Monterey Bay Aquarium Natural History Poster Learning Activities Key Concepts The habitat illustrated in the poster is a living system. There are living and non-living parts to the system. The living and non-living parts interact and impact each other. Basic Skills Observe, infer, identify, sort Materials Poster(s) Six color printable posters and keys (Kelp Forest, Rocky Shore, Sandy Beach, Coastal Wetlands, Coral Reef, Deep Sea) are available on the aquarium’s web site in the Teachers Section under Learning Resources (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/lc/activities/poster_ispy.asp) Poster key(s) (see above note) Crayons, colored pencils or markers Teacher Preparation and Activity Procedures The posters can be used as a starting point for student inquiry. Coupled with other activities, students can generate questions and design investigations to find answers to their own questions related to living systems. We have included teacher sheets and student handouts for the Kelp Forest, Rocky Shore and Sandy Beach and Deep Sea posters. Coral Reef and Coastal Wetlands Poster Activities can be based on the inquiry questions and suggestions for the other posters. Web Site Resources About the Animals (http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/living_species/default.asp) Photo, description, diet, habitat and conservation information for over 150 animals and plants. Aquarium Exhibits Section (http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/) Photos and natural history information about the habitats featured in the natural history posters. • Four of the Monterey Bay habitats posters relate to permanent aquarium exhibits (Kelp Forest, Rocky Shore, Sandy Beach and Wetlands). • The Deep Sea poster shows life in Monterey Canyon. We have no live Deep Sea exhibit but have extensive online materials about this habitat. • Our Splash Zone exhibit features coral reef animals. Video Library (http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/video_library/video_library.aspx) Short video clips to watch online of some of the animals found in our exhibits. A good way to show students what the habitat or animals depicted in the posters look like. Live Web Cams (http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/cam_menu.asp) We offer live streaming images of many of our exhibits on our live web cams. ©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org Kelp Forest Poster Teacher Page Activity Description 2. Encourage your students to look for How does giant kelp obtain nutrients? clues that would give them Where do animals make their homes in information about the interactions the kelp forest? Using the kelp forest that might take place between the poster as an inquiry starter, students will living and non-living parts of the observe the living and non-living parts kelp forest. Have them consider of this ecosystem. They generate what kelp forest animals need to questions and design investigations to survive, what conditions they have to find answers to their own questions endure and how they manage in such related to the kelp forest and other living a harsh environment. Discuss how systems. those conditions would differ between the surface and sea floor. Key Concepts 3. Have them jot down what they notice • The kelp forest is a living system. about the kelp forest as it is • There are living and non-living parts portrayed in the poster and what they to the system. wonder about the kelp forest. • The living and non-living parts of the kelp forest interact and impact each Generate Student Questions other. 1. Ask the students to generate some questions based on their notes and Materials post those questions in a common area. • Kelp Forest poster (color printable 2. Use the student-generated questions version available on the aquarium’s as an opportunity to assess their web site under Teachers and Kids, current understanding of the kelp Learning Activities) forest system, as well as providing • Black line master of the poster some possible starting points for • Poster key student inquiry activities and • Crayons, colored pencils or markers investigations. Directions For an inquiry approach to using the For a directed approach to using the Kelp Forest poster, use the poster as an Kelp Forest poster, duplicate a blackline inquiry starter to generate student poster and species key for each student. observations and questions. A good source of species information for the students is the Living Species List on Notice and Wonder the Monterey Bay Aquarium web site. 1. Tell the students that the kelp forest poster provides us with an 1. Ask the students to use the key to underwater view of the kelp forest, identify the various living and non- much as a SCUBA diver would see living parts of the kelp forest system. it. Encourage them to look carefully at the poster. ©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org 2. Have each student select one of the the beach and looking at the animals or plants to investigate and ocean? What wouldn’t you be share with their classmates: able to see? • How does it get its food? • How does this picture compare to • How does it protect itself from your idea of how the kelp forest predators? looks? • How does it reproduce? • Do you think tides would affect • Does it spend its entire life at the the kelp forest in this poster? In kelp forest? If not, where else what way(s) might it be affected? does it go? • How would sunlight affect the • How is it affected by the non- living things at the kelp forest? living aspects of the Kelp forest • Do you think the waves would system? affect the kelp forest? In what • How does it affect other living way(s)? and non-living parts of the • In what way(s) might color be system? important to the living things at (Note: Students may respond to the kelp forest? these questions and the ones below • How would wind affect the using the Student Page.) living things at the kelp forest? 