Students begin by exploring the canyon's deep sea habitats. By clicking on objects in different rooms aboard the ship, students access video, text and data as they investigate this little-known habitat. Students record new information found and note topics for possible follow-up later on. After students have spent time exploring the canyon and asking questions, they focus their thoughts on a testable question.
Students decide how to test their hypotheses and what materials are needed.
ECO is a personal, on-line notebook that is accessible throughout the site. Students take notes and paste images into their ECO for later use in analyzing data, drawing conclusions and publishing their findings. ECO is divided into Explore, Research and Publish sections, following the same layout as the site.