LESSON 1:

OCEAN DWELLERS

INTRODUCTION

The importance of ocean currents for 

marine life is clear. Ocean currents serve 

as nurseries for some animals while others 

spend their whole lives in them. There 

are a variety of plants and animals that 

live in and around the currents, and this 

biodiversity shows how important the 

ocean and its currents are for so many 

living things. 

LESSON SUMMARY

In this lesson, small groups of students use 

card sets to learn about some of the plants 

and animals that live in the ocean. They 

explore where the living thing lives, what it 

looks like and where it gets its energy. They 

share information with classmates as they 

place picture cards on a chart to show the 

depth at which the living thing lives in the 

ocean. 

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OBJECTIVES

• Students will explore the living things 

that live in the ocean, including what 

they look like, where they live, and their 

predator-prey relationships. 

• Students will learn that different living 

things primarily live at particular depths 

in the ocean.

ESTIMATED TIME

45 minutes. If you would like to complete 

this lesson over 2 days, complete steps 1-3 

on day 1 and the remainder of the lesson 

on day 2.

STANDARDS ADDRESSED

Science (NGSS): 2-LS4-1. Make 

observations of plants and animals to 

compare the diversity of life in different 

habitats.
OCEAN LITERACY 

PRINCIPLES

5a Ocean life ranges in size from the 

smallest living things, microbes, to the 

largest animal on Earth, blue whales.

5d Most of the major groups that exist on 

Earth are found exclusively in the ocean 

and the diversity of major groups of 

organisms is much greater in the ocean 

than on land. 

5e The ocean provides a vast living space 

with diverse and unique ecosystems.

FOCUS QUESTION

How are living things that live in the ocean 

similar to and different from each other?

MATERIALS

• Ocean Dwellers card sets, see 

“Preparation”

• Ocean Depth Chart master, see 

“Preparation” for options on how to 

create the chart and the materials 

needed

• Tape 

• Plain paper, one sheet per student

• Pencils, pens, markers, and/or crayons

PREPARATION

• Print and cut apart the Ocean Dwellers 

card sets. Each set should have 4 

cards about the same living thing–a 

card about what it looks like, a card 

about where it gets its energy, a card 

about where it lives, and a card with 

a picture of it. Three of the cards have 

information and one is a picture of 

the plant or animal. Each group of 3 

students should get 1 set of 4 cards 

about a living thing. Students will use 

these sets of cards and will place the 

picture of the living thing on a chart to 

show how deep in the ocean it lives.

• If you are not able to project the Ocean 

Depth Chart master attached to this 

lesson, or if you prefer to make a larger 

chart, you can create your own by 

using three colors of construction or 

butcher paper. Create a large rectangle 

of “ocean” with the bottom third of 

the rectangle made from black paper 

to represent the midnight zone of the 

ocean, the middle third made from dark 

blue paper to represent the twilight 

zone, and the top third made from 

paper that is a lighter blue color to 

represent the sunlight zone. Students 

will need to place 10 cards with pictures 

of living things on the chart to show the 

depth at which they live, so ensure that 

the overall rectangle is large enough for 

them to easily tape approximately 3-5 

cards per depth level. Add water depth 

labels along the left side, as shown on 

the Ocean Depth Chart master. 

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FACILITATION

Step 1. Ask students if they know any 

plants or animals that live in the ocean. 

Have them brainstorm their ideas. They 

may come up with some ideas, such as 

sharks, whales, or jellyfish, depending 

on their experience with the ocean. The 

students may not have many ideas at this 

point. Even if that is the case, do not try to 

prompt them as they will have a chance to 

learn about different living things through 

this activity. Tell students that they are 

going to have a chance to learn about some 

different plants and animals that live in the 

ocean and to share what they learn with 

their classmates. 

