Scavenger Hunt Lesson Plan

OBJECTIVES
1. Students will familiarize themselves with the research being conducted on the Ronald H. Brown from San Diego, CA to the Galapagos Islands by completing a scavenger hunt using Mrs. Richards' daily logs.

2. The scavenger hunt will give the students an opportunity to interact with the daily logs posted on the web site, embedding the key points of the logs into their memories more effectively that if they had just read the logs.

AGE
Grades 8-12

TIME ALLOWANCE
2 hours

MATERIALS

• Printed hard copies of Mrs. Richards' daily logs- available at www.ogp.noaa.gov/epic
• Scavenger Hunt worksheet for each student
• Internet access for students to answer a couple of the scavenger hunt questions (one computer could be shared by the whole class)

INSTRUCTION:
1. This is lesson is intended for classrooms that have been following the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown on it's research cruise from San Diego, CA to the Galapagos Islands, September 5- October 6, 2001. If you have not been following the cruise, take a day or more to familiarize yourself and the students will the Teacher at Sea Program, Mrs. Richards' daily logs and photos, and videos posted on the web site at www.ogp.noaa.gov/epic

2. Hand out the worksheet to each student, or groups of students. Give them hard copy printouts of the daily logs (sitting them at the computer is not recommended because they could use the "Find" feature in the browser to give them an unfair advantage).

3. This activity would be best if designed as a game- the person to finish first gets a prize, the group that gets the most correct answers in a given period of time wins a prize, etc.

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT
Successful completion of the Scavenger Hunt Worksheet
PDF Version

Mrs. Richards has been sailing the Pacific Ocean and telling you all about the research and living conditions aboard the R/V Ronald H. Brown. Use her daily logs to complete the following.

Match the research group on the left with the key words on the right.

Place a star next to each group above whose research will help climate forecasting models.

Match the equipment on the left with one of the key things it measures on the right

11. Get on the internet and find a map of the world. Print it out, and circle San Diego, CA and the Galapagos Islands. Draw a line connecting the two.

12. What latitude and longitude will the ship be spending most of the cruise? 10oN, 95oW

13. What does the SeaWiFS satellite measure?

14. Find one person in your class who has spent at least one night on a boat.

15. The Ronald H. Brown was in the middle of a storm that evolved into Hurricane

16. How does the speed at which air heating over the ocean differs from air heating over land, and how does that impact the size of storms in the ocean versus over land?

17. What mysterious phenomena have some sailors seen at sunset?

18. Find two people in your class that have crossed the equator.

19. How is energy transferred from the air to the ocean?

20. Get on the internet and find a weather satellite photo that includes the latitude and longitude you answered for question #12. Print it out and attach it to this handout. (hint: try a Yahoo search of "NCAR RAP")

21. During what research operation are we most likely to see sharks?

22. What's the name of the equipment that uses liquid nitrogen, lots of lenses and mirrors, and a laser?

23. What is a gumby suit used for?

24. What does a sonic anemometer measure?

25. Pick a number between 2 and 9. Multiply it by 9. Add the two digits together. Subtract 5. Find the letter of the alphabet that corresponds with that number (ex. 1=A, 2=B, etc.). Find a country whose name starts with that letter of the alphabet. Take the second letter of that country name, and find an animal that starts with that letter. What animal did you pick? (ok, this has nothing to do with the research cruise, but one of the scientists taught it to me)

26. What is the name of the devices dropped by the airplanes that are flying near the ship?

27. What is an aerosol?

28. List 4 animals that have been seen on or near the ship.

29. What brand of ice cream is the freezer on the ship full of?

30. When people get used to being on a ship, and they no longer feel seasick, they have "sea legs." If you were a cartoon artist, what do you think sea legs would look like? Draw it in the space below.

Note for educators: Although Jennifer and Jane's reseearch cruise ended, the EPIC research continues. Please use this web site, Jennifer and Jane's lesson plans, daily logs, the videos, and the photos to educate your students about climate, El Niño, and scientific research in general.

Consider this web site, as well as the TAO web site, a resource for teaching your students.

Many organizations and countries are involved in funding the EPIC Experiment. Primary U. S. funding is provided by The National Science Foundation and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

This website is maintained and frequently updated by
NOAA's Office of Global Programs
ogpwebmaster@noaa.gov.

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