Caveat Academy course · Grades 8 to 12

Marine Biology

A semester course on life in the sea, from plankton and coral partnerships to deep-sea light and fishery science. Six modules you work through at your own pace, with checks in every lesson and a certificate at the end.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the STEM explorations set, $49 for 9 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 13 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: The ocean as a place to live

    Describe the sea floor and the ocean's zones, and compute pressure at depth from the rule of about 1 atmosphere per 10 meters.

    • One world ocean
    • Seawater: salt, temperature and pressure
    • Light and the zones of the sea
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Drifters, producers and invertebrates

    Classify marine organisms with scientific names and dichotomous keys, and explain the role of plankton and upwelling in ocean productivity.

    • Naming and sorting marine life
    • Plankton and the producers of the sea
    • Animals without backbones
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Fishes, reptiles, birds and mammals

    Compare fishes, marine reptiles, seabirds and marine mammals by how they breathe, sense, stay buoyant and stay warm, and compute distances from echoes.

    • Fishes
    • Sea turtles, marine reptiles and seabirds
    • Marine mammals
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Marine ecosystems

    Analyze food webs with the 10 percent rule and explain trophic cascades in kelp forests, coral bleaching and chemosynthesis at vents.

    • Food webs and the flow of energy
    • Coral reefs and kelp forests
    • Shores, estuaries and the deep sea
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Adaptations: how marine life solves problems

    Explain adaptations for buoyancy, darkness, cold and migration, and compute density to predict whether an object floats.

    • Floating, sinking and moving
    • Life in the dark and the cold
    • Migration, reproduction and life cycles
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: People and the ocean

    Evaluate fishery rules and the causes of warming, acidification and dead zones, and estimate populations with quadrats and mark and recapture.

    • Fisheries and sustainable seafood
    • Pollution, warming and acidification
    • How marine scientists study the sea
    about 2.2 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 6 · How marine scientists study the sea

Worked example: tagged crabs

  1. A team tags 60 shore crabs and releases them.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Enrichment · STEM ExplorationsAlso for Academics · High School$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished semester of marine biology: you can describe the ocean’s zones and the main groups of marine life, explain food webs, coral bleaching, kelp-forest cascades and vent chemosynthesis, compute pressure, echo distance, density and population estimates, and weigh how fishing, warming and acidification change the sea. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 8 to 12 taking marine biology on their own, previewing a school course or exploring an interest; homeschool families who want a complete semester unit. Written for a capable middle or high school reader; the math is arithmetic and percentages.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 145 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 13 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the STEM explorations set ($49) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The STEM Explorations space in Caveat Enrichment; also listed for the High School space in Caveat Academics (the same course serves the high school Marine Biology title).
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. NOAA Ocean Service, ocean facts and education pages: oceanservice.noaa.gov
  2. NOAA Ocean Exploration, deep-sea zones, hydrothermal vents and bioluminescence: oceanexplorer.noaa.gov
  3. NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, ocean acidification: pmel.noaa.gov/co2
  4. Smithsonian Ocean, marine life and ecosystems: ocean.si.edu
  5. FAO, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (free report): fao.org/publications

Marine Biology is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical one-semester course but does not replace a school course, award credit or substitute for supervised lab or field work. Example numbers in worked examples are labeled as examples. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.