Step 2. Have students work in groups 

of 3. Give each group a set of Ocean 

Dweller cards about one living thing (see 

“Preparation” for more information). Tell 

them that one student will describe the 

plant or animal, one will describe what it 

eats and what eats it, and one will share 

where it lives. They will need to be able to 

place the card with the picture of the living 

thing on the class Ocean Depth Chart (see 

Preparation). 

Step 3. Give students time to read their 

cards to their group and make sure they 

know what the information means. Your 

students may have different levels of 

understanding about the animals listed on 

the energy cards (1 of the 4 types of cards in 

the Ocean Dwellers card set), depending on 

their prior knowledge and experience.

Circulate around the room discussing their 

ideas about the cards and determining if 

they need additional information about 

any of the animals. The Monterey Bay 

Aquarium has an Animals A to Z webpage

(https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/

animals/animals-a-to-z) that you can share 

with students to show them pictures and 

descriptions of animals with which they are 

not familiar. 

Step 4. Have each group share what is on 

their cards and tape the plant or animal 

picture in the right level of the Ocean Depth 

Chart to show where the living thing lives. 

As students are putting their animals on 

the chart, share that there are three main 

zones in the ocean where animals live. You 

may wish to add labels with the name of 

the three zones that are represented on the 

chart.

• The sunlight zone is from the surface 

of the water to about 650 feet deep. 

This is the zone where sunlight can still 

reach. It also has warmer temperatures 

because of heat from the sun. 

• The twilight zone reaches from about 

650 feet deep to about 3,300 feet deep. 

In this depth zone, any sunlight is very 

faint. Plants would no longer be able to 

make food in this zone because there is 

not enough light. 
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• The midnight zone reaches from about 

3,300 feet to a little over 13,000 feet 

deep. The only visible light at this depth 

is made by animals themselves because 

light cannot reach this depth. 

• Beyond the midnight zone (and not 

represented on the chart in this lesson), 

there is the abyssal zone, or the abyss, 

where the water is near freezing and few 

animals can survive the pressure, and 

the hadal zone, which reaches into the 

deep trenches in the ocean. 

Step 5. Once all the animals are on the 

Ocean Depth Chart, ask students to look 

for similarities between some of the living 

things. They might choose 2-3 plants and 

animals that live in the same level of the 

ocean, animals that are similar colors, or 

other similar features. Encourage them to 

use the names of the plants and animals 

as much as possible and to share their 

similarities in a complete sentence. 

Step 6. Next, have students find differences 

between some of the living things. They 

might find plants and animals that 

have different body shapes, that live in 

different levels, or other differences. Again, 

encourage them to use the names of the 

plants and animals in complete sentences 

as they share their differences. 

Step 7. Ask students to draw 2 of the 

living things on a piece of paper and label 

them. At the bottom have students write 

a sentence that starts with one of the 

following stems. 

• These living things are alike because 

_____.

• These living things are different 

because _____.

Step 8. Lesson Summary: Ask students to 

think of their favorite plant or animal. Then 

have them think of three ways that plant or 

animal is similar to or different from a plant 

or animal that they learned about in this 

lesson. You can ask the students to focus 

specifically on the plant or animal that the 

small group they were in learned about, or 

to simply pick one of the plants or animals 

they heard about during the lesson.
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EXTENSION

Have students choose a plant or animal that lives in the ocean and do research to describe it, list 

what it eats and what eats it, and how deep in the ocean it lives. Discuss the diversity, or the many 

kinds of plants and animals that live in the ocean. Some NOAA resources that teachers may use to 

guide their student’s research include the following.

• Marine Life Resource Collections (https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/ marine-life)

• Regional Activity Books (https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/regional-activity-books. html)

• National Marine Sanctuaries Resources (https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/education/students/)

• Estuary Education Resources (https://coast.noaa.gov/estuaries/curriculum/index/students/)
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OCEAN DEPTH CHART
OCEAN DWELLERS CARD SET

Kelp: What does it look 

like? 

