Purpose- These Treasure Hunts are designed to familiarize students with key concepts about the ocean. They are intended as introductory exercises for the unit.

Suggestions for use:

• Begin the lesson by discussing the Frequently Asked Questions with the students.
• Model for students how to find the answers to the first three or four questions and how to check the boxes in order to keep their place. The page is designed to open up a new window when a link is clicked. Simply close the new window when the answer to the question is found.
• Older students can do the hunts independently. You may need to review some basic navigation skills with your students depending on grade level and experience using the Internet.
• For younger students, the hunt should be divided into more than one computer session. Assign each section of the hunt to a group of two or three students. Each group will research the answers to the questions in their assigned section. When the hunt is complete, each group will report their findings to the whole class during discussion time.

More background information: Browse through the resources below for more discussion ideas.

• Physical Oceanography
• What Are Tides?
• How Tides Work
• Ocean Currents
• The Ocean Floor

Extensions:

• Tide Activity- Great project on tracking tidal activity.
• Do the activity described in How are waves energy? with your students for a simple demonstration.

Crests and Troughs in Water Waves - Activities

Fill a glass pie pan with water that has been tinted with food coloring. Set the pie pan on an overhead projector. Waves can be demonstrated by touching a pencil to the center of the water and watching the waves (troughs and crests) move to the edge of the pan and back. Try two rods to see what happens when the waves meet. Encourage the children to try it. Ask if they have ever seen this happen before. Relate this to a rock thrown into a pond or a toy into a swimming pool. Discuss how water waves move in circles away from the source of disturbance.

Wave machines can be made to simulate ocean waves. Lay a 3-4 ft. strip of tape on the table, sticky side up. Each end should be held securely. Place the middle of a straw each half inch in the middle of the tape. When all straws are laid, place a second strip of tape on top of the straws (sticky side down) and above the first strip of tape. The finished product will resemble a spine (tape) and ribs (straws). The wave machine should be held horizontally. Push down on one end of the wave machine's straws allowing a wave pattern to go from one end of the straws to the other. You will be able to see the crests and troughs.