3. With your classmates, create a kelp • How would the kelp forest look forest food web that includes the at night? species in the poster. • Do you think the kelp moves? 4. Additional focus questions and What would cause it to move? investigation topics might include: • How would this kelp forest be • What are the living things in this different in the winter? How picture of the kelp forest? would storms affect it? What • What are the non-living things in would happen to the animals? this picture of the kelp forest? • How would it be different if there • Which animals at the kelp forest were sand instead of rocks? do you think eat other animals? • What do you think might be Which animals do they eat? harmful to the things at the kelp What makes you think so? forest? Why? • Which animals at the kelp forest • How can we study the kelp forest do you think eat something without harming it or its besides other animals? What do inhabitants? you think they eat? What makes • How could what happens in your you think so? town or city affect the kelp • Which animals in the poster are forest? visitors to the kelp forest? • How could what happens at the • Which animals in the poster are kelp forest affect you? residents? • If you had to live in the kelp • What do you notice about where forest in the poster, what would the plants are growing in the kelp you need to survive? forest? • What parts of the poster could Activity Links you see if you were walking on www.mbayaq.org/efc/kelp.asp ©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org Visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s web Grade 2: 1a, 1b, 2a, 2c, 2d, 4a, 4c, 4d, site for a diver’s eye view of the 4g towering kelp forest exhibit using the Grade 3: 1a, 1d, 2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 3c, kelp cam! This live cam shows just a 3d, 5a, 5b, 5e small portion of the 28 feet high exhibit Grade 4: 2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 3c, 6a, 6c, and its many inhabitants. For 6f information about the kelp forest habitat Grade 5: 2a, 2e, 2f, 2g, 3a, 4a, 4b, 4c, and its inhabitants, visit the “About the 6a, 6b, 6c, 6g, 6h, 6i Animals” link in the upper navigation on Grade 6: 3a, 4d, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 7a, the web site. Have students read along 7d with the interactive book, Pup’s Supper, Grade 7: 3a, 4f, 5a, 5b, 5c, 6b, 6c, 7b, on the aquarium’s web site to learn more 7e about sea otters in the kelp forest. Grade 8: 1a, 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 9a, 9b Grades 9-12: Background Physics: 3d, 3e, 4a In the study of the kelp forest, as with all Biology/Life Sciences: 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, systems, it is important to think about 6e, 6f, 7d, 8b the whole system in terms of its living Earth Sciences: 3a, 5a, 5d and non-living parts and the parts in Investigation and Experimentation: terms of how they relate to one another 1a, 1g and to the whole. As with non-living systems, such as engines, sewage systems and political systems, a living Benchmarks for Science Literacy from ecosystem is a collection of things and American Association for the processes that interact to perform some Advancement of Science (AAAS) function. There are inputs and outputs, recommends that students have a wide interactions among the system variety of experiences with systems and components and with other systems. systems thinking. Often systems include subsystems. Primary students should practice The main goal of having students learn identifying parts of things and how one about systems is not to have them talk part connects to and affects another. By about systems in abstract terms but to the end of 2nd grade, students should enhance their ability to attend to various know: aspects of particular systems in • most things are made of parts, attempting to understand or deal with the • some things may not work if some of whole system. its parts are missing and • when parts are put together, they can do things that the parts can’t do by California Science Standards themselves. Science Grade K: 1a, 1c, 2a, 2c, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, Students in grades 3-5 should have 4e experience taking mechanical systems Grade 1: 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 3c, 4a, 4b, apart and perhaps putting them back 4d, 4e together. By the end of 5th grade, students should know: ©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org • if something consists of many parts, By the end of 12th grade, students should the parts usually influence one know: another and • a system usually has some properties • something may not work as well (or that are different from those of its not at all) if a part of it is missing, parts, but appear because of the broken, worn out, mismatched or interaction of those parts, misconnected. • understanding how things work and With middle school students, systems designing solutions to problems can thinking can be made explicit, be facilitated by system analysis, suggesting analysis of parts, subsystems, • the successful operation of a interactions and motion. But designed system usually involves descriptions of parts and interactions are feedback and more important than calling everything a • even in some very simple systems, it system. By the end of 8th grade, students may not always be possible to should know: predict accurately the result of • a system can include processes as changing some part or connection. well as things, • thinking about things as systems Benchmarks for Science Literacy. means looking for how every part American Association for the relates to others, Advancement of Science Oxford • the output from one part of a system University Press, New York, 1993. can become the input to other parts, • any system is usually connected to other systems, both internally and externally and • a system may be thought of as containing subsystems and as being a subsystem of a larger system. High school students should have the opportunity to reflect on the value of thinking in terms of systems and apply systems concepts to diverse situations. ©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org Kelp Forest Poster Activity Student Page 1. Use the key to identify the various living and non-living parts of the kelp forest system. 2. Select one of the animals or plants and investigate and share with your classmates: • How does it get its food? • How does it protect itself from predators? • How does it reproduce? • Does it spend its entire life at the kelp forest? If not, where else does it go? • How is it affected by the non-living aspects of the kelp forest system? • How does it affect other living and non-living parts of the system? 3. With your classmates, create a kelp forest food web that includes the species in the poster. 4. Additional focus questions and investigation topics might include: • What are the living things in this picture of the kelp forest? • What are the non-living things in this picture of the kelp forest? • Which animals at the kelp forest do you think eat other animals? Which animals do they eat? What makes you think so? • Which animals at the kelp forest do you think eat something besides other animals? What do you think they eat? What makes you think so? • Which animals in the poster are visitors to the kelp forest? • Which animals in the poster are residents? • What do you notice about where the plants are growing at the kelp forest? • What parts of the poster could you see if you were walking on the beach and looking at the ocean? What wouldn’t you be able to see? • How does this picture compare to your idea of how the kelp forest looks? • Do you think tides would affect the kelp forest in this poster? In what way(s) might it be affected? • How would sunlight affect the living things at the kelp forest? • Do you think the waves would affect the kelp forest? In what way(s)? • In what way(s) might color be important to the living things at the kelp forest? • How would wind affect the living things at the kelp forest? • How would the kelp forest look at night? • Do you think the kelp moves? What would cause it to move? • How would this kelp forest be different in the winter? How would storms affect it? What would happen to the animals? • How would it be different if there were sand instead of rocks? • What do you think might be harmful to the things at the kelp forest? Why? • How can we study the kelp forest without harming it or its inhabitants? • How could what happens in your town or city affect the kelp forest? • How could what happens at the kelp forest affect you? • If you had to live at the kelp forest in the poster, what would you need to survive? ©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org Rocky Shore Poster Teacher Page Activity Description in such a harsh environment. How do animals survive the force of Discuss how those conditions would crashing waves at the rocky shore? How differ between the different parts of do they avoid drying out at low tide? the rocky shore. Using the rocky shore poster, students 2. Using the key, have your students will view the rocky shore as if looking identify the various living and non- through a window placed at the middle living parts of the rocky shore tide zone. They will identify the living system. and non-living parts of this ecosystem 3. Have the students select one of the and share their findings. animals or plants that they see in the poster. Throughout the unit, have Key Concepts the students investigate: • The rocky shore is a living system. • How does it get its food? • There are living and non-living parts • How does it protect itself from to the system. predators? • The living and non-living parts of the • How does it keep from drying rocky shore interact and impact each out or getting crushed by the other. waves? • How does it reproduce? Materials • Does it spend its entire life at the • Rocky Shore poster rocky shore? If not, where else • Blackline master of the poster does it go? • Poster key • How is it affected by the non- • Crayons, colored pencils or markers living aspects of the rocky shore system? Directions • How does it affect other living 1. Duplicate blackline posters and keys and non-living parts of the for each student in your class. system? 