Implement this Lesson:
This lesson can be used as a fun STEM activity and taught at any time or saved for a special time such as before Christmas break.
Learning Objective:
The student will be able to understand that science combines all knowledge aspects in this interactive game They will put skills on graphing, communication, measurement, and social studies to the test.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
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6.11(A) research and describe why resource management is important in reducing global energy poverty, malnutrition, and air and water pollution
6.11(B) explain how conservation, increased efficiency, and technology can help manage air, water, soil, and energy resources
6.12(A)* investigate how organisms and populations in an ecosystem depend on and may compete for biotic factors such as food and abiotic factors such as availability of light and water, range of temperatures, or soil composition
6.12(B) describe and give examples of predatory, competitive, and symbiotic relationships between organisms, including mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism
6.12(C) describe the hierarchical organization of organism, population, and community within an ecosystem
6.13(A) describe the historical development of cell theory and explain how organisms are composed of one or more cells, which come from pre‐existing cells and are the basic unit of structure and function
6.13(B) identify and compare the basic characteristics of organisms, including prokaryotic and eukaryotic, unicellular and multicellular, and autotrophic and heterotrophic 6.13(C) describe how variations within a population can be an advantage or disadvantage to the survival of a population as environments change
7.10(A)* describe the evidence that supports that Earth has changed over time, including fossil evidence, plate tectonics, and superposition 7.10(B)* describe how plate tectonics causes ocean basin formation, earthquakes, mountain building, and volcanic eruptions, including super volcanoes and hot spots
7.11(A)* analyze the beneficial and harmful influences of human activity on groundwater and surface water in a watershed
7.11(B)* describe human dependence and influence on ocean systems and explain how human activities impact these systems
7.12(A)* diagram the flow of energy within trophic levels and describe how the available energy decreases in successive trophic levels in energy pyramids
7.13(A)* identify and model the main functions of the systems of the human organism, including the circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, muscular, digestive, urinary, reproductive, integumentary, nervous, immune, and endocrine systems
7.13(C)* compare the results of asexual and sexual reproduction of plants and animals in relation to the diversity of offspring and the changes in the population over time
7.13(D)*describe and give examples of how natural and artificial selection change the occurrence of traits in a population over generations
7.14(A) describe the taxonomic system that categorizes organisms based on similarities and differences shared among groups
8.10(A) describe how energy from the Sun, hydrosphere, and atmosphere interact and influence weather
8.10(B) identify global patterns of atmospheric movement and how they influence local weather
8.10(C) describe the interactions between ocean currents and air masses that produce tropical cyclones, including typhoons and hurricanes
8.12(B) describe how primary and secondary ecological succession affect populations and species diversity after ecosystems are disrupted by natural events or human activity
8.12(C) describe how biodiversity contributes to the stability and sustainability of an ecosystem and the health of the organisms within the ecosystem
8.13(A) identify the function of the cell membrane, cell wall, nucleus, ribosomes, cytoplasm, mitochondria, chloroplasts, and vacuoles in plant or animal cells 8.13(C) describe how variations of traits within a population lead to structural, behavioral, and physiological adaptations that influence the likelihood of survival and reproductive success of a species over generations
8.13(B) describe the function of genes within chromosomes in determining inherited traits of offspring
Marine Archaeology — Discovering the Past Underwater
Marine archaeology is like being a detective of the sea!
It’s the study of human history underwater — where archaeologists explore shipwrecks, sunken cities, old ports, and artifacts hidden beneath the waves.
These underwater treasures tell us stories about how people traveled, traded, and lived long ago.
What Is Marine Archaeology?
Marine archaeology is a branch of science where people study objects and places found under the water.
It helps us learn about ancient ships, tools, and cultures that have been lost to the sea for hundreds or even thousands of years!
What Do Marine Archaeologists Do?
Marine archaeologists are part scientist, part explorer, and part diver!
Possible Books:
- Archaeologists Dig for Clues by Kate Duke
- National Geographic Kids Everything Ancient Egypt by Crispin Boyer
- You Wouldn’t Want to Be an Egyptian Mummy by David Stewart
Materials Needed:
- Meter sticks or rules
- Masking tape
- Various items or photos of items such as skeleton, gold coins, etc
- Coordinate plane
- Google slides: Peacock-Underwater Archeology
Lesson Plan:
Advanced Prep:
- Prepare ‘shipwrecks’ using masking tape and items including an example ship
- Create ‘shipwrecks’ on floor in hallway or nearby classroom room.
- Print out blank coordinate plane
- Gather materials
Engage:
- Discuss LaSalle’s failed expedition to Texas using slides and youtube videos Peacock-Underwater Archeology
Explore:
- Show students how to use real measurement to make a shape on a coordinate plane i.g a map
- As a whole class use example shipwreck and create a ‘map’ of the shipwreck using measurement
- Explain rules of game: scuba divers cannot talk and can only work for 2 minutes at a time. They then must sit out for one minutes to decompress. This one minute will let the map maker create the map with their help. If a scuba diver talks or ‘stays down’ for too long disqualifies the team..
- Pair students. Each pair decided who will be the scuba diver and who will be the map maker
- Play the game
Explain:
- Skip for now
Elaborate:
- Students share their work with class
- Possible to repeat with different groups and different shipwrecks
- Students research other shipwreck including Blackbeard ship
Evaluate:
- Student teamwork and map of ship