Whether you're visiting the Aquarium yourself, with your family or are organizing a class trip, here are some handy resources to help you before you arrive.
Discovery Lecture Series Teacher and Community Resources
Please check back for learning resources on upcoming lecture topics
Lecture topic: Climate Change and WeatherLectures:
Warming oceans, melting ice, and rising seas,
Dr. Ian Fenty, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Arctic climate as Documented by Algal Rocks,
Dr. Branwen Williams, Claremont McKenna CollegeCalifornia Drought - Are We In or Out?,
Dr. Bill Patzert, Climatologist, NASA's Jet Propulsion LaboratoryTeacher resources:
Library Pathfinder - Arctic ClimateLibrary Pathfinder - California DroughtLesson Plan - Who PollutesReading Handout - Who Pollutes Story
Lesson Plan - Ocean Acidification ExperimentWorksheet - Ocean Acidification ExperimentLecture topic: Marine Mammals Lectures:
Beautiful Minds: Dolphins, Apes and the origins of Human Intelligence,
Dr. Craig Stanford, USC"That's Impossible!" Cetacean Heads are Vibroacoustic Antennas,
Dr. Ted Cranford, San Diego State UniversityThe amazing underwater world of blue and humpback whales: new tags provide insights into their lives and the threats they face,
John Calambokidis, Cascadia Research
Teacher resources:
Lesson Plan - How Do Whales Eat?Activity - Whale Do it, Do itsWorksheet - Whale Coloring SheetLesson Plan - Pinniped Races: A Lesson on Seals and Sea LionsReading Handout - All About PinnipedsWorksheet - Sea Lion Coloring SheetWorksheet - Sea Lion Skeleton Coloring SheetLecture topic: SharksLectures:
Return of Big Predators to California Waters,
Dr. Chris Lowe, CSU Long BeachTeacher resources:
Library Pathfinder on SharksLesson Plan - JAWnormousLesson Plan - Swimming with Blue Sharks MigrationLesson Plan - Shark Bingo and other JAWsome ActivitiesReading Handout - Blue Shark
Reading Handout - How Megalodon WorkedWorksheet - Megalodon - Biggest Shark to Roam the SeasWorksheet - Megalodon Crossword PuzzleWorksheet - Parts of a SharkParts of a Shark Answer KeyWorksheet - Shark Coloring SheetWorksheet - Shark Word SearchWorksheet - Track a Blue Shark Lesson ActivityShark Graphic - Cut and Paste WordsLecture topic: Marine Fishes Lectures:
Surf, Sand, and Silversides: Research and Outreach with California Grunion,
Dr. Karen Martin, Pepperdine UniversityOvaries, Testes, and Copulatory Structures – Oh My! The Importance of Understanding Reproduction of Fishes,
Dr. Kristy L. Forsgren, California State University, FullertonThe Return of the Kelp Forest King,
Dr. Larry G. Allen, California State University, NorthridgeBeyond Big Fish, Restoring the Southern California Rocky Reef Ecosystem,
Dr. Dan Pondella, Occidental College and Southern California Marine Institute (SCMI)Teacher resources:
Library Pathfinder - Fish Reproduction
Lecture topic: Marine InvertebratesLectures:
Parasites and food webs,
Dr. Kevin Lafferty, US Geological Survey and UC Santa BarbaraHugs and Drugs from Sea Slugs,
Dr. Patrick J. Krug, California State University Los AngelesIf We Make Their Bed, They Will Lie In It: Restoration of Native Olympia Oysters in Southern California,
Dr. Danielle Zacherl, California State University, FullertonTeacher resources:
Library Pathfinder - NudibranchsLibrary Pathfinder - Olympia Oysters
Library Pathfinder - Parasites and Food WebsLecture topic: Plankton and Deep SeaLectures:
Do Swimming Animals Mix the Ocean?,
Dr. John O. Dabiri, StanfordThe Vast Frontier: Tales From the Darkside,
Mike Schaadt, Cabrillo Marine AquariumHarmful Algal Blooms Along the California Coast,
Dr. David Caron, USC The Universe Below: Explorations of Life in the Deep Sea,
