Marine Communities - Teacher's Guide |
Episode Overview In the opening segment Patrice looks at how life in the ocean is organized in layers. Next Patrice and Dave examine life in a tide pool. Then we take an up-close look at estuaries. Jessica and Daniel are going to spend the day in an estuary at the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve in Maine monitoring soft shell clams and green crab experiments with Caitlin Mullen and Lindsay Whitlow.
Program ObjectivesStudents will:1. Understand that environments support a diversity of living organisms that all share limited resources. 2. Describe the water cycle. 3. State the role water plays in sustaining life. 4. Describe how ocean life varies depending of sunlight and depth of the water. 5. Describe adaptations exhibited by marine life. Vocabulary
Previewing ActivityGive the students one minute to list all the marine organisms they can. After the students have made their lists, have them identify where those organisms live. Post-Viewing Activities1. Have students select a marine environment to research. After they have researched their environment, have them create a poster or diorama of their environment. 2. Have students create four imaginary organisms that could survive in the Aphotic, Euphotic, Disphotic and intertidal zones. Have them explain, either in writing or in an oral presentation, the adaptations that would help their organisms survive in each of those environments. Hands-On: Soaking It UpIn this episode of NatureWorks, students learned how estuaries absorb floodwaters and filter out pollution. In this activity they will create a simulated estuary with sponges. Materials Neededwater ProcedurePass out two cups and a sponge to each student or group of students. Fill one cup with water, add food coloring and place a mark on the cup to indicate the water level. Place a sponge over the second cup and slowly pour the water from the first cup into the second cup. For fun, you can add other "pollutants" to the water like dirt, glitter, vegetable oil an so forth. | Hands-On:Making WavesIn this episode of NatureWorks, students learned about marine environment. In this activity, students will make waves and observe wave action. Materials Neededwater ProcedureHave the students fill a soda bottle halfway with water. Then have them add about four drops of blue food coloring. Using a funnel, have your students fill the bottle the rest of the way with vegetable oil and then tightly cap the bottle. Finally have the students tip and tilt the bottles to make "waves." In the ocean, waves are caused by wind or in some cases underground earthquakes or volcanoes. For fun, students can add glitter to their wave bottles and glue on the caps for a permanent wave bottle. Additional ResourcesWeb Sites Voyage to the Deep Life Without Light In Search of Giant Squid Marine Specimens Database NOAA Photo Collection Ocean Planet Virtual Tidepool WhaleNet |