This video uses the example of Washington's Olympic Coast to introduce the concept of ocean acidification, the general causes of ocean acidification, and the impacts of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The video is brief and could be used as a lesson starter to help build student interest in the topic.
Vocabulary terms are highlighted throughout the video.
The video shows students actively collecting data, demonstrating the impact that students can have on citizen science.
Additional Prerequisites
The teacher should preview the video and identify terms or ideas that may need to be further developed/defined for their group of students.
Students should have a general understanding of marine ecosystems.
Differentiation
The transcript can be printed or shared with students to refer to during a discussion.
Students could view the video independently, in small groups, or as a whole class.
If viewed as a class, the teacher could pause the video in certain sections to ask questions or lead a discussion.
Science classes can use this resource as a hook for lessons about the pH scale, chemical interactions that affect protein structure, and the effects of carbon dioxide pollution on ecosystems.
Scientist Notes
The resource shows decreasing levels of ocean pH leading to ocean acidification and the reaction on marine resources such as phytoplankton. It provides a good method to explore the marine food web and the impact of climate on food security and fishing livelihoods. The resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
MS-ESS3-5 Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
HS-ESS3-6 Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity.
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
MS-LS2-4 Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
PS1: Matter and its Interactions
MS-PS1-2 Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.2 Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