Dr. Shana Goffredi, Occidental CollegeTeacher resources:
Library Pathfinder on Plankton and Algae HABs
Library Pathfinder - The Vast FrontierLesson Plan - Ocean Food Chain GameWorksheet - Ocean Food Chain GameWorksheet - Ocean Food Chain Answer KeyLesson Plan - Crazy CurrentsWorksheet - Oceanic Surface Currents MapWorksheet - Pacific Ocean Surface Currents MapGraphic - Ocean Surface Currents Map Answer KeyGraphic - Pacific Ocean Current Map Answer KeyReading Handout - The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Lesson Plan - Beware of HABsGraphic Phytoplankton IDGraphic Zooplankton IDLesson Plan - Diatom ArtGraphic Example of Diatom ArtWorksheet - Diatom Art TemplateWorksheet - Phytoplankton Coloring Sheet
Lesson Plan - Mero Match-upWorksheet - Meroplankton Match-up (for younger students)Worksheet - Meroplankton Match-up Answer Key (for younger students)Worksheet - Meroplankton Match-up (for older students)Worksheet - Meroplankton Match-up Answer Key (for older students)Lecture topic: Human Impacts and AquacultureLectures:
Advances in beach water quality monitoring,
Dr. Stephen Weisberg, Southern California Coastal Water Research ProjectSewers to Sanddabs: Profiling Orange County Sanitation District’s Ocean Monitoring Program,
Dr. Jeff Armstrong, Environmental Supervisor, Orange County Sanitation District-Ocean Monitoring ProgramOutlook on the Outer Continental Shelf for Offshore Energy,
Dr. Ann Bull, Chief of Environmental Sciences Section Pacific Region, Bureau of Ocean Energy ManagementThe Future of Food from the Sea,
Dr. Steve Gaines, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, UC Santa BarbaraAquaculture - The Fight for our Local Seafood,
Kelly Stromberg, Catalina Sea Ranch"The Golden Shore - California's Love Affair with the Sea",
David Helvarg, Executive Director of Blue FrontierTeacher resources:
Library Pathfinder - Aquaculture
Library Pathfinder - Sustainable SeafoodLesson Plan - What Belongs on a BeachWorksheet - What Belongs on a BeachWorksheet - Mussel Coloring SheetWorksheet - Rock Scallop Coloring SheetLesson Plan - An Albatross MysteryReading Handout - Ka-ena PointLesson Plan - All Tangled UpLesson Plan - Animal TalesReading Handout - Animal TalesLesson Plan - Natural or Man MadeWorksheet - What Belongs on a BeachLecture topic: Rocky Intertidal Lectures:
Ecological Consequences of Thermal Stress on Wave-Swept Shores: Insights from a Model Ecosystem,
Dr. Bengt J. Allen, California State University, Long BeachTides of change: Trends in Rocky Intertidal Communities,
Dr. Richard F. Ambrose, UCLATeacher resources:
Lesson Plan - Life on the RocksLesson Plan - It takes all KindsLesson Plan - Color in ScienceWorksheet - Tidepool AnimalsWorksheet - Octopus Coloring SheetWorksheet
- Parts of an OctopusGraphic - Parts of an Octopus Answer KeyGraphic - Invertebrate Cut Out CardsLecture topic: Salt Marshes and Wetlands Lectures:
Designing solutions to restore wetlands in a time of change,
Dr. Christine Whitcraft, California State University, Long BeachUnearthing the Historical Wetlands of Southern California,
Dr. Shawna Dark, CSU NorthridgeTeacher resources:
Lesson Plan - Globetrotters A Lesson on Bird MigrationReading Handout - Globetrotters of the Bird WorldWorksheet - Adaptations of Birds' BeaksWorksheet Answers - Adaptations of Birds' BeaksWorksheet - Parts of a Bird SkeletonWorksheet Answers - Parts of a Bird SkeletonWorksheet - Bird Skeleton Coloring SheetGraphic - Migration Game CardsCMA Saltmarsh PosterWetland Website ResourcesLibrary Pathfinder on WetlandsOur
Educator Workshops are also an excellent resource to stay current on ocean science and issues facing our marine environment.
For individuals, families or groups:
