A special thanks goes out to the Epsilon Agency for creating this new promo video for Phyto Heroes. We’re also working on an Android version of the game to be released later this Fall!
Welcome to the home of the Phyto Heroes!
Phyto Heroes is a game about phytoplankton. These tiny creatures are invisible to the human eye but make half our worlds oxygen while also feeding the oceans creatures. Oceanic Scales has expanded to include an educational app / game titled “Phyto Heroes” that explores phytoplankton as a STEM to STEAM research subject through an interactive…
Phyto Heroes launched on the App Store
Phyto Heroes has officially been launched on the Apple App Store. Download and install on any IOS device, but it particularly works well on IPads with their larger screen real-estate for interaction / game play. This project is the result of a collaboration between the Coaction Lab at the University of Maine, Openlab Research at…
Lesson Plan #10 – Cause & Effect = Solutions (Part 1 & 2)
PDF DOWNLOAD: LESSON PLAN #10 BIG IDEA Students will reflect on why the health of phytoplankton is so vitally important to our planet and create a cause and effect chart that categorizes all of the human activities that are contributing to environmental problems for phytoplankton with possible solutions. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Why are phytoplankton considered the…
Lesson Plan #9 – Algal Bloom Research
PDF DOWNLOAD: LESSON PLAN #9 BIG IDEA Students will understand that human choices greatly affect our natural waterways by observing what chemicals do to phytoplankton and other types of algae. BACKGROUND An algal bloom is a build up of usually microscopic algae growing out of control in a body of water. Algal blooms may occur…
Lesson Plan #8 – Watershed Clean Up
PDF DOWNLOAD: LESSON PLAN #8 BIG IDEA Students will understand how and why our pollution ends up in our natural waterways. BACKGROUND Wherever people live, there is a watershed. A watershed is an area where rain, snow and other water drains from the land into a common waterway. Drainage systems are part of every watershed…
Lesson Plan #7 – Future City Renewable Energy Plan
PDF DOWNLOAD: LESSON PLAN #7 BIG IDEA Students will gain an understanding towards the difference between non-renewable and renewable resources and why it’s important to shift our thinking to use more renewable resources. BACKGROUND Renewable energy are forms of power that do not become “used up”. For example, solar power from the sun and wind…
Lesson Plan #6 – Experimenting with PH
PDF DOWNLOAD: LESSON PLAN #6 BIG IDEA Students will understand that the amount of CO2 absorbed by the ocean directly affects the PH balance of the water and the health of many marine species, especially those with a shell. BACKGROUND Ocean acidification happens when the pH (scale of acidity and alkalinity) changes and shows an…
Lesson Plan #5 – Understanding the Ocean Nutrient Cycle
PDF DOWNLOAD: LESSON PLAN #5 BIG IDEA Students will understand how upwelling affects the ocean nutrient cycle, which therefore allows phytoplankton to utilize the nutrients into energy. ENGAGE Students will be introduced to the idea of conducting their own scientific experiment to teach themselves about the ocean’s nutrient cycle. DISCUSS/EXPLORE Students will break up into…
Lesson Plan #4 – The Power of Recycling Graph
PDF DOWNLOAD: LESSON PLAN #4 BIG IDEA Students will gain an understanding of how and why recycling helps our environment while recording and comparing conscious choices they are personally making while setting goals for the future. ENGAGE Students will begin by taking a short T/F quiz as a preview to the information they will be…
Lesson Plan #3 – Microplastic Solutions
PDF DOWNLOAD: LESSON PLAN #3 BIG IDEA Students will gain an understanding of the complex problem of micro plastics in the ocean and how it affects the marine food web. ENGAGE Students will begin by taking a short T/F quiz as a preview to the information they will be learning. It is highly encouraged for…