The CLEO Program offers educational modules that consist of three segments: background information of the science behind the instrument, a classroom experiment, and a teacher's section. Students plot and manipulate the data, and witness events live on the internet via a Coral Cam. Links to further reference and educational materials are also available. Module topics include coral spawning, coral bleaching, ... Full description.

EPA's home page on coral reef protection activities, including The International Coral Reef Initiative, and The Coral Reef Symposium. A tremendous resource for educators interested in coral reef basics through advanced topics such as coral reef ecology and legislation. Site includes peer-reviewed journal articles, factsheets, maps, and video. The Links section is packed with extensive coral reef information ... Full description.

This resource features three sections devoted to learning about coral reefs: an online tutorial, an educational roadmap to resources, and formal lesson plans. The tutorial presents an overview of coral biology and threats to coral reefs. Topics include characteristics of corals, the relationship of corals and zooxanthellae, stony corals and reef formation, the importance of coral reefs, and natural ... Full description.

This reference describes the relationship between reef formation and sea level, how it can be used to detect ancient changes in sea level, and how it might be used to predict the results of future increases in sea level. Topics include the coral environment, how reefs respond to changes in sea level, and how limestone forms. There is also an activity in which students use maps of present and past ... Full description.

This slide show was designed specifically for secondary schools. It contains comprehensive text and colorful images that help illustrate many aspects of tropical marine ecosystems, including the anatomy and physiology of corals, ecology of coral reefs, and habitat destruction. In addition to discussing the ecological aspects of coral reefs, this slide set also addresses topics in climatology giving ... Full description.

This website provides a search engine for exploring data resources on coral reefs maintained by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Resources include literature, data, and photographs from NOAA's coral reef research, other coral reef websites, and conferences and workshops that are significant to the coral reef community. An extensive glossary is included. Full description.

In this lesson students investigate the formation of the Hawaiian archipelago to see what geological processes produced the different physical forms seen among the Hawaiian Islands. Students will be able to describe eight stages in the formation of islands in the Hawaiian archipelago and will describe the movement of tectonic plates in the region including submarine volcanic eruptions, caldera formation, ... Full description.

This lesson addresses the environmental importance of coral reefs and the threats to the conservation of reefs. Through the process of gathering geographic information about a place (in this case, the Great Barrier Reef), students will learn how a geographic focus can sharpen their insights about a conservation issue. Full description.

The Smithsonian has produced this excellent resource that compares the rocky shore environment of Maine to the coral reef environment of the Caribbean. Lesson plans are on the webpages, and maps and activity sheets are available in PDF format. Full description.

The different shades in these images highlight various features specific to each coral colony. Patches of bright red show places where coral reefs are actively populated with living organisms. Full description.