This lesson looks at how ocean biodiversity can be protected, covering a range of methods, and includes an in-depth analysis of community conservation in Arran, Scotland.
The lesson looks at how seabed communities can recover after human impacts, and the importance of lesser-known seabed species in this process.
Curriculum links
Science KS3
Biology
Biodiversity and its importance
Threats to biodiversity
Conservation and management strategies
Adaptation
Working scientifically
Using evidence to support conclusions
Communication and advocacy
Learning outcomes
Understand the methods used in protecting marine biodiversity
Explain the impact of human activities on seabed ecosystems
Identify adaptations of lesser-known species that help seabed restoration
Advocate for the process of seabed recovery and the role of MPAs
This lesson introduces ocean acidification, the other carbon problem. The ocean absorbs about 25% of human-produced carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This helps to mitigate climate change but is not without its negative consequences for the ocean.
This is a practical lesson where students will develop their working scientifically skills and develop their literacy by writing a scientific conclusion using the ‘Point Evidence Explain’ technique from English.
Curriculum links
Science KS3
Working scientifically
Using evidence to support conclusions
Analysing data and graphs
Investigation skills
Biology / Chemistry
Using the pH scale to describe change
Explaining the impact of human production of carbon dioxide on the environment
Learning outcomes
Describe patterns in results
Investigate how carbon emissions change ocean chemistry
Describe the process of ocean acidification
Write a scientific conclusion
This lesson introduces students to the idea of blue carbon habitats and their importance. Students will gain an overview of these coastal environments before analysing data to see how they play an important role in absorbing carbon and helping to tackle climate change.
Curriculum links
Science KS3
Biology
Investigate the diversity and nature of coastal ecosystems
Chemistry
Apply knowledge of the carbon cycle to climate change mitigation
Working scientifically
Analyse and interpret data
Draw conclusions from data
Learning outcomes
Identify and describe the main types of blue carbon habitats
Understand how the ocean and blue carbon habitats help tackle climate change
Analyse the ability of different habitats to absorb and store carbon
Evaluate nature priorities based on data
This activity teaches students about the amount of carbon in the different stores, e.g. ocean, atmosphere, and fossil fuels. It is a group activity designed for between 4 and 6 students. Students will also learn about how carbon passes from one store to another.
This activity focuses on the processes in the global carbon cycle. It can be played individually or in small groups of two to four. Each player will move their counter around the board using the instructions. Players will use a dice to see how their carbon counter will move around the different stores in the carbon cycle.
Knowledge organiser covering the carbon cycle and climate change.
This includes the following sections:
Carbon cycle processes
Where is the carbon?
Climate change key words
How has human activity changed where carbon is located?
The greenhouse effect
Climate change over time
Atmospheric CO2 over time
Evidence for climate change
This lesson reviews students’ knowledge about the carbon cycle within the context of the study of ecosystems for GSCE Science (Biology) and Geography, as well as the changing composition of the Earth’s atmosphere for GCSE Science (Chemistry). It covers the carbon cycle and major carbon stores and fluxes. The lesson combines a digital interactive carbon cycle diagram to reinforce knowledge of the processes in the carbon cycle, with a hands-on activity to introduce students to the size of the major carbon stores and fluxes. Exam style questions and a knowledge organiser provide a good revision focus.
