Activities, lessons & resources
Books and Videos
Deeper Than Light"
(book) : A beautifully illustrated book written for the public
with stories from the deep. Written by 7 scientists from the CoML deepsea
groups, to be printed in 7 different languages. English version
available for purchase on Amazon.co.uk.- "Deep-Ocean Journeys - Discovering New Life at the Bottom of
the Sea" (book) by C.L. Van Dover. An excellent introduction to the
natural history of hydrothermal vent ecosystems. Suitable for high
school readers.
- "Volcanoes of the Deep-Sea" (film/DVD) : Filmed
for the giant screen, "Volcanoes of the Deep Sea" brings to life
the astounding sights that lie 12,000 feet below the surface of the
ocean at hydrothermal vents. The film is available on DVD through
Amazon.
- "Aliens of the Deep" (film/DVD) : "An incredible
underwater adventure that offers extraordinary glimpses of
unbelievable creatures that live in an alien world in the deepest
depths of the sea." The film also explores parallels with life in
outer space.
Activities
- Ridge 2000 Data Tips are individual student lessons built around
real mid-ocean ridge datasets to help students develop analytical
skills. Each Data Tip consists of: a dataset; a description of how
data were collected and why; guidance on how to analyze and interpret
data. Data Tips are developed by scientists working closely with
educators.
- Diversity
of the Deep. Examine the diversity of organisms living near
deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean.
- The
Seafloor Below. Use oceanographic data to create a 3D plot
of a volcano submerged off the coast of Oregon.
- Discovering
plate boundaries. A data-rich exercise from Rice University,
for grades 5-12.
- A variety of activities are outlined in the Teachers Guides
accompanying each of two IMAX films about the deep ocean. Download
the pdfs (each about 2MB) from the “Educators” section of
the Volcanoes of the
Deep Sea website, and the "Educational Materials" section of the
Aliens
of the Deep website.
Lessons
- SEAS. A Ridge
2000 program for middle and high school students offering deep-sea
curricula and a Classroom-to-Sea laboratory with deep-sea data.
- Dive
and Discover from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Includes
“Infomods,” stand-alone modules on a range of topics,
including plate tectonics, hydrothermal vents and mid-ocean
ridges.
- NEMO.
Curriculum for middle and high school students, from the NEMO
project of the National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Administration
(NOAA).
- Lesson
plans and curriculum from NOAA’s Ocean Explorer.
- American
Museum of Natural History’s Resources for Learning: Deep
Sea Vents. Two units, “Explore the Deep Oceans”
and “Journey to the Deep Sea Vents” provide activities
that help students understand the deep sea environment and the
technologies that allow scientific discoveries to be made there.
- Puna
Ridge. An activity developed in 1998, but still relevant for
“science factoids” and lessons (on the scientific method
and understanding maps).
Resources
- Venture Deep Ocean: Find out more about the
extraordinary deep-sea creatures and landscapes investigated by
Ridge 2000 researchers
- Sea
Vent Viewer: Explore the seafloor and hydrothermal vent
environment with NSF's interactive Sea Vent Viewer.
- Video footage of the seafloor and animals around hydrothermal vents, from
