
  • Predicting the Tides activity provides information, assessment questions, and an opportunity to apply knowledge
• Understanding Tides—This inexpensive 20-page publication available from Oregon Sea Grant describes the creation of tides, the roles of the moon and the sun in producing tides, the effects of elliptical orbits, the interactions among astronomical movements, and types of tides. The author, a high school teacher, also looks at phenomena such as seiches and tidal currents that are associated with tides.

Assessment:

• Tide Table Discussion Guide included in “Tides of the Estuary” OCEP Summary

Impacts—Too Much Carbon

Summary: What happens when humans burn fossil fuels? The excess carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere causes the many climate change impacts explored in other areas of this module. In this topic guide, learn how CO2 is measured, interpret data charts to describe how CO2 levels have changed over time, and and find out what the current average CO2 levels are.

Concepts to teach:

• Crosscutting Concepts
  • Stability and Change, Cause and Effect
• Disciplinary Core Ideas
  • ESS3.A – Natural Resources
• Science Practices
  • Obtaining, evaluating and communicating information

Goals:

1. When humans burn fossils fuels, CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere
2. CO2 and other greenhouse gases trap heat and raise the temperature of the planet
3. Measurements of atmospheric CO2 show that the levels are increasing

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

• 4-ESS3-1.Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and their uses affect the environment.

Specific Objectives
Students will be able to:

1. Describe ways in which CO2 gets into the atmosphere
2. Obtain scientific information that describes how atmospheric CO2 levels change with seasons and across years
3. Compare current CO2 levels to past levels

Activity Links and Resources:

• How is CO2 measured?
  • For Students—A simple description from the EPA
  • For Teachers—description of how background CO2 levels are measured at Mauna Loa Observatory
• NASA Climate Kids—This online resource provides a variety of online elementary lessons about carbon and its impacts, including:
  • The Story of Fossil Fuels Part One, Two, Three and Four
  • Planet Health Report, AIR—Describes the term ‘parts per million’, identifies 350 ppm as a healthy target level for CO2
  • Climate Time Machine—This interactive map shows changes in CO2 levels over time
  • Greenhouse Effect: Keeping the Balance—Too much CO2 and other greenhouse gases raise the temperature of the planet
  • Greenhouse Effect—A detailed description of how gases in the atmosphere trap heat
• Mauna Loa Observatory
  • Check this week’s average current atmospheric carbon dioxide level and see how it compares to weeks in the past
  • Trends in Atmospheric CO2—Another interactive map that shows changes in CO2 levels over time

Assessment:

• How much has the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide increased in the air just in the last few years?
• How do carbon dioxide levels vary throughout the year?

Science Concepts—Upwelling

Summary: From the NANOOS Well, Well, Well lesson: “In this activity, students investigate the relationship between winds, surface currents, sea surface temperature and upwelling and downwelling off the coast of Oregon and Washington. Students analyze data to make predictions on today’s upwelling or downwelling conditions.”

Concepts to teach:

• Crosscutting Concepts
  • Energy and Matter
• Disciplinary Core Ideas
  • ESS2.C – The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes
• Science Practices
  • Developing and using models

Goals:

1. North winds cause surface coastal waters in Oregon to move offshore and be replaced by cold, salty, nutrient-rich deep waters that flow to the surface.
2. Wind strength, duration and direction can affect the degree of upwelling that occurs.
3. Upwelling events can be predicted and identified by analyzing wind, current and temperature conditions.

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

• MS-ESS2-4. Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth’s systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

1. Explain the process of upwelling
2. Use a model to demonstrate processes that affect upwelling
3. Analyze the relationship between wind, surface currents and sea surface temperature to make predictions on water conditions.

Activity Links and Resources:

• Activity: Well, Well, Well lesson plan from NANOOS (Gr. 6-12)
  • OCEP Summary for Well Well Well
• Reading:
  • NOAA Ocean Explorer explains Upwelling
  • NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center helps scientists visualize patterns of upwelling events over time using an Upwelling Index
• Upwelled waters are low in oxygen, and have been observed to be lower in pH than in the past. Visit the Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia topic guides for more information

Assessment:

• Is upwelling occurring today? What evidence supports your conclusion?
• In what season does upwelling typically occur?
• Draw a picture that shows how winds affect upwelling.
• How does upwelling affect primary productivity in coastal waters?

Stewardship—Washed Ashore

Summary: Through the Washed Ashore community project, students create marine-themed art from plastic debris found on beaches. The art serves to educate the public and increase awareness about marine debris and plastic pollution.

Concepts to teach: Plastic, marine debris, art

Goals: Students turn problematic plastic trash into pieces of art as a powerful way of showing the pervasiveness of plastic in our oceans and its effects on marine wildlife.

Standards:
AR.03.CP.01, AR.03.CP.03, AR.03.HC.03, AR.03.HC.04, AR.03.HC.05
AR.05.CP.01, AR.05.CP.03, ARl05.HC.01, AR.05.HC.03, AR.05.HC.04, AR.05.HC.05

Specific Objectives:

1. Sort plastics by type, color and functionality
2. Create a marine-themed piece of art from the plastic
3. Showcase the art to the public along with supporting essays, presentations, and student work about the topic of plastic pollution in the ocean.

Activity Links and Resources:

• Washed Ashore Project—The Washed Ashore community project was initiated by Bandon artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi. The website includes videos, exhibit schedule, and training opportunities.
• See how two 6th grade classrooms in Oregon’s Lincoln County School District used Washed Ashore to incorporate the study of oceans, art and marine pollution into their curriculum: Washed Ashore Presentation.
• NOAA’s FAQ about plastic marine debris and its impacts.
• NOTE: Not all information is appropriate to share with elementary students. For more on this topic read the article Beyond Ecophobia by David Sobel.

Assessment:

• Student portfolio includes a ocean-themed art piece made from plastic marine debris with an accompanying essay that describes the artwork and its relationship to ocean health.