Learning outcomes
Review basic processes in the carbon cycle
Develop fuller understanding of the carbon cycle
Compare the sizes of the major carbon stores
Demonstrate their understanding of carbon fluxes and how changes have contributed to climate change
This is the sixth in a six lesson unit, Submarine Science KS3. This lesson investigates the life support systems needed to keep scientists and explorers alive. Students will conduct an investigation into how limewater can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in an atmosphere. This lesson is from the Submarine STEM Science 11-14 unit. You can access the unit here: https://encounteredu.com/teacher-resources/submarine-stem-science-ages-11-14
This unit is based on the real life submersible exploration of the XL Caitlin Deep Ocean Survey off Bermuda, the Sargasso Sea. It provides students the opportunity to apply science, engineering, and design princples. To experience the full impact of this scheme of work it can be taught in advance of our annual Submarine Live event. Live lessons can be booked for free here: https://encounteredu.com/live
This is the fifth in a six lesson unit, Submarine Science KS3. This lesson focusses on oxidation and rusting through a practical investigation looking at how to protect the submarine from rusting. This lesson is from the Submarine STEM Science 11-14 unit. You can access the unit here: https://encounteredu.com/teacher-resources/submarine-stem-science-ages-11-14
This unit is based on the real life submersible exploration of the XL Caitlin Deep Ocean Survey off Bermuda, the Sargasso Sea. It provides students the opportunity to apply science, engineering, and design princples. To experience the full impact of this scheme of work it can be taught in advance of our annual Submarine Live event. Live lessons can be booked for free here: https://encounteredu.com/live
This is the fourth in a six lesson unit, Submarine Science KS3. This lesson allows students to investigate the effects of pressure increasing with depth, and the implications that this has for submarine design. Get the design wrong and the submarine will implode. This lesson is from the Submarine STEM Science 11-14 unit. You can access the unit here: https://encounteredu.com/teacher-resources/submarine-stem-science-ages-11-14
This unit is based on the real life submersible exploration of the XL Caitlin Deep Ocean Survey off Bermuda, the Sargasso Sea. It provides students the opportunity to apply science, engineering, and design princples.To experience the full impact of this scheme of work it can be taught in advance of our annual Submarine Live event. Live lessons can be booked for free here: https://encounteredu.com/live
This is the third in a six lesson unit, Submarine Science KS3. In this lesson, explore moments and levers through designing and building a model crane suitable for lifting and moving a weight. This activity replicates the science involved in launching and recovering a submersible using a surface vessel. This lesson is from the Submarine STEM Science 11-14 unit. You can access the unit here: https://encounteredu.com/teacher-resources/submarine-stem-science-ages-11-14
This unit is based on the real life submersible exploration of the XL Caitlin Deep Ocean Survey off Bermuda, the Sargasso Sea. It provides students the opportunity to apply science, engineering, and design princples. To experience the full impact of this scheme of work it can be taught in advance of our annual Submarine Live event. Live lessons can be booked for free here: https://encounteredu.com/live
This is the second in a six lesson unit, Submarine Science KS3. This lesson encourages students to investigate hands-on the property of neutral buoyancy, and to discuss its importance in terms of submarines.This lesson is from the Submarine STEM Science 11-14 unit. You can access the unit here: https://encounteredu.com/teacher-resources/submarine-stem-science-ages-11-14
This unit is based on the real life submersible exploration of the XL Caitlin Deep Ocean Survey off Bermuda, the Sargasso Sea. It provides students the opportunity to apply science, engineering, and design princples. To experience the full impact of this scheme of work it can be taught in advance of our annual Submarine Live event. Live lessons can be booked for free here: https://encounteredu.com/live
This is the first in a six lesson unit, Submarine Science KS3. This lesson is based on forces through a practical investigation to discover a suitable shape that can dive and rise at a speed safe enough for the scientists inside the submarine. Students develop their understanding of forces, surface area, and fair testing. This lesson is from the Submarine STEM Science 11-14 unit. You can access the unit here: https://encounteredu.com/teacher-resources/submarine-stem-science-ages-11-14
This unit is based on the real life submersible exploration of the XL Caitlin Deep Ocean Survey off Bermuda, the Sargasso Sea. It provides students the opportunity to apply science, engineering, and design principles. To experience the full impact of this scheme of work it can be taught in advance of our annual Submarine Live event. Live lessons can be booked for free here: https://encounteredu.com/live
At the end of the expedition, teams create an expedition report to communicate their findings to a wider audience. This could take the form of a formal written report, a press release or a video.
These outputs can be shared at an assembly, parents evening, with the local press and you can send a selection through to Encounter Edu (info@encounteredu.com) so that we can post them on our website.
This is a single lesson fromt the Coral Oceans Science KS3 unit. The lesson plans and accompanying activities are designed to introduce classes to what it is like to be an ocean explorer.
Each lesson is designed around a ‘dive’ to investigate a particular science topic. These include identification, classification, food webs and symbiosis, adaptation and human impacts on the environment.
The enquiry-based resources incorporate the scientists’ experiences and research, and enable students to explore marine life on the reef and the threats facing it.
Access the other lessons in this unit here: https://encounteredu.com/teachers/units/coral-oceans-science-11-14
Students will consider the varied threats faced by the coral reef. These range from long-term environmental changes caused by increased atmospheric carbon dioxide, to changes in land use in coastal areas.
Through gathering information from a range of sources students will complete an overview of the threats faced by the reef.
Students will be prompted to consider what changes could be made to ensure that there are healthy coral reefs well into the future.
This is a single lesson from the Coral Oceans Science KS3 unit. The lesson plans and accompanying activities are designed to introduce classes to what it is like to be an ocean explorer. Each lesson is designed around a ‘dive’ to investigate a particular science topic.
These include identification, classification, food webs and symbiosis, adaptation and human impacts on the environment.The enquiry-based resources incorporate the scientists’ experiences and research, and enable students to explore marine life on the reef and the threats facing it.
Access the other lessons in this unit here: https://encounteredu.com/teachers/units/coral-oceans-science-11-14
This lesson explores the technology required to explore deep reefs and considers how water pressure poses additional challenges to scientists exploring the ‘twilight zone’ through a teacher led demonstration.
Students consider the human context of deep reef exploration through reading a blogpost written by Norbert Englebert a member of the deep reef team. Students conduct an experiment to test whether the colour of coral affects the amount of light it absorbs.
This is a single lesson from the Coral Oceans Science KS3 unit. The lesson plans and accompanying activities are designed to introduce classes to what it is like to be an ocean explorer. Each lesson is designed around a ‘dive’ to investigate a particular science topic.
These include identification, classification, food webs and symbiosis, adaptation and human impacts on the environment.The enquiry-based resources incorporate the scientists’ experiences and research, and enable students to explore marine life on the reef and the threats facing it.
Access the other lessons in this unit here: https://encounteredu.com/teachers/units/coral-oceans-science-11-14
Different species have adapted to life on the coral reef in amazing and diverse ways. From sleeping in mucus bubbles, to flexible snakelike skeletons, life on the reef has had to find ingenious methods to find food and stay alive.
The reef is also host to numerous examples of symbiosis and finding food and safety in the strangest of places, whether that be in a shark’s mouth or ‘vacuuming’ the sandy seabed. In this lesson, students are challenged to create the ultimate reef organism.
This is a single lesson from the Coral Oceans Science KS3 unit. The lesson plans and accompanying activities are designed to introduce classes to what it is like to be an ocean explorer.
Each lesson is designed around a ‘dive’ to investigate a particular science topic. These include identification, classification, food webs and symbiosis, adaptation and human impacts on the environment.
The enquiry-based resources incorporate the scientists’ experiences and research, and enable students to explore marine life on the reef and the threats facing it.
Access the other lessons in this unit here: https://encounteredu.com/teachers/units/coral-oceans-science-11-14
This lesson helps students identify the different habitat zones on the coral reef and describe the differences in the environmental conditions.
During their second dive students develop their identification skills through surveying the reef and identifying different coral types. Students draw conclusions about the reasons for the variety and abundance of coral species across the reef.
This is a single lesson from the Coral Oceans Science KS3 unit. The lesson plans and accompanying activities are designed to introduce classes to what it is like to be an ocean explorer.
Each lesson is designed around a ‘dive’ to investigate a particular science topic. These include identification, classification, food webs and symbiosis, adaptation and human impacts on the environment.
The enquiry-based resources incorporate the scientists’ experiences and research, and enable students to explore marine life on the reef and the threats facing it.
Access the other lessons in this unit here: https://encounteredu.com/teachers/units/coral-oceans-science-11-14
In this lesson students will explore the interdependence of life on the reef and where different animals, plants and other organisms get their energy from through feeding and symbiosis.
Students will learn about the different nature of primary production on the reef compared to terrestrial environments.
This is a single lesson from the Coral Oceans Science KS3 unit. The lesson plans and accompanying activities are designed to introduce classes to what it is like to be an ocean explorer.
Each lesson is designed around a ‘dive’ to investigate a particular science topic. These include identification, classification, food webs and symbiosis, adaptation and human impacts on the environment.
The enquiry-based resources incorporate the scientists’ experiences and research, and enable students to explore marine life on the reef and the threats facing it.
Access the other lessons in this unit here: https://encounteredu.com/teachers/units/coral-oceans-science-11-14
Throughout this lesson students explore underwater habitats and begin to understand the importance of the XL Catlin Seaview Survey.
Students consider why exploration of this kind can be challenging for humans and learn dive signs so they can communicate on their virtual dive.
During the virtual dive students use 360 virtual reality to explore this dynamic environment, identifying some of the species that live there. Students go on to classify these species and record the findings of their first dive.
This is a single lesson from the Coral Oceans Science KS3 unit. The lesson plans and accompanying activities are designed to introduce classes to what it is like to be an ocean explorer.
Each lesson is designed around a ‘dive’ to investigate a particular science topic. These include identification, classification, food webs and symbiosis, adaptation and human impacts on the environment.
The enquiry-based resources incorporate the scientists’ experiences and research, and enable students to explore marine life on the reef and the threats facing it.
Access the other lessons in this unit on EncounterEdu here: https://encounteredu.com/teachers/units/coral-oceans-science-11-14