Online Learning Resources

Classroom Activities

HabCam Education and Outreach Activities
The Habitat Mapping Camera (HabCam) is a tool that provides a unique glimpse at the seafloor through optical imaging.

How noise pollution impacts communication in whales and dolphins
This K-12 activity is a PowerPoint presentation about the effect of noise pollution on marine mammal communication and is suitable for a wide range of grade levels. Students will learn about the kinds of noise pollution in the ocean and some examples of marine mammal vocalizations. Then, we overlay anthropogenic noise to demonstrate how the vocalizations can be masked, which can limit the ability of marine mammals to communicate. Lastly, we sonified student names by assigning a pitch for each letter of the alphabet so that students can hear names in this way and how some can be masked by noise more than others. The activity is suitable for visually impaired students as the focus is on the sense of sound.

Ocean Acidification Lab Activities (pdf)
Hands-on classroom activities for grades 5-12 to understand the science behind ocean acidification.

Science Kits from the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE)
C-MORE science kits offer lesson plans and materials for hands-on science activities for grades 3-12 in a self-contained format. The Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry group at WHOI hosts the following kits which are available for teachers to borrow: Ocean Acidification, Ocean Conveyor Belt, and Marine Mystery.

Woods Hole Sea Grant NOAA Live! Webinar series
These webinars are 45 minutes long with live ASL interpretation, aimed at grades 2-8, and offer live Q&A with the students.  Archived webinars with Spanish subtitles can be found on our YouTube playlist. A teacher can sign up and then share the link with their students to logon.