Milford School District

Science Curriculum: Oceanography

Safety

Unit/Routine

NHCS

Standard/Benchmark

Safety

Broad goal

Know and employ safety practices in the lab.

History of Oceanography

History of discovery

NSTA G

Create a timeline of oceanographic discoveries and explorers from the Polynesian navigators (4000 BC) to the present.

Equipment and technology

NSTA E

Explore early diving and mapping gear and trace the technological changes to the present day.

NSTA E

Discover how World War II led to the development of major technological advancements.

NSTA E

Explore the infamous Titanic and other sunken ships through deep submersible technology.

Marine Geology

Sea Floor Spreading and Plate Tectonics

NSTA D

Explain that Earth’s surface is dynamic and that the ocean floor is constantly recycling.

NSTA D

Create a timeline of discoveries, evidence and scientists involved with the development of Plate Tectonic Theory.

NSTA D

Compare explanations for plate movement.

Ocean topography

NSTA D

Compare and contrast active and passive margins.

NSTA D

Discover how submarine canyons form.

NSTA D

Create a model that explains and illustrates a typical profile of the ocean floor that includes: continental shelf, slope, rise, abyssal plain, abyssal hills, seamounts, guyots, mid-ocean ridges and trenches.

Ocean sediments

NSTA D

Identify and describe the source of terrigenous (land derived), biogenous (life derived) and hydrogenous sediments.

NSTA D

Explain the economic uses and importance of marine deposits such as manganese nodules.

Chemical and Physical Oceanography

Properties of ocean water

NSTA A, B

Understand and explain (through measurement) how the halocline (salinity profile), pycnocline (density profile) and thermocline (temperature profile) influence ocean circulation.

NSTA A, B

Study the effects of salinity on boiling point and freezing point of water.

NSTA B

Create a chart that depicts the composition and percentages of elements in ocean water.

Currents and waves

NSTA B

Describe the types of currents, their formation and their behavior.

NSTA B, D

Discover the periodic influence of gravity by the moon and sun on sea level (tides).

NSTA A, B, D

Interpret tide tables.

NSTA D

Discover coastal land features and their development by water.

Marine Biology

Life in ocean zones

NSTA C

Discover the diversity of life in various ocean zones.

NSTA C

Discover the diversity of life along the New Hampshire coast.

Food Chain

NSTA C

Create a general food chain of life in the ocean from plankton to cetaceans (marine mammals).

Behavior

NSTA C

Explain and give examples of symbiotic relationships among marine organisms.

Adaptation

NSTA C

Discover special adaptations by organisms in the deep ocean and coral reefs.

Classification

NSTA C

Practice taxonomical classification with ocean organisms.

Atmosphere and Ocean Interaction

Surface Currents

NSTA D

Label a world map with all of the major cold and warm ocean currents.

NSTA B, D

Explain why currents can be warm or cold.

Atmospheric connections

NSTA B, D

Explain how wind influences the strength of surface currents.

NSTA D

Create a diagram of major wind belts on Earth.

NSTA D

Discover the Coriolis Effect and the role it plays on the direction of wind and water.

Natural Disasters

NSTA D

Illustrate how hurricanes need the ocean to develop.

NSTA D

Discover the difference between the formation of sea surge  and tsunami.