Grade Level: 6-8
This NASA visualization shows sea surface salinity observations (September 2011-September 2014). Students review the video and answer questions.
List of all Hydrosphere Mini Lessons
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Grade Level: 6-8
Students review a video showing how the ocean is warmed by solar energy. This is the first video of a four-part series on the water cycle, which follows the journey of water from the ocean to the atmosphere, to the land, and back again to the ocean.
Grade Level: 6-8
This mini lesson focuses on the 2015-2016 El Niño event and how its weather conditions triggered regional disease outbreaks throughout the world. Students will review a NASA article and watch the associated video to use as a tool to compare with maps related to 2
Grade Level: 6-8,
9-12
Students will use coloring sheets to create a color coded model of El Niño, then make comparisons using the actual model by answering questions. If the Data Literacy Map Cube is used with this, students will color their models first.
Grade Level: 6-8,
9-12
Students analyze and compare satellite data of Ocean Chlorophyll Concentrations with Sea Surface Temperatures, beginning with the North Atlantic region, while answering questions about the global patterns of these phenomenon.
Grade Level: 6-8
Exploring salinity patterns is a great way to better understand the relationships between the water cycle, ocean circulation, and climate.
Grade Level: 6-8
In this mini lesson, students use in-water profiles of historical ocean data to analyze how sea surface salinity varies with depth.
Grade Level: 6-8
This mini-lesson features time-series graphs of mean salinity at the surface for the Arctic and Antarctic regions. A series of questions guides students in their analysis.
Grade Level: 3-5,
6-8
Students examine satellite images of a recently formed island to identify areas of erosion and deposition.
Grade Level: 6-8
Students review an animation of monthly average wind speed at 10 meters above the ocean surface for our global ocean to analyze the relationship between winds and ocean surface currents.
Mini lessons are intended to be short engagement activities that teachers may assign as bell-ringers, exit slips, or parts of larger learning lessons. These include activities where students interact with NASA maps, graphs, and datasets from the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere and the earth system.