Kelp are large, brown algae, 

which are a type of seaweed. 

They make their own food, 

like land plants, and can form 

forests underground. The 

forests help to protect many 

animals. The animals can 

hide from rough storms or 

other animals.

Kelp: How does it get 

energy? What gets 

energy from it? 

Kelp and other algae are like 

underwater plants because 

they get their energy from the 

Sun. It grows in shallow water 

so sunlight can reach it. 

Some of the animals that 

eat kelp are sea urchins, sea 

otters, and spiny lobsters.

Kelp: Where does it live?

Kelp lives in shallow, cold, 

open water. They usually 

grow in the ocean between 49 

and 131 feet deep.

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OCEAN DWELLERS CARD SET

Giant Pacific Octopus: 

What does it look like? 

Giant Pacific Octopuses 

have very large heads and 

eight legs. They are usually 

a reddish-brown color. 

They can change colors and 

textures to blend in with what 

is around them. 

Giant Pacific Octopus: 

How does it get energy? 

What gets energy from 

it? 

Giant Pacific Octopuses hunt 

at night. They mostly eat 

shrimp, clams, lobsters and 

fish. 

Some animals that eat Giant 

Pacific Octopuses are seals, 

sea otters, sharks and large 

fish.

Giant Pacific Octopus: 

Where does it live?

Giant Pacific Octopuses get 

their name because they live 

in the Pacific Ocean. They live 

in shallow water to almost a 

mile deep. Most often, they 

live in water about 16 feet 

deep. 

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OCEAN DWELLERS CARD SET

Anglerfish: What does it 

look like? 

Anglerfish have large heads 

and sharp teeth that are seethrough. These fish are dark 

gray or dark brown. They 

range in size from 1 foot to 3 

1⁄2 feet.

Anglerfish: How does it 

get energy? What gets 

energy from it? 

Anglerfish eat shrimp, small 

squid, turtles, and small fish. 

They are not picky and will 

eat almost anything that will 

fit in their mouths.

In general, anglerfish do not 

have predators that eat them. 

Humans can catch and eat 

them.

Anglerfish: Where does 

it live?

Anglerfish live in the Atlantic 

and Antarctic Oceans. Some 

live in shallow water. Most of 

them live up to a mile (5,280 

feet) deep in the ocean where 

no sunlight can reach. 

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OCEAN DWELLERS CARD SET

Tube Worm: What does 

it look like? 

There are different kinds of 

tube worms. The tube worms 

that live in the Gulf of Mexico 

can grow to be 10 feet long. 

They grow slowly and can live 

over 250 years. They live in 

clusters of hundreds of tube 

worms. The tube worms are 

white with red at the end. 

They do not have mouths, 

eyes, or stomachs. 

Tube Worm: How does 

it get energy? What gets 

energy from it? 

Tube worms get energy from 

bacteria that live within their 

bodies. The tube worms live 

in places where their bacteria 

get what they need to make 

energy. The tube worms and 

bacteria live together so both 

get what they need. 

Many kinds of fish eat tube 

worms to get energy.

Tube Worm: Where does 

it live?

There are many different 

types of tube worms. One 

type of tube worm lives in 

the Gulf of Mexico. It stays at 

about 2,000 feet deep. 

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OCEAN DWELLERS CARD SET

Jellies: What does it 

look like? 

Jellyfish are dome-shaped 

bodies with tentacles. They 

do not have spines, so jellies 

are a better name for them 

than jellyfish. The smallest 

jellies are about half an inch 

wide. The largest can be 6 feet 

wide. The tentacles on these 

large jellies can be more than 

49 feet long! 

Jellies: How does it 

get energy? What gets 

energy from it? 

Jellies eat almost anything 

they run into. Most eat 

plankton, which are tiny living 

things that drift along in the 

water. Larger jellies can also 

eat small fish and shrimp.

Sea turtles, fish, and even 

other jellies get their energy 

from eating them.

