Winning Lesson Plans

Here are winning projects submitted by teams in previous QuikSCience Challenges: components of the plans, and the entire plans themselves, are available for download as PDFs.

Also, please check these online resources developed as part of COSEE-West. COSEE-West distributes many supplemental resources to educators during lectures and workshops, some of which are available electronically. The COSEE-West website also features teacher-created lesson plans and other curriculum. "COSEE" stands for Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE), and COSEE-West is the center based in Los Angeles.

QuikSCience Challenge lesson plans for high school

2011 Winning High School Projects:

First Place: Oak Park High School, "A is for Algae – The Science of Slime!"

Second Place: SOAR High School, "Biological Magnification of Oxytetracycline in Aquatic Ecosystems"

Third Place: Leilehua High School, "Runoff"

2010 Winning High School Projects:

First Place: Kamehameha Schools, "The Battle Against Gracilaria salicornia

Second Place (tied): Santa Monica High School, "Team Marine's 10 R's"

Best Environmental Solution: Canyon Crest Academy, "Carbon Dioxide, its human causes and effects on the oceans"

Miscellaneous Lesson Plans:

Global Warming: Local and Global Effects by Francis Parker School

Marine Pollution by Amino Leadership Charter High School

Ocean Integration by Ventura High School

QuikSCience Challenge lesson plans for middle school

2011 Winning Middle School Projects:

First Place: Hermosa Academy, "Get Your Butts Off the Ground"

Second Place: Eastshore Elementary School, "Shark Finning"

2010 Winning Middle School Projects:

First Place: Eastshore School, "POPs in the Food Chains!

Best Environmental Solution: John Glenn Middle School, "Dangers of Plastics in the Ocean"

Best Lesson Plan: Marina del Rey Middle School, "What does your bird eat?"

Best Community Service: Ivy Academia Entrepreneurial Charter School, "Ocean Ambassadors"

Miscellaneous Lesson Plans:

Wave Erosion Lab by John Adams Middle School, Santa Monica, California

QuikSCience Challenge lesson plans for elementary school

Miscellaneous Lesson Plans:

Over-consumption of the Earth's Materials by Francis Parker School

QuikSCience Challenge lesson plans for high school

Global Warming Local and Global Effects by Francis Parker School, San Diego, California

Subject: science
Grade: secondary
Lesson topic: greenhouse gasses and global warming

Lesson objective: To facilitate students' understanding of global warming on a global and local scale, including its causes, effects and ways by which to reduce it or cope with it.

State standards:

Download the entire lesson plan:
Global Warming: Local and Global Effects

Download component activities:
Activity: Investigating Sea-level rise (45 minutes)
Activity: Survey of personal use of resources (45-60 minutes)
Activity: Day After Tomorrow: Fact or Fiction? (two class periods)
Activity: Design a Pizza Box Solar Cooker

Marine Pollution by Amino Leadership Charter High School, Inglewood, California

Subject: science
Grade: 9-12
Lesson topic: Land originated marine pollution, consuming healthy fish

Lesson objective: To educate the Animo and Lennox community about the effects of storm drain runoff into the ocean. To organize students at Animo Leadership Charter High School to conduct a community-based service project based on identifying and educating community practices that contribute to marine pollution. To educate students, parents and the community in healthy fish consumption, species and quantity.

State standards: California standards for Life Science, ecology & biology, grades 9-12: 6a-c

Click here for lesson plan: Marine Pollution

 

Ocean Integration by Ventura High School, Ventura, California

Subject: science
Grade: 9-12
Lesson topic: Maritime history, human interactions with the oceans

Lesson objective: To educate students on early ocean navigation and how ocean conditions can affect ocean transportation.

State standards: California standards for Earth Science, grades 9-12: 6a-d

Click here for lesson plan: Ocean Integration

QuikSCience Challenge lesson plans for middle school

Wave Erosion Lab by John Adams Middle School, Santa Monica, California

Subject: science
Grade: 6
Lesson topic: Beach and sand erosion by ocean waves

Lesson objective: Students will be able to describe how the density of the sand on the beach affects the erosion, how erosion occurs, what happens to the shoreline when water comes for each density, and to describe how the steepness of the sand affects how it erodes.

State standards: California standards for Earth Science, grade 6: 2c-d, 3a, 7a-e

Click here for lesson plan: Wave Erosion Lab

QuikSCience Challenge lesson plan for elementary school

Over-consumption of the Earth's Materials by Francis Parker School, San Diego, California

Subject: science
Grade: primary
Lesson topic: resource management and recycling

Lesson objective: To improve students understanding of the over consumption of materials in the world and differentiate ways to help conserve these materials.

State standards:

Download the entire lesson plan: Over-consumption of the Earth's Materials

Download component activities:
Activity: Water Demonstration
Activity: Script: Over-consumption of Resources