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Overview:
Oceanography is an interdisciplinary science that incorporates geology, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Because there is so much to learn and know, oceanographers generally specialize in specific subdisciplines of oceanography. Students will learn about the five primary subdisciplines of oceanography and will think of questions that each type of oceanographer might ask when conducting research in his or her field. They will then examine Web sites to learn about oceanographic research and determine which types of oceanographer would be the most involved and interested in these research projects.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, earth science, life science
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 18: "How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future"
Time:
Two hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
Objectives:
Students will
- read about and discuss the five major subdisciplines of oceanography;
- list questions that each type of oceanographer would pose for a research project; and
- describe three research projects, list the types of oceanographer who would be most involved and interested, and explain what their interests and involvement would be.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Ask students what comes to their minds when they think of oceanography. What do they think an oceanographer does? Can they think of any famous oceanographers? Would they like to be oceanographers, based on the information they currently have? Why or why not?
Development:
Have students read the information at The Marine Mammal Center: Marine Science Careers.
Discuss the similarities and differences between the field of oceanography as described on this Web page and as they had envisioned it in the previous discussion.
Ask students to look at the descriptions of the five major subdisciplines of oceanography as stated on the above Web page. Have them list, either individually, in pairs, or in small groups, questions that each type of oceanographer might pose when beginning a research project.
For example, a biological oceanographer might pose the question "How do plankton respond to pollution caused by oil spills?" These questions will require some thought and creativity. Each student or group should try to think of at least three questions for each type of oceanographer, for a total of fifteen questions.
Closing:
Discuss students' questions as a class, having some students or groups share their questions with the rest of the class. Ask students to describe the main differences between the five types of oceanographers.
Suggested Student Assessment:
Have students work in small groups or independently to explore the Web sites listed below, which discuss ocean-related research projects. Ask them to find three research projects, reports, or other descriptions of oceanographic activities.
They should describe the main points of each one in a brief paragraph and then list the types of oceanographer (of the five they've learned about) who they think would be most interested in or most likely to participate in this research. They should conclude by explaining why each type of oceanographer would be interested in this research and what his or her role might be. It's okay if they end up listing all five types of oceanographer for one research project, but they must still explain the different ways in which each one would participate.
For example, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's Web site contains a press release entitled Geological Tool Helps Scientists Map the Interior of the Ocean, which describes topics that would be of particular interest to biological, physical, and geological oceanographers, and ocean engineers. Students would describe this research in a short paragraph, list the types of oceanographers they think would be most interested in it, and explain why each one would find this research interesting and what role each would play in the research.
Many of the articles and reports at these Web sites have a large amount of detail and use language and concepts that might not be entirely clear to your students; they can generally get the information they will need for this activity in the first few paragraphs of the article.
National Geographic: Blue Frontier
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education
Acoustical Oceanography Research Group Extending the Lesson:
Ask students to pretend that they are participating in a college or career fair at their school or another high school. Have them prepare exhibits or short talks describing the different subdisciplines of oceanography, how each subdiscipline might be applied in research and jobs, and why students might be interested in studying oceanography. To extend this project further, have them research the requirements for becoming an oceanographer (e.g., college, graduate school, or internships) and include this information in their presentations.
This lesson is made possible by a generous grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration National Marine Sanctuary Program.
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