The Oceans Lesson Collection
Explore the impact of human activity on our oceans with this comprehensive lesson collection. Featuring curated BBC video clips and printable activities, these resources dive into topics like pollution, overfishing, and ocean habitats, helping students understand the challenges facing ocean life and inspiring them to become ocean conservation advocates.
Lesson Units
In this lesson, students will collaborate to understand how marine life is affected by human actions. The Dive into this engaging lesson where your students will uncover how human actions affect marine life. Kick things off with a fun game of Three Truths and a Lie about the ocean to spark curiosity and get everyone talking. Then, break into small groups and tackle a jigsaw activity as students watch short, thought-provoking videos about ocean animals and human impact. Together, they’ll share insights, tackle discussion questions, and use their newfound knowledge to create eye-catching infographics. These creations will inspire others to take action and protect our incredible oceans!
In this lesson, students will collaborate to understand how marine life is affected by human actions. The Dive into this engaging lesson where your students will uncover how human actions affect marine life. Kick things off with a fun game of Three Truths and a Lie about the ocean to spark curiosity and get everyone talking. Then, break into small groups and tackle a jigsaw activity as students watch short, thought-provoking videos about ocean animals and human impact. Together, they’ll share insights, tackle discussion questions, and use their newfound knowledge to create eye-catching infographics. These creations will inspire others to take action and protect our incredible oceans!
Video Clips
In The Sperm Whale Mother and Calf, narrator Sir David Attenborough observes a sperm whale and her calf, resting, communicating, and feeding. The calf won’t be able to dive deep enough to hunt for squid for the first six years of life, but the mother dives and hunts and returns with a store of milk for the waiting calf. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet II, a natural history series that explores the world's oceans, the animals that live in them, and the threats they face, using modern filming techniques and equipment to capture previously unseen areas of the ocean.
In A World of Whale Sound Beneath the Sea, narrator Sir David Attenborough follows scientists as they track whales. This tracking enables the scientists to redirect shipping and reduce collisions. Tracking also allows them to monitor how the whales use sound as a vital means of communication deep beneath the sea. Unfortunately, human activity and noise pollution is masking some of that sound, having an impact on whale behavior in ways that we’re still learning about. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Horizon: The Death of the Oceans, which reveals what scientists are learning about what is happening in the oceans and whether it is too late to save their remarkable diversity.
In Giant Creatures of the Great Barrier Reef, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores how certain animals work together to find food. Teamwork makes the dream work for these largest animals in Australia's Great Barrier Reef! This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet II, a natural history series that explores the world's oceans, the animals that live in them, and the threats they face, using modern filming techniques and equipment to capture previously unseen areas of the ocean.
In Coral Bleaching, witness the effects of global warming on coral ecosystems. The world’s oceans are warming due to climate change, which negatively affects coral reefs, home to about a quarter of all ocean life. Coral is highly sensitive to temperature changes, and as ocean temperatures rise, coral bleaching becomes more extreme. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Climate Change — The Facts, a documentary that delves into the science of climate change and its far-reaching consequences.
In The Tool-Using Tusk Fish, narrator Sir David Attenborough suggests that tusk fish, and perhaps other fish species, may be more intelligent than people ever thought possible. When the tusk fish finds food, such as a clam, it uses coral as a tool to crack open the clam and feed itself. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet II, a natural history series that explores the world's oceans, the animals that live in them, and the threats they face, using modern filming techniques and equipment to capture previously unseen areas of the ocean.
In Why Acidic Seas Spell Trouble, geologist Iain Stewart explores how global warming is shaking up life in the ocean. In Palau, an ocean scientist shares the story of millions of golden jellyfish that vanished when the water’s temperature rose by a few degrees. Plus, learn how rising carbon dioxide is making the ocean more acidic, threatening coral reefs and the marine life that depends on them. The ocean is changing fast, and scientists are racing to understand what’s next for our planet's underwater world! This video is excerpted from BBC’s Earth: The Power of the Planet, a documentary series in which Dr. Iain Stewart discovers how Earth's forces can shape nature, species, and even the climate.
