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Activityengage
MAPPING OCEAN CURRENTS
Howdoeswatermoveintheocean?
OVERVIEW
StudentsapplyinformationabouttheOceanConveyorBelttopredictthe
movementofaspillofrubberducksintheocean.
Forthecompleteactivitywithmediaresources,visit:
http://www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/mapping-ocean-currents/
DIRECTIO NS
1.Drawoceancurrentsonaworldmap.
DisplaytheOceanConveyorBeltcartoonfromtheResourceCarousel.Explain
tostudentsthatthisisadepictionofoceancurrentscalledtheOceanConveyor
Belt.Theoceanconveyorbeltiscausedbydifferencesinwatertemperature
andsalinity.Alsoknownasthermohalinecirculation,theconveyorbeltisa
systeminwhichwatermovesbetweenthecolddepthsandwarmsurfacein
oceansthroughouttheworld.HavestudentsdrawtheOceanConveyorBelton
theWorldPhysicalMapMakerKit.
2.Markthelocationofa1992cargoshipspillofrubberducks.
Havestudentsmark44N,178Eontheirmaps.Tellstudentsthatinthislocation,
in1992,acargoshipfullofbathtoysspillednearly92,000rubberducksintothe
PacificOcean.Theseduckstraveledthousandsofmilesonoceancurrents,
providingnewinformationaboutthesecurrents.Forexample,thefirstgroupof
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duckstomakelandfallwashedupontheshoresofAlaska.
3.ApplyOceanConveyorBeltinformationtopredictthemovementofrubber
ducks.
Asaclass,havestudentspredictwheretheduckstraveled,basedontheOcean
ConveyorBelt.Havestudentsmarkthemapwithadifferentcolorwherethey
thinktheduckswasheduponshore.
4.Testpredictionsbyreadingabouttheducks'actualpaths.
HavestudentsreadaboutwheretheduckstraveledusingtheRubaDuck
website,foundintheResourceCarousel.Havestudentsmarktheselocationson
themap,usingadifferentcoloredmarkerthanusedtomarkpredictions.Ask:
Howaccuratewereourclasspredictions?Explainthattherearemanyocean
currentsinadditiontotheoceanconveyorbelt,andmanyoftheduckstraveled
onthosesmallercurrents.ShowstudentstheOceanCurrentslayeronthe
MapMakerInteractivetoseethepathsofthosesmallercurrents.Discusswhich
smallercurrentsmighthaveinfluencedtheducks'travels.
Tip
LaminatetheindividualsheetsoftheMapMakerKitmapsoyoucanre-useitfor
severalyears.
ExtendingtheLearning
UsingtheMapMakerInteractive,havestudentslookmorecloselyatthesmaller
currentsthataffectedwheretheduckstraveled.Ask:Whatdifferencesdoyou
noticeinthecurrents?Studentsshouldnoticethatcurrentsaredifferent
temperatures.Someoceancurrentsarewarmandsomearecold,asindicated
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bytheredandbluearrowsonthemap.Discusshowdifferencesinwater
temperaturecreatemovementinthewater.Thistypeofmovementiscalled
thermohalinecirculation.Warmwaterislessdensethancoldwater,meaning
thatcoldwaterwillsinkbelowwarmwater.ShowtheOceanConveyorBelt
cartoonfromtheResourceCarouselagainanddiscusshowdifferencesinwater
temperaturerelatetotheOceanConveyorBelt.
O BJECTIVES
Subjects&Disciplines
Geography
PhysicalGeography
Science
Earthscience
Oceanography
LearningObjectives
Studentswill:
usecurrenteventstoexploretheoceanconveyorbelt
TeachingApproach
Learning-for-use
TeachingMethods
Brainstorming
Cooperativelearning
Discoverylearning
Discussions
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Research
SkillsSummary
Thisactivitytargetsthefollowingskills:
CriticalThinkingSkills
Analyzing
Applying
GeographicSkills
AcquiringGeographicInformation
AnalyzingGeographicInformation
NationalStandards,Principles,and
Practices
N AT I O N A L G E O G RA P H Y S TA N DA RDS
•Standard1:
Howtousemapsandothergeographicrepresentations,geospatial
technologies,andspatialthinkingtounderstandandcommunicateinformation
•Standard3:
Howtoanalyzethespatialorganizationofpeople,places,andenvironmentson
Earth'ssurface
•Standard4:
Thephysicalandhumancharacteristicsofplaces
O C E A N LI T E RA C Y E SS E N T I A L P RI N C I P LE S A N D
F U N DA M E N TA L C O N C E P T S
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•Principle1c:
Throughouttheoceanthereisoneinterconnectedcirculationsystempowered
bywind,tides,theforceoftheEarth’srotation(Corioliseffect),theSun,and
waterdensitydifferences.Theshapeofoceanbasinsandadjacentlandmasses
influencethepathofcirculation.
PREPARATIO N
WhatYou’llNeed
M AT E RI A LS YO U P RO V I DE
Markers
RE Q U I RE D T E C H N O LO G Y
InternetAccess:Required
TechSetup:Printer
Plug-Ins:Flash
P H Y S I C A L S PA C E
Classroom
SETUP
Wallorfloorspacelargeenoughtohangagiantmap
G RO U P I N G
Large-groupinstruction
Small-groupinstruction
O T H E R N O T E S
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Printoutandassemblethemapasaclassoronyourownbeforeclass.Usethe
assemblyvideoprovidedtohelpwiththisprocess.Ifyoudonothaveroomfor
thelargemap,printseveraltabletopmapsforthestudentstouseinsmall
groups.
RE S O U RC E S P RO V I DE D: W E BS I T E S
NationalGeographicEducation:WorldPhysicalMapMakerKit
RubaDuck:RubberDucksCircumnavigatetheGlobe
RE S O U RC E S P RO V I DE D: U N DE F I N E D
MapMakerKits101
RE S O U RC E S P RO V I DE D: M A P S
NGMapMakerInteractive:OceanSurfaceCurrents—World
RE S O U RC E S P RO V I DE D: I M A G E S
OceanConveyorBelt
BACKGRO U ND & VO CABU L ARY
BackgroundInformation
Theoceanconveyorbeltiscausedbydifferencesinwatertemperatureand
salinity.Alsoknownasthermohalinecirculation,theconveyorbeltisasystemin
whichwatermovesbetweenthecolddepthsandwarmsurfaceinoceans
throughouttheworld."Thermo"meanstemperatureand"haline"means
salinity.
PriorKnowledge
[]
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RecommendedPriorActivities
None
Vocabulary
Term
Partof
Definition
Speech
cargo
noun
goodscarriedbyaship,plane,orothervehicle.
circulation
noun
movinginacircularmotion.
current
noun
ocean
noun
ocean
conveyorbelt
steady,predictableflowoffluidwithinalargerbodyof
thatfluid.
largebodyofsaltwaterthatcoversmostoftheEarth.
systeminwhichwatermovesbetweenthecolddepths
noun
andwarmsurfaceinoceansthroughouttheworld.Also
calledthermohalinecirculation.
oceanographynoun
studyoftheocean.
predict
toknowtheoutcomeofasituationinadvance.
thermohaline
circulation
verb
oceanconveyorbeltsysteminwhichwatermoves
noun
betweenthecolddepthsandwarmsurfaceinoceans
throughouttheworld.
ForFurtherExploration
Websites
NOAA:NationalOceanService—OceanFacts:Whatistheglobalocean
conveyorbelt?
FU NDER
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