Ocean Energy

Topics: Petroleum, Natural Gas, Methane Hydrates, Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Wave Energy, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, and Tidal Energy.

Source:   The Minerals Management Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior

Web Address: www.mms.gov/mmskids         

Note: By selecting the Resources and Documents menu item on the home page one can then select Educational Tools for K - 12 Students and teachers and information about Student vehicle competitions.

Grade Levels:  Middle School

Learning Strategies: Students are divided into groups to develop short presentations of information relating to a source of energy from oceans. This is followed by selected hands-on activities.

Frameworks Connections: (Grades 6 - 8)

Science and Technology/Engineering

• Earth and Space Science
  Heat Transfer in the Earth's System

• Physical Sciences
  Forms of Energy
  Heat Energy

• Technology/Engineering
  2. Engineering Design
  5. Construction Technologies

Description: This site provides a 22-page PDF file including a teacher’s guide, correlation to National Science Standards, information relating to non-renewable and renewable sources of energy in the ocean, and seven student activities. The teacher’s guide recommends dedicating three to ten class periods to this lesson, depending on the number of activities selected. Each activity is designed to create simple models of the technologies used to extract non-renewable energy resources from the ocean or to simulate convection currents, wave generation, or wind energy conversion.