Ocean Literacy Orienteering KS2

Connecting with the Ocean

Although this activity does not allow for pupils to connect with water and the Ocean directly, it is a perfect way for pupils to develop their understanding our connection with the Ocean in a fun and engaging way. Ocean literacy is defined as ‘an understanding of the ocean’s influence on us and our influence on the ocean’. Ocean literate people can communicate about the ocean in a meaningful way, understand how we are connected to the Ocean and are more able to make informed decisions regarding this vital resource. There are seven ocean literacy principles that provide a learning platform for ocean knowledge, each of which can easily be referenced through teaching the KS2 Geography and Science curriculum:

- Ocean Literacy Principle #1: The Earth has one big ocean with many features.

- Ocean Literacy Principle #2: The ocean and life in the ocean shape the features of Earth.

- Ocean Literacy Principle #3: The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate.

- Ocean Literacy Principle #4: The ocean makes the Earth habitable. - Ocean Literacy Principle #5: The ocean supports a great diversity of life and

ecosystems. - Ocean Literacy Principle #6: The ocean and humans are inextricably

interconnected. - Ocean Literacy Principle #7: The ocean is largely unexplored.

Resources needed:

- Seven tags & string - Seven photos for each OL principle - Pencils & clipboards - Map of school grounds - Record sheet - Large sheets of paper, pens, scissors, glue. - Laptop, books, maps etc.

Learning Objectives:

- To be able to list the seven Ocean Literacy principles - To research one Ocean Literacy principle - To explain one Ocean Literacy principle to my peers

Learning Outcomes

- To understand one way in which the Ocean impacts us and how we impact the Ocean

- To recognise ways in which we can reduce the negative impact humans have on the Ocean

Main Activity

Have the class split into 7 teams. Have 7 tags hidden around the school grounds, each with a letter and an ocean literacy principle written on it. There should also be a wallet of photos attached which are connected to that principle. You can use the attached photos or find ones yourself based on what you are learning about in school (see curriculum links).

Each team gets a map of the school, with letters A-G marking where the tags are located, and a record sheet with a list of the letters arranged in different orders. The teams must go to each tag by following the arrangement of letters on their sheets and find the OL statement. They can then write what is on the tag next to the correct letter and collect a picture. The first team to find all 7 tags wins!

The class can then group all the pictures into 7 different piles, each one relating to a different principle. Each group can take one pile of pictures, choose a few which they are most interested in and carry out some research around that Ocean Literacy principle. They can then create a poster and present it to the class.

Curriculum Links: Physical Education KS2

- take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team - ORIENTEERING

Geography KS2

- identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones (including day and night) – OL1&7

- physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle – OL1,2&3

- use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied - OL1

- use the 8 points of a compass, 4- and 6-figure grid references, symbols and keys - ORIENTEERING

Science KS2

- compare and group together different kinds of rocks on the basis of their appearance and simple physical properties – OL2&4

- describe in simple terms how fossils are formed when things that have lived are trapped within rock - OL2&4

- recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways – OL5

- explore and use classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment – OL5

- recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living thing – OL3&6

- identify the part played by evaporation and condensation in the water cycle and associate the rate of evaporation with temperature – OL3

- describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences, including microorganisms, plants and animals – OL5

- recognise that living things have changed over time and that fossils provide information about living things that inhabited the Earth millions of years ago – OL4

Useful websites: http://oceanliteracy.wp2.coexploration.org/ https://www.weareocean.blue/ https://oceanliteracy.unesco.org/ http://worldoceanobservatory.org/content/one-big-ocean Photos to use:

- Ocean Literacy Principle #1: The Earth has one big ocean with many features.

Planet Earth

World Map (one big Ocean!)

Ocean Zones

Global Ocean Conveyor Belt

Deep Sea Ridges

Trenches

Sea mount

- Ocean Literacy Principle #2: The ocean and life in the ocean shape the features of Earth.

Erosion

Sedimentary Rock

River

Estuary

Sand

Tectonic Plates

Coast

- Ocean Literacy Principle #3: The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate.

Water Cycle

Cyclone

Rising Temperatures

Storm

Drought

Carbon Cycle

Melting Ice Caps

- Ocean Literacy Principle #4: The ocean makes the Earth habitable.

Plant Plankton

Drinking Water

Ammonite Fossil

Fish Fossil

Life began in the Ocean

Seagrass

Production of Oxygen

- Ocean Literacy Principle #5: The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems.

Hydrothermal Vent

Food Chain

Blue Whale

Pygmy Seahorse

Coral Reef

Turtle

Rockpool

- Ocean Literacy Principle #6: The ocean and humans are inextricably interconnected.

Plastic Pollution

Day out at the beach

Water Sports

Fishing Boat

Deep Sea Mining

Coral Bleaching

Beach Cleaning

- Ocean Literacy Principle #7: The ocean is largely unexplored.

Deep Sea

Diver

ROV

Submarine

Ocean Monitoring Satellite

Animal Tagging

Underwater Camera