The Abyss: Deep-Sea Resources for Students

One of my favorite guilty pleasures as a kid was to curl up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and watch cheesy old movies on TV – the cheesier the better. Anything by Ed Wood was good, as well as the early Godzilla movies. My all-time favorite, though, was Gorgo, a monster who emerged from the sea to wreak havoc on anything in its path. The thought of something utterly unknown and foreign under the sea was an irresistible thought as a kid, and something that continues to fascinate me today.

While Gorgo may not be real, plenty of other odd creatures and environments do, in fact, exist in the deep sea. For centuries, sailors recorded encounters with strange fish and other creatures that thrilled and awed landlubbers around the globe. With most of the terrestrial world already explored, charted, and mapped, only space and parts of the ocean still represent the great unknown for the modern imagination. The deep sea in particular presents rich possibilities for scientists and consumers alike: vast areas that were once dismissed as lifeless and barren are now recognized as possessing their own microclimates and species of organisms that have adapted to the cold, dark depths.

For teachers, lessons on the deep sea can broach many subject areas, from science (biology, ecology, oceanography, etc.), to art (how much fun is it to design your own deep-sea creature?), social studies (what are the ecological and political ramifications of deep-sea harvesting, for example?), language arts, and more. Students can study the design and function of deep-sea vessels such as Alvin and other types of robotics, using lessons in density, mass, and buoyancy to create their own versions. They can also study the various physical and behavioral adaptations that vegetation and organisms have made in order to survive the extreme depths of the sea. Please check out Peggy’s companion column to see many more ideas on teaching about the abyss and deep sea zones.

This week I’ve selected three resources on the deep sea for various grade levels and abilities. All week long we’ll be featuring many additional lesson plans and activities on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so be sure to check those pages often. You can now also share your comments about Gateway resources and lessons, as well as post your favorites to Facebook or retweet to share on Twitter.

Glow-Fish Under the Sea
Subjects: Life science, Visual art
Grade: 1-6; also Special Education
In this lesson, students learn about fish that glow in the dark and their underwater environment. What kinds of plants grow in areas where these fish live? What other types of fish are likely to be there? Students will then create an underwater scene with fish that glow in the dark. This lesson can be adapted for students in grades 1-3, 4-6, and also special education students. I like how this lesson is designed to stimulate independent thinking through visual learning, as well as being a creative lesson for the inclusive classroom. This lesson was produced by Crayola, which in addition to making crayons and other art products, also offers hundreds of hands-on, standards-based lesson plans and activities.

Challenges of the Deep Sea
Subjects: Biology, Life Science
Grade: 5-8
This station focuses upon the adaptations that deep-sea fish have developed in order to survive the harsh conditions found within the deep-sea environment. These adaptations include bioluminescence, pressure adaptations, feeding adaptations, and reproduction adaptations. Fish living within this region have had to develop modifications to their body plans that have necessitated compromises in other areas. There are several activities that serve to enforce the basic concepts learned during this station. One of the things that I like about this lesson is that it explores the relationship between light levels and the resulting biological adaptations of organisms at each region (level) of the ocean, so that students can compare how biological adaptations progress as the oceans deepen. Fascinating stuff for teachers and students alike! This lesson is offered by Marine Discovery, an outreach program at the University of Arizona that focuses on teaching the importance of the world’s oceans to K-8 students.

The Science of the Deep Sea
Subjects: Geography, Earth science
Grade: 9-12
This lesson will teach students about conducting science experiments based on theories and using rigorous scientific principles. They should learn about the ways in which scientific investigation is used in the "real world." This lesson asks students to consider the theories and methods Robert Ballard may have used in some of his recent deep-sea investigations. One of the reasons that I featured this lesson this week is because students sometimes have difficulty relating to how academic topics actually apply to real world jobs. An additional bonus is that Robert Ballard is still active in underwater archeology; students are more likely to attend to a contemporary figure, rather than one that lived in a different era. The lesson also aptly illustrates how the scientific method works in actual work settings. This lesson was produced by National Geographic Xpeditions, part of the venerable National Geographic Society. Xpeditions offers tools, interactive adventures, and ideas relating to geography and the world around us. In addition to lesson plans, the site offers daily global news, maps, interactive games for kids, and more. Lessons are aligned to the U.S. National Geography Standards.