Exploring Deep-Sea Ecosystems: Digital Tools for Grades 6-12

Bring deep-sea science to life through free, classroom-ready digital resources designed to engage students in real-world ocean exploration. This interactive virtual session introduces Exploring the Blake Plateau, an educational series from EarthEcho International developed in partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council. The Blake Plateau is a biologically rich yet largely unexplored deep-sea coral ecosystem off the southeastern United States, offering a compelling context for teaching biodiversity, Earth systems, and human impacts on the ocean.

Participants will experience a hands-on preview of activities from Exploring the Blake Plateau. Participants will engage with a simulated remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dive, analyzing a video feed from the Blake Plateau while using a structured Dive Log worksheet to observe and document what scientists see. Then, participants will explore the human history of the region by investigating known shipwrecks in and around the Blake Plateau, using a guided comparison activity to analyze two wreck sites. Together, these activities highlight the importance of scientific exploration, discovery, historical preservation, and the human connection to deep-sea environments, while modeling inquiry-based strategies that support observation, analysis, and evidence-based discussion.

Aligned with NGSS and Ocean Literacy Principles, the resources are designed for grades 6–12 and adaptable across a range of instructional settings. Educators will also learn about upcoming Fall 2026 content, including virtual events that connect classrooms with scientists, cultural leaders, and youth advocates working in ocean conservation. Participants will leave with practical instructional strategies, sample activities, and ideas for using technology to inspire curiosity, build ocean literacy, and empower students to explore the unseen depths of our ocean.

Participants will experience a hands-on preview of Chapter 1 activities, including the use of digital mapping tools to locate and analyze the Blake Plateau and a structured ecosystem comparison activity that helps students examine similarities and differences between deep-sea and shallow-water coral environments. The session models inquiry-based strategies that support geographic reasoning, systems thinking, and evidence-based discussion, while demonstrating how digital tools can deepen student engagement in virtual or in-person classrooms.

Aligned with NGSS and Ocean Literacy Principles, the resources are designed for grades 5–12 and adaptable across a range of instructional settings. Educators will also learn about upcoming Fall 2026 content, including virtual events that connect classrooms with scientists, cultural leaders, and youth advocates working in ocean conservation. Participants will leave with practical instructional strategies, sample activities, and ideas for using technology to inspire curiosity, build ocean literacy, and empower students to explore the unseen depths of our ocean.

Want more sessions to choose from? Check out all of the free, for-credit webinars in Share My Lesson's Summer of Learning 2026 series.

Executive summary from On24 AI:

Earth Echo International introduced the Blake Plateau, a deep-sea region off the U.S. Southeast coast that includes the world’s largest known continuous deep-sea coral ecosystem and holds major cultural significance as an underwater graveyard tied to the Gullah Geechee and the Middle Passage. 

The session previewed a free, standards-aligned digital education series for grades 6–12, developed with NRDC, designed to address common barriers to teaching deep-sea science by giving students virtual ways to observe and analyze real exploration data. The series will deliver three monthly chapters—ecosystem foundations, ocean technology and careers with structured dive-log observations, and human-ocean connections including shipwreck investigations—supported by slide decks, teacher notes, vocabulary, and references, plus virtual events that connect classrooms with scientists involved in Blake Plateau research.