Marine science is one of the most popular science electives in high school and college. Its interdisciplinary structure requires students to integrate biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics, making it a perfect addition to any science course sequence. This guide breaks down the important information students need to know, provides links to products and free digital resources, and includes suggestions for hands-on labs that reinforce student learning. We have gathered a variety of products and resources to better help you teach this concept. They include:
- Models and manipulatives to simplify teaching marine science
- Oceanography and marine biology activities, experiments, and kits
- Free resources for you and your students
The major areas covered in this topic:
Oceanography
Oceans cover about 70% of the earth’s surface, drive weather, and provide food for multitudes of organisms. Investigating the physical and chemical properties of water is foundational for understanding our oceans and the interactions between the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.
Students discover the basic principles of the hydrosphere. By generating a working model, they investigate the ocean currents and determine what creates and influences both surface and subsurface currents. They then expand their investigation to craft a working water cycle and experiment with how different environmental conditions may affect their model.
Beginning–Easy to perform; requires little or no prior knowledge.
Collect evidence on how feedback between the biosphere and other earth systems causes a continuous co-evolution of earth’s surface in your classroom. In this series of 5 investigations, students construct an explanation describing why banded iron formations developed. They digitally investigate precipitation reactions, use a hands-on investigation to understand the conditions necessary for rusting, collect data to determine how aquatic photosynthetic organisms impact dissolved oxygen concentrations, digitally investigate saturated solutions, and analyze patterns in the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere over time.
Beginning–Easy to perform; requires little or no prior knowledge.
Students investigate ocean acidification with 4 different activities. They discover the effects of atmospheric gases and plant respiration on the pH of aquatic environments in 2 separate activities. They also explore the effects of acidic conditions on marine animals, and then examine the impact of temperature on carbon dioxide solubility.
Beginning–Easy to perform; requires little or no prior knowledge.
Marine Organisms
The oceans house a vast variety of organisms, from phytoplankton and zooplankton to sharks and whales. Observing some of these organisms in a class aquarium can spur student interest and provide a wealth of experiment data. The sets shown below can get you started.
Marine Dissection Specimens
A complete series of marine dissections provides a study in structure and function and taxonomy. Students can begin dissections with marine invertebrates and proceed to bony and cartilaginous fish.
Starfish Dissection BioKit® with Dissection Mats introduces students to the anatomy of an echinoderm. The Carolina® BioKit® is a single-concept classroom unit that gives students a hands-on approach to biology. Each kit contains materials for at least 30 students plus teacher’s manual with reproducible student guide and labeled diagrams, information regarding the specimen’s anatomy and physiology, standards met by the dissection, glossary, and resource list or digital resources to reinforce the activity.
Beginning–Easy to perform; requires little or no prior knowledge.
Contains 9 specimens representing 3 major fish groups: the jawless fish, cartilaginous fish, and bony fish. Students study the external and internal anatomy of specimens from each of the 3 major fish groups to gain a better understanding of fish taxonomy. Students compare and contrast unique internal characteristics and anatomical structures such as skeletal composition, scales, and fins, as well as respiratory and feeding structures.
Intermediate–Easy to perform; requires some background knowledge.
Students working in pairs study the external anatomy of the dogfish shark, a cartilaginous fish, and explore its internal organs and organ systems through guided dissection.
Intermediate–Easy to perform; requires some background knowledge.
Models and Manipulatives
Other Marine Science Products
We offer a number of products that will help facilitate your marine science lessons.
Additional Marine Science Support
We have free resources to help you teach this concept, including:
- Free Activities and Resources
- Helpful Buying Guides
Free 3-D/NGSS Activities for Marine Science
Carolina Essentials™ are free, hands-on, NGSS-based activities. These activities are designed to make implementing 3-D learning easy. Students make sense of phenomena while learning concepts essential for understanding ecosystem processes. You can browse all of these Carolina Essentials or try one of these:
Additional Marine Science Resources
Use these free resources to supplement your instruction about marine science.
- Receive guidance for your squid dissection.
- Model the Coriolis Effect with this activity.
- Demonstrate cloud formation.
- Investigate ocean currents.
- Make a scientific claim about ocean acidification.
Marine Science Skill Videos
Looking for videos to enhance your marine science instruction? Try one of these.
Buying Guides
Choosing the appropriate equipment for your labs can be a challenging task. Our buying guides are designed to make your decisions easy. Review Carolina recommended microscopes or this handy guide.
For More Guidance
These are our top picks. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, we’ll be happy to help you find the right activities and kits to simplify your planning and implementation. If you have questions, please contact us at product@carolina.com.
