Sea surface temperature and coral bleaching

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In this sixth lesson in the Remote Sensing and Coral Reefs curriculum from NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch Program, which is written by Margaret “Peggy” Koenig, students will determine the anatomy of coral bleaching by drawing
conclusions from a teacher demonstration, identify temperature increase as one cause of coral bleaching
by observing a teacher demonstration, and predict general areas likely to be affected by coral bleaching
by interpreting sea surface temperature data over a period of months.

The lessons in this unit are designed to be taught in sequence, however, many of the activities are suited to teaching in isolation. This science unit is appropriate for grades four through six. Some concepts tend to be abstract, so depending on students’ ability and background knowledge, this unit might be more suitable in a gifted and talented setting. The curriculum includes the following lesson plans:

• Remote Sensing and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Altimetry
• Phytoplankton and Ocean Color
• Introduction to Coral Reefs
• Symbiosis and Coral Anatomy
• Sea Surface Temperature and Coral Bleaching
• Conservation

The lesson plans and PowerPoint presentations are available for download. Users may choose a zipfile of the entire curriculum, or individual lesson plans. All files are PDF, unless otherwise indicated.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment