1. OCEANS 5th grade Amazing Earth
Please keep an eye on the clock. The presentation should take about minutes to allow time for the activity.
There are questions posed to the students. To stay on track, you may have to limit the number of answers.
Some notes have been included for background or reference. They do not have to be shared, they are simply a tool.
Ask students to sit on the carpet.
Ask volunteers to set up the activity during the presentation.
Thank you for making Amazing Earth possible!
Updated 10/1/19

2. Oceans cover around 72% of the Earth’s surface
Pacific Ocean – 30%
Continents & Islands – 29%
Atlantic Ocean – 21%
Indian Ocean – 14%
Southern Ocean – 4%
Arctic Ocean – 3%
REVIEW SLIDE then
ADVANCE for question and then ADVANCE again for answer
OPTIONAL: most of the Earth’s freshwater is frozen in Glaciers and Ice Caps.
What percentage of all the Earth’s water is saltwater vs freshwater?
96.5% vs 3.5%

3. Beneath the world's oceans lie rugged mountains, active volcanoes, vast plateaus and almost bottomless trenches. The deepest ocean trenches could easily swallow up the tallest mountains on land.
The Mariana Trench is the deepest known area of Earth’s oceans. It has a deepest point of approximately 36,000 feet. It’s located to the east of the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific Ocean
REVIEW the slide and note to the students:
Some important features of the ocean floor include the continental shelf, the continental slope, the continental rise, the abyssal plain (flat area), and ocean trenches.
The ocean is divided into five zones though the last three zones are similar in character, and some marine biologists count them as a single zone. We’ll look at them in more detail on the next slide.
OPTIONAL:
Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain above sea level at 29,035 feet from base to summit. From the base of Mauna Kea, at the bottom of the ocean, to the summit is 33,500 feet. Neither mountain would reach the surface if they were put in the Mariana Trench.

4. Sunlight supports photosynthesis
Most diverse – 90% marine life and plants
Contains phytoplankton and zooplankton
epipelagic zone
temps from 104 to 27 °F
Only small amounts of light penetrate
No plants
Only animals adapted to little light survive
Pressure increases with depth
mesopelagic zone
temps from 41 to 39 °F
bathypelagic zone
­temps 32 to 43 °F
Let’s look at the zones in more detail.
Plankton are free-floating aquatic organisms. They are usually microscopic and form the basis of the food chain in the ocean. 
Twilight zone pressure can be ­up to 1,470 lbs. per sq. inch.
In the midnight zone water pressure can be as much as two tons (4000 lbs.) per square inch.
90% of the ocean lies in this zone
No light penetrates
Water pressure is extreme (2 tons/sq inch)
Mostly there are invertebrates like starfish and tube worms but fish, eel & other life exists too

5. Coral Reefs Coral reefs are the most diverse of all marine ecosystems
Reefs cover less than 1% percent of the earth’s surface and less than 2% of the ocean bottom
YET AMAZINGLY
25% of all ocean species depend on reefs for food & shelter
coral reefs are often called the rainforests of the sea

6. Coral Reefs Coral is not rock
It is a hard material formed from the tiny skeletons of invertebrate animals
As the creatures die, new ones grow and the coral reef gets bigger
Coral reefs form over thousands of years

7. While there are hundreds of thousands of known marine life forms, there are many that are yet to be discovered, some scientists suggest that there could be millions of marine life forms out there
Interesting Fact:
The Oceans are still mostly unexplored. More people have walked on the moon than have been at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Twelve people have walked on the moon and three people have been to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

8. Survival and Feeding in the Dark
Amazing Adaptations
Bioluminescence
ability to create light. It is a chemical reaction inside a light producing organs
SAY: Predators in the deep sea must be either very efficient or should be capable of enduring for long periods without food.
ASK: Can you think of any adaptations or features that deep sea fish have for survival against the harsh darkness and scarcity of food?
ADVANCE for answers.
Cookie Cutter Shark. ­ The bioluminescent belly helps the shark lure prey close enough to attack itself via suction
Lateral Lines. – the purple marking indicates the lateral line along the fish and the green indicates the water movement
Echolocation
ability to produce a sound or sonar click that is reflected back when it strikes an object
Lateral lines
series of tiny sensory organs that help detect the movements and vibrations in the sea

9. STRANGE CREATURES OF THE DEEP!
Viperfish
Anglerfish
Deep Sea Hatchet Fish
Goblin Shark
Giant Isopod

10. Ocean Activity Stations
Three Stations:
Sink or Float? A closer look at buoyancy and salinity
The Salty Seas: How does salt content affect the weight of seawater? 
Oh the Pressure! A closer look at the effects of low and high pressure environments
Break the students up into three groups to rotate every 7-10 minutes through the stations as remaining time allows.