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Provided by: My NASA Data |Published on: July 9, 2024
Activity - Classroom
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Synopsis
In this short mini-lesson, students will analyze a global map to compare the chlorophyll concentrations in different regions of the ocean to determine the concentration of phytoplankton in the ocean.
Students will learn about phytoplankton, chlorophyll data, and how phytoplankton populations differ throughout various ocean regions.
The language in the activity and directions is student-facing, so teachers can either direct students straight to this page or copy and paste the steps into an assignment page.
The resource contains many additional articles and data tools to extend the learning and you can easily add this to a Google classroom with the provided link.
Prerequisites
Teachers will need to submit the Teacher Key Request and Verification Form to receive an answer key for the lesson.
Students may benefit from seeing an image of phytoplankton or from a more in-depth discussion of what they are and why they are important.
Differentiation & Implementation
Use the link to the Source data to connect this activity to the carbon cycle, photosynthesis, oxygen production, or climate change.
Teachers who are short on class time to dedicate to these topics can add this short activity at the beginning or end of a lesson in their curriculum.
Teachers who are looking to extend this activity to a whole class period can refer to the complementary lesson plans linked at the bottom.
Some students may benefit from having the map and questions alongside each other or having the questions in a notebook in front of them so they don't have to scroll back and forth.
Scientist Notes
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
My NASA Data
NASA offers petabytes of global Earth science data collected from satellites, but accessing these data in a traditional (or virtual) science classroom can be tricky. Since 2004, My NASA Data has supported students and teachers of grades 3-12 in analyzing and interpreting NASA mission data.
Related Teaching Resources
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