Climate Change and Marine Life
Videos
Grades6, 7, 8Biology
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by American Museum of Natural History
What it is
- This resource from the American Museum of Natural History is a series of video clips where marine biologist Leanne Melbourne answers questions about how climate change impacts the ocean.
- Students will learn about ocean acidification, the importance of studying calcifying organisms, and how scientists study these organisms.
Teaching tips
Positives
- These video clips are short, but make sure to answer the questions completely and provide appropriate context.
- Students will love hearing from a real scientist, seeing the equipment she uses, and understanding more about what she researches.
Prerequisites
- Teachers may want to preface this video with a definition of a marine biologist.
- Though they are briefly defined in the video, teachers may want to show students examples of calcifying organisms.
- Students should already understand climate change and some of its impacts on land.
- The videos have a transcript available and captions on the screen.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Teachers can play the first clip and use it as a hook for an activity where students will be testing the pH of different substances. Students can then run an experiment, like this one, to see how ocean acidification impacts organisms.
- Teachers can provide students with guided notes for them to summarize the answers to the questions and keep track of new or unknown vocabulary.
- This video may have inspired more related questions in students. Encourage students to record these questions or share them with the class.
- Teachers can use these videos to show the connection between Sustainable Development Goal 13, Climate Action, and SDG 14, Life Below Water.
From the scientist review
This resource is a video series where a marine biologist answers student questions with a focus on climate change and marine biodiversity. These videos’ greatest strength is the narration of a true subject matter expert, accompanied by related images. A key misconception about ocean acidification is addressed. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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