Ocean Plant & Animal Habitats

Description of Learning Unit:

In this unit, students will be introduced to the variety of plant and animal habitats that exist in the world's oceans. They will learn how different species live in different depths of the ocean. In addition, they will learn about the unique habitats of coral reefs, kelp forests, and the seashore. If you do science three times a week, this unit should take about one week to complete.

List of Objectives:

• Learn basic facts about the world's oceans and where they are located on the world map.
• Explore the diversity of ocean habitats, including the shoreline, coral reefs, the deep ocean, estuaries, atools, and the kelp forest.
• Learn how different creatures have adapted to life in various habitats found within certain parts of the ocean.
• Learn about a variety of ocean species, including fish, mammals, and plants.
• Gain a better understanding of the complexity of ocean life.

List of Materials and Supplies Needed for This Pathway:

Links to Related Pathways (if any):

Links to Online Lessons:

This site provides a simple overview of the different habitats that exist within the ocean world. 

This site contains basic information about the world's oceans, including a labeled world map.

This site explains what a shoreline is and introduces children to the different types of shorelines and the animals that live there.

Children can learn about the differences between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at this website, as well as other interesting facts about oceans. 

This site provides information about temperate oceans and the different light zones found in the oceans. 

This site introduces the kelp forest habitat found in temperate oceans. 

Learn about the different types of whales found in the ocean. This site provides a general overview of the many species of whales.

Using the characters from the movie "Finding Nemo", this site introduces the actual sea creatures to which the characters were modeled. Children will learn about these animals and how they survive in their ocean habitat.

This site provides a description of the starfish, also known as sea star, along with a detailed illustration that can be printed and colored.

Reference Websites:

From the Sea Searchers Handbook, this printable, 10-page introduction to ocean habitats provides a unique and varied look into the habitats of the world's oceans. 

The unique habitat of coral reefs is introduced at this site, which includes descriptions of the animals that make their homes within the reefs.

Hands-On Projects and Activities:

This site provides detailed directions for creating an ocean diorama in a shoebox.

On this site, you will find Instructions for making an edible ocean to illustrate how different creatures live at different depths within this underwater habitat.

This site contains directions for making a porcupine fish, also known as pufferfish, from an ordinary paper plate.

Create an under sea scene and see what a ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) sees as it dives deep into Montery Canyon.  

Learning Tools (worksheets, drills, printables, online games, tests, etc.):

This is a fun online game for teaching children about tidepool habitats and the animals that live there.

Print out this picture of a kelp forest and have your child color it in.

This is a printable coral reef page for your child to color.

Coral reef fish eat in diferent ways. Play this online game to find out more. 

Free Online Video:

This Jeff Corwin video, featuring actors from the "Nim's Island" movie, discusses ways that people can help protect the ocean.

In this video, Jeff Corwin visits a Hawaiian park to meet and learn more about sea mammals.

Free Online Audio: 

This site contains a cute mp3 song about sea stars, with written lyrics, for you and your child to follow.

Free E-Books (and classics available in most libraries):