Photo by mana5280 on Unsplash Did you know that Sea Otters have a whole week dedicated to their awareness?? That’s because these animals play an important role in keeping their ecosystem healthy and balanced! It doesn't hurt that they are also VERY cute! Sea Otter Awareness Week runs September 20 - 26 this year (2026). In celebration, here is a short article (below) you can read with your students on sea otters and how important they are to a kelp forest. At the end of this

This summer, the CDC reported a surge in the number of cyclosporiasis cases across the US. Read the following article to learn more about Cyclospora, the "explosive diarrhea" parasite causing the outbreak, and how it spreads. Afterwards, download our FREE Cyclosporiasis Outbreak Resource (PDF) to practice reading and interpreting graphs with real world data in your classroom!

We have plants to thank for the oxygen gas that we rely on to survive. About half comes from the plants we see around us while the other half is contributed by microscopic algae in the ocean called phytoplankton1. All these organisms go through a process called photosynthesis, where carbon dioxide, water and sunlight are utilized to form oxygen and glucose. But what if there is a different source that we weren’t aware? In 2013, scientists studying marine ecosystems in the Cla