Exploring Ocean Mysteries is a curriculum that makes it easy to teach the seven Ocean Literacy Principles while meeting NGSS, Common Core and Climate Literacy standards. Lessons are targeted to middle grades and adaptable for grades 4-12. They use the National Marine Sanctuary System as an engaging backdrop that helps students understand their importance for exploration, research, Indigenous cultures and more.
Ocean Literacy Essential Principle 5: The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems.
In the Tidal Tales: Monitoring Marine Life lesson, students will learn techniques scientists use to measure species abundance in rocky intertidal and subtidal zones in national marine sanctuaries. They will examine photos taken in the two different habitats and identify species, assess organism abundance and compare the depths (zones) from which the photos were taken. Then they will consider the environmental conditions that influence species occurrence and abundance and why it is important to monitor these sensitive habitats.
Lesson Plan
Students will:
- Visually identify rocky intertidal organisms (primarily mollusks and algae) and subtidal organisms (primarily corals and sponges).
- Practice data collection methods and complete data sheets using photo quadrats of organisms in rocky intertidal and subtidal zones.
- Argue from evidence and reflect on the environmental factors that influence species occurrence and abundance in different coastal zones.
Dive deeper into some rocky intertidal areas and the common species found in these tide pools.
Learn how to identify species found in the rocky intertidal of the national marine sanctuaries of the West Coast.
What can observations of marine life tell us over time? Let’s start with photo quadrats for practice!
Explore photo quadrats of the rocky intertidal in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
Download the answer key to check your student’s work.
Explore the colorful subtidal species found in national marine sanctuaries.
What can observations of marine life tell us over time? Look closely - they can be hard to spot!
Discover unique species in the subtidal habitat.
Download the answer key to check your student’s work.
