Mountains to Oceans

Unit Objective: using a multi disciplinary route, map out characteristics of water and the Water Cycle and lead into the oceans by looking at salt water properties and wrap up with ocean currents and the ocean debris areas in the Pacific and all the while maintaining an open mind and exploring our connection to all of this Tasks:

Ongoing vocabulary oxygen tank

Part I- adhesion, cohesion, density, dipolar, plankton, salinity, surface tension, evaporation, condensation, precipitation, transportation, storage Part II- brackish, brine, distilled, marine, solvent, solute. Review words: density, dipolar, salinity Part III- current, ocean current, surface current, gyre, Coriolis effect, upwelling, plastic, non biodegradable, eddy Part IV- sea life, ecosystem

Part I: Water Cycle review and introduce water properties

Read Water Cycle Journey from Project WET page 159-60- Read through story of waters journey through the water cycle while students close their eyes and listen (they may make notes if they choose to do s. Then students sketch as teacher re-reads aloud for second time Materials- large white sketch paper, pencil, colored pencils, Water Cycle Journey text (see attached PDF) Look at the properties of water- from Life on an Ocean Planet Chapter 6- Lab#1 Perform these activities with modifications when needed

Smartboard interactive map Materials- interactive Smartboard

Play Incredible Journey (Water Cycle dice Game) From Project WET- which illustrates transportation and storage of water in Water Cycle and guided focus towards the role of Oceans (see attached PDF) Students also keep track of where their classmates transport or store themselves (see attached PDF and Excel files) Loaded dice, placards, notebook and pencil [Assessment] Students create their own Educreation ,PowerPoint, screen cast or Pencast on the Water Cycle making sure to include condensation, precipitation, storage, transportation, evaporation and other terms related to the Water Cycle Tech lab

Part II: Remain in the Ocean and look at salt water properties
Golf Ball Lab Fill a tennis ball canister approximately half way full with water, blue food coloring, and alot of kosher salt. Shake it up until the salt dissolves completely. The goal is to get an extremely salty layer of water without any evidence that salt was added. Then add a golf ball next. Then very very slowly pour the freshwater (clear) into the canister. Try to pour the water directly onto the golf ball in a gentle stream so you minimize the mixing of the salty and fresh water. When you're all done, you should have the golf ball suspended in between the two layers. Don't shake the canister because then your two layers will disappear and you'll have a briny column of light blue water. Don't let the kids touch the canister...only look. Theyll want to shake the heck out of it to see if the two layers will separate again. Wait until the end of the period to let them do that after talking about seawater vs freshwater. Temperature and Salinity Activities- from Life on an Ocean Planet Chapter 6- Lab#2 Teacher lead demonstrations with students forming observations and recording data [Assessment] Students create a quiz or flashcards on properties of water and salt water (part I

and II vocab list) using

making sure to use vocabulary oxygen tank list

Part III: Ocean Currents (and features) verse Gallatin River Currents (and features)
Teacher may want to listen to various Podcasts from the NOAA site click here to hear simple definitions of ocean features

Ocean Currents- Open with whole class watching Youtube video of Crush from Finding Nemo

Surface Currents Activity- Please visit this page and read with a partner Ducks in the Flow

Whole class to small groups will then complete Going with the Flow, The Ocean in Motion, and Duck, Duck, DATA! (see attached PDFs) Geography EXTRA POINTS!! be able to visit teacher and name and locate 7 continents, 5 oceans and at least 7 seas! Deep Ocean Currents Activity - from Life on an Ocean Planet Chapter 9- Lab #2 Ocean Current Screen cast- please watch this screen cast about currents and ocean debris. First screening in class and please watch at home with your family as well. (See attached PP and video file- currents plastics sealife.avi )

Coriolis Effect- from Life on an Ocean Planet Chapter 8- Lab #2 also show Youtube video by clicking this icon then practice again using Lab #2 demonstration to redefine this complicated concept!

Watch here too!! These ones are also helpful! Please make sure to check out all three and report back to Mr. H that you viewed them! Please tell me something amusing and also which one was the most helpful or easiest to understand!

River Currents, Eddies and Flow- students visit river and record observations of river currents ( water running down hill and geophysical structures) and eddies (reverse current when water flows past an obstacle) and flow (water travels down hill from higher altitude to lower altitude depending on spring melt or precipitation) by sending a wooden boat or floatable object down river to partner Return to classroom and discuss ocean currents and eddies verse river currents and eddies and draw how each of them form differently but act similar with relation to fluid dynamics

[Final Assessment] Using Storybird, please create a fiction or non fiction story making sure to include at least one of the BIG 3 also follow your rubric for 6+1 Traits of Writing! (see attached PDF)

1) Water Cycle 2) Different properties water (fresh or salt) 3) Ocean currents and the debris areas

Part IV: EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

Individual or teams of 2 create an in depth portfolio in BIOLOGY of ocean ecosystem components in any format making sure to include accurate terms/topics about food chains, animal life cycles, human interaction, weather or climate. Presentation style may be student

choice but please place in your science e portfolio at Load up biodegradable trash bags with teams of students and parents and clean up near bye river access points and trailheads. After collecting trash or debris, sort into bio-degradable and non bio-degradable piles and map out where this could eventually go or disappear from our sight but become someone elses problem!

Click here and travel with the Junkraft

References and Resources www.noaa.gov www.windows2universe.org Project WET Life on an Ocean Planet www.youtube.com www.quizlet.com www.storybird.com http://curiosity.discovery.com www.junkraft.com www.weebly.com http://www.ims.uaf.edu