COURSE TITLE OCEANOGRAPHY
COMPUTER TITLE OCEANOGRAPHY
COMPUTER CODE SCZ603
GRADE LEVEL 10-12
PREREQUISITE RECOMMENDED BUT NOT REQUIRED BIOLOGY
LENGTH OF COURSE 18-36 weeks
Laboratory Requirement: Students who take this course spend a minimum of 30% of their time engaged in laboratory exercises.
Major Concepts/Content: Oceanography is designed to be an elective course examining the contributions of physics, chemistry, geology, and biology to an understanding of the oceans. Information is presented in an integrated approach with science as inquiry, science & technology, science & social perspectives, and the history & nature of science. The course integrates unifying science concepts and processes of systems, order & organization, evidence, models & explanation, change, consistency & equilibrium, and form & function.
Scientific inquiry and understanding about inquiry are emphasized through practical implications and meaningful applications. Topics students study include plate tectonics, properties of sea water (e.g., salinity, temperature, density, and minerals of the oceans), Coriolis force, currents and circulation in the world oceans, tides and waves, estuarine types, marine biological issues and history, instrumentation, and experimental methods of oceanography.
Major Instructional Activities: Based on the philosophy that scientific knowledge is best acquired through inquiry, the course uses a variety of techniques to introduce, stimulate, explore, and reinforce major scientific concepts, theories, principles, and skills.
Instructional activities are staged in appropriate settings including laboratories, classrooms, forms of technology, and field studies. Teaching strategies include investigations, demonstrations, discussions, and hands-on/minds-on experiences.
Major Evaluation Techniques: All aspects (e.g., ability to inquire, scientific understanding of the natural world, and understanding of the nature and utility of science) of progress in science are measured using multiple methods such as individual and group performances, projects, interviews, reports, student-generated works, and/or conventional testing.
Essential Objectives: Upon completion of Oceanography, students should be able to: