In 3rd grade Ocean Science, we learn the names and locations of the 5 different world oceans, as well as the fact that we live on an island that is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. We learn how important the ocean is to our lives, since it's 71% of our planet, and makes up 50% of the oxygen that we breathe! Students will learn the difference between marine vs. freshwater environments, and environmental parameters for different species. We talk about how to keep aquatic animals in our classroom, in our Gulf of Maine tank. The animals in our classroom tank allow us to learn about and observe marine animals, hands-on. We create our own marine comic strips and stories, and get students interested in the ocean and its animals.

In 4th grade Ocean Science, we dive into taxonomy and classifying different animals, from Kingdom down to Species. Students learn to observe differences in the various species in our tank, including how they move, eat, breathe, and protect themselves.  Students use a combination of worksheets as well as Naturalist Notebooks to help them to understand how scientists classify animals. In 4th grade, we learn about issues facing our oceans, including warming waters and pollution, and talk about possible solutions to these problems. In the second half of the year, we learn about the larger species in our waters, such as the North Atlantic Right Whales and other marine mammals, as well as sustainably harvested seaweeds, farm raised shellfish, and the booming marine fisheries industry in Maine.