Jellies: Where does it 

live?

Jellies are found in all of the 

world’s oceans. They are 

found in shallow and deep 

water, between 985 feet and 

4,500 feet deep. 

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OCEAN DWELLERS CARD SET

Horseshoe Crab: What 

does it look like? 

Horseshoe crabs have a 

hard, rounded shell that is 

brownish-green. They have 10 

legs and 10 eyes. Females can 

be 18-19 inches long while 

males are a little smaller. 

They are tan to dark brown in 

color.

Horseshoe Crab: How 

does it get energy? What 

gets energy from it? 

Horseshoe crabs eat small 

clams, worms, and algae. 

They do not have teeth, so 

they crush their food with 

their legs before they put it in 

their mouths. 

Sharks, sea turtles, and 

seagulls eat horseshoe crabs. 

Horseshoe crab eggs are also 

an important food for these 

animals.

Horseshoe Crab: Where 

does it live?

Horseshoe crabs live in the 

Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, 

and Indian Ocean. Adults 

prefer shallower water, up to 

90 feet deep. 

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OCEAN DWELLERS CARD SET

Clownfish: What does it 

look like? 

Clownfish are yellow, orange, 

or a reddish color. Many of 

them have white stripes. They 

are usually 3-6 inches long. 

Clownfish: How does it 

get energy? What gets 

energy from it? 

Clownfish mostly eat 

plankton and algae. They can 

eat other small foods in the 

ocean.

Clownfish are food for large 

fish, eels and sharks. 

Clownfish: Where does 

it live?

Clownfish live in the Indian 

Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and 

along the Great Barrier Reef. 

They are usually found in 

shallow water, from about 

three feet to about 40 feet 

deep. 

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OCEAN DWELLERS CARD SET

Sea Lion: What does it 

look like? 

Sea lions are large animals. 

California Sea Lion males 

are up to 8 feet long and can 

weigh up to 660 pounds! They 

have short, thick hair and a 

big chest and belly. They can 

walk on all 4 flippers. 

Sea Lion: How does it 

get energy? What gets 

energy from it? 

Sea lions eat fish, squid,and 

octopus. 

Sea lions are large animals. 

Their predators are orcas and 

sharks. 

Sea Lion: Where does it 

live?

Sea lions live along the coasts 

of North and South America, 

Australia and Asia. They live 

in shallow water but can dive 

as deep as 600 feet to get fish 

and squid. 

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OCEAN DWELLERS CARD SET

Orca Whale: What does 

it look like? 

Orcas are very large. Males 

are 20 to 26 feet long and can 

weigh up to 12,000 pounds. 

They have black on the upper 

side of their bodies. They are 

white on the underside of 

their bodies. 

Orca Whale: How does 

it get energy? What gets 

energy from it? 

Orcas get energy from eating 

fish, birds, sea turtles and 

other animals. 

Orcas are large and do not 

have any predators.

Orca Whale: Where does 

it live?

Orcas live all over the world. 

They can live in different 

temperatures of water. 

Scientists think that they 

mostly live between 850 to 

1,500 feet deep in the water. 

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OCEAN DWELLERS CARD SET

Blacktip Reef Shark: 

What does it look like? 

Blacktip Reef Sharks have 

dark backs and white bellies. 

They also have black tips on 

their fins. They have short, 

round snouts and teeth that 

look like a saw. 

Blacktip Reef Shark: 

How does it get energy? 

What gets energy from 

it? 

Blacktip Reef Sharks mainly 

eat fish.

Other sharks and large 

grouper fish can eat the 

Blacktip Reef Sharks for 

energy.

Blacktip Reef Shark: 

Where does it live?

Blacktip Reef Sharks live 

in the Pacific Ocean along 

Thailand, Japan, the 

Philippines and Australia. 

They can also live in the 

Indian Ocean. These sharks 

live in water from about 65 to 

250 feet deep. 

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