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Ocean Scenes and Coral Reefs
Students explore plants and animals that live at various ocean levels, including beaches and coral reefs. They demonstrate their comprehension of ocean layers and life with chalk drawings. Students draw details of plant and animal life,...
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Fragile Reefs
Students research how coral reefs form, where they are located, and what plant and animal species find shelter in reefs, build and display diorama to represent coral and animals that live in coral reef, and participate in discussion...
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How do living and non-living structures affect coral reef habitats?
Students create model coral reefs showing surface area and including examples of communities. In this coral reef activity, students research and explore the functions or benefits from a coral reef. Students design a benthic habitat....
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Art: Coral Reef Ala Oil
Students investigate Australia's Great Barrier Reef and create oil paintings of it. After their research, they apply various painting techniques to depict air bubbles, sun's radiation, and color blending. For older students, the...
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Who Has the Data? Monitoring Coral Reefs
Learners access data to characterize coral reefs. For this scientific research lesson, students access data and explain the need for such data when monitoring coral reefs. They will identify and explain three major threats to coral reefs.
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Coral Reefs, Polyps and Heads
Learners explore coral communities. They explore a coral polyp and build a coral head.
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Coral Reefs
Students examine the animals that live in a coral reef and how they adapt to their environment. In this coral lesson plan students write a short book on how animals inhabit the coral reefs.
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Design a Reef!
Middle schoolers explore coral reef ecosystems. In this ecosystems science lesson, students research coral reef ecosystems to determine the major functions the participating organisms must perform. Middle schoolers construct a...
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Coral Reef Ecology
Students explore coral life cycles. In this coral ecosystems lesson plan, students view videos explaining the life cycle of coral, including examples of sexual and asexual reproduction. Students read a related article cooperatively in...
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Treasures in Jeopardy
In small groups, middle schoolers research deep-sea coral reefs and design a poster to educate the public about their importance. They compare them to shallow-water reefs and consider the impact of bottom-trawl fishing. Many internet...
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Tropical Island
Students research information about a specific tropical island and locate it on a world map. They study details about coral reefs and other animal and plant life on the island and determine how ocean currents affect the island's climate.
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Sustainable Southern Belize: Coral Health Lesson Plan
Fifth graders investigate coral reefs and the dangers they face by labeling and drawing. In this oceanography lesson, 5th graders view a PowerPoint presentation of photographs of coral reefs in Belize. Students investigate and...
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Growing A Coral Skeleton
Students research the growth of coral. In this coral polyps lesson, students simulate the growth of coral by using available materials to grow crystals. Students record observations in a scientific journal.
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Blue Planet: Coral Seas
Students create a poster about coral reefs. In this oceanography lesson, students teach the class about a given aspect of the coral reefs. Students create posters with images and facts about this habitat.
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Build a Reef
Students build a coral reef, then discover organisms that make up the ecosystem.
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Staghorn Coral
Students recognize that staghorn coral helps reef growth in the Caribbean. In this Coral Reef lesson, students design a habitat model using various art materials to explain how staghorn coral helps the reef grow. Students share their...
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Save A Reef!
Students identify the major threats to coral reefs and the ways that they benefit from humans. In this coral reef conservation lesson students create a public education program on coral reefs.
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Introduction to Ocean Grazers
Students explore biology by creating a poster with classmates. In this oceanography lesson, students identify the importance of coral reefs to the ocean's ecology and examine a food web of ocean animals. Students define a list of...
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The Coral Reef Ecosystem
Students examine the coral reef ecosystem and learn how the living and non-living parts interact. In this coral reef lesson students view video on coral reefs then create a fictional ecosystem.
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Coral Reefs
Students research an inhabitant of a Caribbean coral reef using a list of common organisms that live on or near it. Students then write a description of their organism and draw a picture or a 3-D model of it. Eventually they all work...
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Pipeline to the Coral Reefs
Students discuss the relationship of density to stratification. In this marine science instructional activity, students create a model of upwelling events using cold and warm water. They discuss how water phenomena affect coral reefs.
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Exploring Life in the Coral Reef
Students study life forms in coral reefs. In this ocean life lesson, students study life in coral reefs as they create a coral reef sculpture.
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Make an Edible Coral Reef
Young scholars create an edible coral reef out of food and candy. In this Science lesson, students explore what a coral reef is and the coral reef's importance to the ecosystem. Additionally, young scholars discover the different parts...
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The Coral Reef
Fourth graders discuss life in a coral reef, and view photographs and a computer program about coral reefs. They design and create colorful watercolor, ink, and crayon drawings of coral reefs.