As we look at the evolution and importance of plants this week, let’s focus on some flowering plants that took an interesting step back into the water. Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) includes aquatic grasses- these are plants that grow almost completely in water (one genus produces flowers above the water- the rest have underwater flowers pollinated by water movement!) even though ancestral flowering plants evolved on land.

Dreaming of summer trips to the beach? This week we’re exploring different aspects of aquatic systems.

Our oceans provide food, fun, beautiful views- and they’re also a huge part of climate and weather conditions as ocean currents move both water and energy from place to place. Exploring the weather is a topic for another week, but today we’ll look at the factors that help create and direct currents.

Dreaming of summer trips to the beach? This week we’re exploring different aspects of aquatic systems.

Ocean tides are one of the most predictable natural phenomena. One cycle of tides occurs about every 25 hours, and the main cause of the rise and fall of the waves is the gravitational pull of the Moon. Since the Moon is the main reason we have tides, this leads us to the question: Is there a relationship between the phases of the Moon and Earth’s tides?

Investigate this question by analyzing data, graphing your findings, and creating a flip-book of your results!

This week’s Distance Learning theme is aquatics. For today’s lesson, we’re making connections between deep sea and deep space by exploring the “how” and “why” of underwater astronaut training. Let’s “dive in” and get started!