Submarine Ring of Fire - Lesson Plans Below are descriptions of lesson plans have been developed for students in Grades 5 – 12 and are specifically tied to the Submarine Ring of Fire Expedition. The lesson plans are grouped into the following categories: Grades 5-6 Grades 7-8 Grades 9-12 (chemical, biological, earth, physical science and anthropology). All of the lesson plans are available in pdf format, and may be viewed and printed with the free Adobe Acrobat reader. To download a lesson plan, click on its title from the listing below. Contact Paula Keener-Chavis, National Education Coordinator for the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration at paula.keener-chavis@noaa.gov if you have questions about the lesson plans or if you need additional information about their development. Grades 5-6 Living With the Heat (6 pages, 88k) Focus: Hydrothermal vent ecology and transfer of energy among organisms that live near vents. In this activity, students will be able to describe how hydrothermal vents are formed and characterize the physical conditions at these sites, explain what chemosynthesis is and contrast this process with photosynthesis, identify autotrophic bacteria as the basis for food webs in hydrothermal vent communities, and describe common food pathways between organisms typically found in hydrothermal vent communities. The Biggest Plates on Earth (7 pages, 192k) Focus: Plate tectonics – movement of plates, results of plate movement, and magnetic anomalies at spreading centers. In this activity, students will be able to describe the motion of tectonic plates and differentiate between three typical boundary types that occur between tectonic plates, infer what type of boundary exists between two tectonic plates, understand how magnetic anomalies provide a record of geologic history around spreading centers, infer the direction of motion between two tectonic plates given information on magnetic anomalies surrounding the spreading ridge between the plates, and describe plate boundaries and tectonic activity in the vicinity of the Juan de Fuca plate. (top) Grades 7-8 A Watered-down Topographic Map (9 pages, 100k) Focus: Topographic and Bathymetric maps In this activity, students will be able to create a topographic map from a model land form, interpret a simple topographic map, and explain the differences between topographic and bathymetric maps. (top) Grades 9-12 Calling All Explorers. . . . (14 pages, 124k) Focus: Ocean Exploration - Recent explorers of deep-sea environments and the relationship between science and history In this activity, students will learn what it means to be an explorer, both modern and historic; recognize that not all exploration occurs on land; understand the importance of curiosity, exploration, and the ability to document what one studies; gain insight into the vastness of unexplored places in the deep sea; and gain appreciation of science mentors and role models. Mystery of the Megaplume (7 pages, 104k) Focus: Chemistry, Earth Science, Physical Science - Hydrothermal vent chemistry In this activity, students will be able to describe hydrothermal vents and characterize vent plumes in terms of physical and chemical properties, describe tow-yo operations and how data from these operations can provide clues to the location of hydrothermal vents, and interpret temperature anomaly data to recognize a probable plume from a hydrothermal vent. Candy Chemosynthesis (10 pages, 208k) Focus: Biology, Chemistry - Biochemistry of hydrothermal vents In this activity, students will differentiate between requirements for life in extreme environments and other environments and will use models to create a visual image of chemicals involved in autotrophic nutrition. The Puzzle of the Ice Age Americans (8 pages, 100k) Focus: Anthropology, Earth Science - Origin of the first humans in the Americas In this activity, students will be able to describe alternative theories for how the first humans came to the Americas and explain the evidence that supports or contradicts these theories, explain how exploration of a submerged portion of the North American west coast may provide additional insights about the origin of the first Americans, and describe the role of skepticism in scientific inquiry. (top)