This resource is a part of the Climate Science and Oceans Traveling Trunk

Building Blocks of Ocean Acidification

Overview

Students will model the real-life process of ocean acidification by using blocks to demonstrate how shelled organisms are impacted by the effects of the addition of hydrogen ions and how they compete for carbonate. Students will explain what the impacts could be with the introduction of hydrogen into a system.

Activity Type:

Lesson

Target Grade Level:

K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Estimated Duration:

Varies

Topics:

Oceans

Possible Connections to NGSS

Performance Expectations

K-ESS3-3: Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.

K-ESS3-1: Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.

K-LS1-1: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants, animals and humans need to survive.

3-LS4-4: Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environmental changes and types of plants and animals that live there may change.

3-LS4-3: Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some less well and some not at all.

4-LS1-1: Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

4-ESS3-2: Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans.

MS-LS1-5: Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.

MS-LS2-4: Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.

MS-ESS3-4: Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth’s systems.

HS-ESS3-1: Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.