Seafloor Bathymetry

Lesson Summary

The students will simulate depth sounding and SONAR techniques to create a 3-dimensional map of an ocean floor. Students will take depth measurements of an ocean floor model as a group and record the data on a google spreadsheet. This data can then be copied into the excel spreadsheet with a prepared graph. The students will copy an image of their graph and label seafloor features such as the continental shelf, continental slope, continental rise, abyssal plain, seamount, mid-ocean ridge, rift valley, and guyot. Once completed, the maps and labels will be inspected by the teacher and the students will complete an online assessment in the form of a Quizizz.

TIPC Ratings

Research & Information Fluency

Rating:Entry – Explanation: Students acquired information using in-class notes provided by the teacher. Notes included descriptions and diagrams of seafloor features. The notes also provided information on SONAR Bathymetry.

Communication & Collaboration

Rating: Approaching – Explanation: Students established their own groups and created their own group norms in order to collect the data throughout the lab experiment. They decided who was going to be entering data and who was going to be taking the measurements. They created a methodical process to streamline the data collection. Many groups created smaller partnerships where one student would take and call out measurements while the other would enter data. This allowed the larger group to tackle two sets of data at the same time. The group dynamic and process was left up to the students.

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

Rating: Ideal – Explanation: Students reflected on their roles and problem solved issues with the initial instructions which will be used in future years. After collecting and entering some of the data students found an issue with the initial instructions and corrected them. They realized that measuring the length of the dowel inside of the box would cause their graph to be inverted. The problem was solved by measuring the length of the dowel that was left outside of the box, ensuring that the deepest section of the ocean would be the smallest bar on the graph. Once the first group realized this was an issue they shared that information with the rest of the class and then it was passed on to subsequent blocks. A small group of students also realized that not all of the rulers started at 0 and they needed to add a full centimeter to all of their measurements. They came to this realization after entering their data and noticing that every other row seemed to be a bit taller than the previous. This information was also shared with other groups and other classes.

Creativity & Innovation

Rating: Approaching – Explanation: Students analyzed trends and made predictions that inspire new solutions to authentic tasks. They worked on this class assignment that blended technology and limited aspects of personal choice to generate new ideas and products. Students were able to create 3-Dimensional graphs that rotate to see the entire picture of the “sea floor.”