In The Sperm Whale Mother and Calf, narrator Sir David Attenborough observes a sperm whale and her calf, resting, communicating, and feeding. The calf won’t be able to dive deep enough to hunt for squid for the first six years of life, but the mother dives and hunts and returns with a store of milk for the waiting calf. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet II, a natural history series that explores the world's oceans, the animals that live in them, and the threats they face, using modern filming techniques and equipment to capture previously unseen areas of the ocean.
In A World of Whale Sound Beneath the Sea, narrator Sir David Attenborough follows scientists as they track whales. This tracking enables the scientists to redirect shipping and reduce collisions. Tracking also allows them to monitor how the whales use sound as a vital means of communication deep beneath the sea. Unfortunately, human activity and noise pollution is masking some of that sound, having an impact on whale behavior in ways that we’re still learning about. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Horizon: The Death of the Oceans, which reveals what scientists are learning about what is happening in the oceans and whether it is too late to save their remarkable diversity.
In Giant Creatures of the Great Barrier Reef, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores how certain animals work together to find food. Teamwork makes the dream work for these largest animals in Australia's Great Barrier Reef! This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet II, a natural history series that explores the world's oceans, the animals that live in them, and the threats they face, using modern filming techniques and equipment to capture previously unseen areas of the ocean.
In Coral Bleaching, witness the effects of global warming on coral ecosystems. The world’s oceans are warming due to climate change, which negatively affects coral reefs, home to about a quarter of all ocean life. Coral is highly sensitive to temperature changes, and as ocean temperatures rise, coral bleaching becomes more extreme. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Climate Change — The Facts, a documentary that delves into the science of climate change and its far-reaching consequences.
In The Tool-Using Tusk Fish, narrator Sir David Attenborough suggests that tusk fish, and perhaps other fish species, may be more intelligent than people ever thought possible. When the tusk fish finds food, such as a clam, it uses coral as a tool to crack open the clam and feed itself. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet II, a natural history series that explores the world's oceans, the animals that live in them, and the threats they face, using modern filming techniques and equipment to capture previously unseen areas of the ocean.
In Why Acidic Seas Spell Trouble, geologist Iain Stewart explores how global warming is shaking up life in the ocean. In Palau, an ocean scientist shares the story of millions of golden jellyfish that vanished when the water’s temperature rose by a few degrees. Plus, learn how rising carbon dioxide is making the ocean more acidic, threatening coral reefs and the marine life that depends on them. The ocean is changing fast, and scientists are racing to understand what’s next for our planet's underwater world! This video is excerpted from BBC’s Earth: The Power of the Planet, a documentary series in which Dr. Iain Stewart discovers how Earth's forces can shape nature, species, and even the climate.
Printables
These printable activity sheets are used with lessons in the BBC Learning Hub Oceans Collection.
Three Truths and a Lie: Play this quick game with students to activate their prior knowledge about the ocean biome. What do they know?
Activity Sheets: The activity sheets are intended to be shared after students watch the three related video clips about whales, tusk fish, and the Great Barrier Reef.
Play Three Truths and a Lie about oceans and answer questions about human impact on whales, tusk fish, and the Great Barrier Reef. Plus, complete an infographic activity on how to reduce human impact on our oceans.
These printable activity sheets are used with lessons in the BBC Learning Hub Oceans Collection.
Three Truths and a Lie: Play this quick game with students to activate their prior knowledge about the ocean biome. What do they know?
Activity Sheets: The activity sheets are intended to be shared after students watch the three related video clips about whales, tusk fish, and the Great Barrier Reef.
Play Three Truths and a Lie about oceans and answer questions about human impact on whales, tusk fish, and the Great Barrier Reef. Plus, complete an infographic activity on how to reduce human impact on our oceans.