These activities will help you prepare your class to come on the Schoolship and are great follow-up lessons to complement the shipboard experience. While most lessons are geared for middle school, all can be adapted for younger and older students. (All lessons are in pdf files.)
Journey to the Sea: Map Great Lakes lake levels and flow to the ocean
Shoe Key: Make a dichotomous key
The Great Plankton Race: Design a slow-sinking “plankton” (engineering lesson!)
Why Do Boats Float: Design a boat that will hold the most cargo (engineering lesson!)
What Do Scientists Know About Invader Species of the Great Lakes: Match invasive species to modes of introduction and ecological impact
Understanding Water in Your Own Region: Audit and evaluate personal water use
Understanding Global Water Distribution: Build a model of water distribution on Earth
Teaching Vocabulary: Learn sailor names for everything on our ship
Sea Shanties: Listen to a traditional sailing song and map the voyage of the ship featured in the shanty
Layers of the Lake: Learn about sediment layers with models
Lake Stratification: Make a model of thermal stratification
Gyotaku fish printing: Create art prints using real fish, and learn fish anatomy
Great Lakes Stewardship Community Involvement: Take action on behalf of the Great Lakes, some ideas
Great Lakes Food Web: Draw a food web diagram and predict effects when species change
Calculating Cloud Cover: Observe the sky then build a model that represents percent cloud cover
Building Your Own Watershed: Make and use landscape models with paper and clay
Acids and Bases: Test the pH of common substances and predict the pH of unknowns
A Watershed View of the Bay: Examine topographic maps to find watershed boundaries and features