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The Arctic Exploration has great potential for generating exciting outreach and education opportunities, as an international team of 50 scientists from the United States, Canada, China and Japan explore the frigid depths of the Canada Basin, located in the Arctic Ocean.
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Education
Read a description of each lesson plan and/or download them to your computer.
With the establishment of the Ocean Exploration Program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), we have an opportunity reach out in new ways to teachers, students, and the general public and share the excitement of daily discoveries while at sea and the science behind the exploration initiatives sponsored by NOAA. The Arctic Exploration has great potential for generating exciting outreach and education opportunities, as an international team of 50 scientists from the United States, Canada, China and Japan explore the frigid depths of the Canada Basin, located in the Arctic Ocean. Due to the region's heavy year-round ice cover, this expedition is the first one of its kind. Due to the Canada Basin's remote location, it is possible that they will encounter never before seen lifeforms.
With the aid of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) specially designed to operate under ice and at great depth, scientists will examine the hidden world of life in these extreme conditions. From intricate microscopic organisms found in the brine channels that run through the ice to the creatures that make the sea bottom their home, the science team will study the relationships between pelagic (deep-water) and benthic (bottom-dwelling) communities.
Educators and scientists working with NOAA during August 2002 developed a series of lesson plans for students in Grades 5 through 12 that are specifically tied to the Arctic Exploration Expedition. These lesson plans focus on the importance of ocean exploration and the research taking place during the Arctic Ocean, and feature such topics as primary productivity and limiting factors, climate change, benthic communities, and sampling strategies in the Arctic region.
The lesson plans are grouped into the following categories:
Grades 5-6
Grades 7-8
Grades 9-12 (Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science, and Physical Science).
In addition to being tied to the National Science Education Standards, the hands-on, inquiry-based activities include focus questions, background information for teachers, links to interesting Internet sites, and extensions. Web logs that document the latest discoveries and complement the lesson plans, complete with compelling images and video, will be sent back from sea during the mission. Teachers are encouraged to use the mission logs from the Arctic Exploration, which are posted on this site, to supplement the lesson plans.
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