Our last day of class for the school year! We brought everything together in this last lesson with our animal presentations and the creation of a tidepool food web. Each student brought a 3D representation of the animal they chose last week, as well as their completed posters. In class, we looked at how these animals all interact. They each presented their animal, telling us about their habitat, adaptations for survival, and predator/prey relationships. They placed their animal on our tidepool model when they were done and soon, we had a tidal zone with crabs, anemones, a sea urchin, octopus, hairy chiton, seal, and black oyster catcher. We added in a few extras (plankton, algae, and a few more common invertebrates) and then the fun began. Using yarn, the students connected their species with all those that they ate, and that ate them. It didn't take long to have a mess of yarn going all over the tide pool because these animals are so dependent on one another to survive. species being wiped out by an algae bloom. Each situation required them to look at the food chain and decide which species would be affected and then remove the corresponding Jenga blocks, or in some cases, replace a block for a species that was thriving. We saw a lot of fluctuations and the tower crashing when too many species are lost is an important visual for what goes on in our oceans and all over the planet.
I'm so proud of all these kids and the hard work and insights and enthusiasm they have brought to class this year. We've had a lot of fun exploring biology together and starting little sparks of interest surrounding these different topics. I hope everyone stays curious this summer and comes back with new observations and questions in the fall!
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We had a really small group in class this week, but it worked out okay with the activities planned. We talked a little about food webs: producers (the organisms that can make their own food--plants!) and consumers (the ones that eat the plants, and each other). Then, half the group worked with an interactive food web situation on Gizmos while the other half chose an animal from the coastal region to research. After 30 minutes, they switched. The food web activity let the students manipulate the populations of organisms in a simple food chain and then see the effect over time. After playing around with it for a few minutes, they made predictions and then recorded the results after testing them. It was a good demonstration of how key each organism is to the survival of all the others. Each student chose from a list of animals that could be found in the tide pools or nearby area--sea anemones, limpets, hermit crab, seals. They spent time in class creating a poster with facts about their animal's habitat and personal food chain--what they eat and what eats them. They also drew a picture and were given a homework assignment to either copy that picture or create a 3-D representation of their animal for our class food web that we will create next week.
Videos: Life In Between the Tides The intertidal food web Ecological Relationships Our favorite Amoeba Sisters are back! This explores the relationships between populations in an ecosystem. Activities: Animal Adaptation Poster This link is to the poster we are creating for our animals. If you have an animal lover, let them make these for a variety of animals--maybe all the animals to show a food web, or covering animals that you encounter throughout the year. Peruvian Food Chain Jenga This looks like an awesome way to look at food chains, and have fun at the same time. What demonstrates the delicate balance with an ecosystem better than Jenga? A good spring low tide was the perfect opportunity for us to see some of the animals and their adaptations in person. We ended up with about half the class being able to come on this field trip and they all had a great time exploring the tide pools. I made an identification card they could use as they discovered some of the more common inhabitants in this area. We found just about everything on the card. I also challenged the students to spend awhile looking for examples of the different adaptations that we talked about the day before--they found crabs hiding in crevices, sea stars clinging to the underside of the rock walls, limpets clamped down in their home scar to preserve water. It was the perfect hands-on activity to follow up our lesson the day before. I also asked that they try sitting and observing a small area for at least 10 minutes. This is one of my favorite activities to do in any natural setting. When we slow down and are quiet, we realize how much is going on around us. Crabs come out of their hiding spots, we can see snails and limpets and other slow moving creatures traveling, and sometimes we're even awarded with a battle between prey and predator. (Photo credits to Charlotte and Zac who took some of the pictures of the organisms below.) Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Website There is all types of information on this site, including many resources and guides for teaching about this area.
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Suggestions of other tide pools in the area. his week, we zoomed into one of the areas of the ocean that we can explore here in California--the rocky intertidal zone. After a couple quick review activities exploring pressure and upwelling, we began to discuss the many challenges of living in an habitat that is constantly changing like the tide pools. The students did a great job brainstorming the different reasons why this can be a very harsh environment.
Then, we discussed the ways these animals have adapted to this life. Barnacles and mussels cement themselves to the rocks. Sea anemones can cover themselves with bits of shells. Boring clams and sea urchins can actually carve out a space in the rock that fits them perfectly! We ended class with a video on the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, getting a little glimpse into what we might find on our field trip the next day. Videos: Fitzgerald Marine Reserve--A look at what types of animals live in the tidepools at Fitzgerald. Octopus Walks on Land--Someone videoed the octopus they found at Fitzgerald. Intertidal Biome--A look at what causes tides and what it's like to live there. Articles: Sea Star Bodies Territorial Behavior of Anemones Activities: Exploring Ocean Waves This hands-on activity explores the energy in waves and erosion. Sea Star Adaptations A fun, interactive look at the various adaptations that help the sea star survive. We shifted gears this month and will be studying the ocean and the organisms that have the ability to live there.
We followed up the jars with a deeper discussion on the conditions at each level--temperature, light, pressure, and what life might be found in that zone. This laid the foundation for the rest of the conversations we will have this month.
Videos: How Deep Does the Ocean Go? This short animation will give some perspective to the depth of the ocean. Challenges of the Deep This video is from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and more scientific (and probably accurate :)) than the video I showed at the end of class, which had a lot of theoretical ideas of what might be at the bottom of the ocean. Deepest Part of the Ocean This is a 45 minute documentary from Advexon Science Network that explores the Mariana Trench. |
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May 2020
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