2. Encourage your students to look at (Note: Students may respond to the poster. Explain that they are these questions and the ones below viewing the rocky shore at the using the Student Page.) middle tide zone and that they can 4. Additional focus questions might see above and below the water. Ask include: them to make reasonable guesses as • What are the living things in this to the interactions that take place picture of the rocky shore? between the living and non-living • What are the non-living things in parts of the rocky shore. Have them this picture of the rocky shore? consider what rocky shore organisms • Which animals at the rocky shore need to survive, what conditions they do you think eat other animals? have to endure and how they manage Which animals do they eat? What makes you think so? ©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org • Which animals at the rocky shore • How could what happens in your do you think eat something town or city affect the rocky besides other animals? What do shore? you think they eat? What makes • How could what happens at the you think so? rocky shore affect you? • Which animals in the poster are • If you had to live at the rocky visitors to the rocky shore? shore in the poster, what would • Which animals in the poster are you need to survive? residents? 5. Throughout the unit, have the • What do you notice about where students keep a running list of the plants are growing at the questions that develop as they rocky shore? conduct various activities. At the • How does this picture compare to end of the unit, have students review your idea of the rocky shore? the poster questions and those they • Do you think tides would affect generated. Ask what other things the rocky shore in this poster? In they would like to find out about the what way(s) might it be affected? rocky shore. • How would sunlight affect the Activity Links living things at the rocky shore? www.mbayaq.org/efc/rocky.asp • Do you think the waves would Visit Monterey Bay Aquarium’s web affect the rocky shore? In what site to learn more about where the land way(s)? meets the sea! Watch a living tidepool • In what way(s) might color be video, use the tidepool spotting guide to important to the living things at locate rocky shore animals and play the the rocky shore? interactive Make a Tidepool game. Use • How would wind affect the the “About the Animals” list for rocky living things at the rocky shore? shore animal facts. • How would the rocky shore look at night? Background • Do you think the rocks move? In the study of the rocky shore, as with What would cause them to all systems, it is important to think about move? the whole system in terms of its living • How would this rocky shore be and non-living parts and the parts in different in the winter? How terms of how they relate to one another would storms affect it? What and to the whole. As with non-living would happen to the animals? systems, such as engines, sewage • How would it be different if there systems and political systems, a living was sand instead of rocks? ecosystem is a collection of things and • What do you think might be processes that interact to perform some harmful to the things at the rocky function. There are inputs and outputs shore? Why? and interactions among the system • How can we study the rocky components and with other systems. shore without harming it or its Often systems include subsystems. inhabitants? ©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org The main goal of having students learn about systems is not to have them talk Benchmarks for Science Literacy from about systems in abstract terms but to American Association for the enhance their ability to attend to various Advancement of Science (AAAS) aspects of particular systems in recommends that students have a wide attempting to understand or deal with the variety of experiences with systems and whole system. systems thinking. Rocky shore organisms live in specific Primary students should practice parts of the intertidal zone. In general, identifying parts of things and how one predators and competitors set the lower part connects to and affects another. By limit of an organism’s range. Physical the end of 2nd grade, students should factors, such as water, salinity and know: temperature, determine the upper limits • most things are made of parts, of the range. • some things may not work if some of its parts are missing and Competition for space is fierce in the • when parts are put together, they can rocky intertidal. Many animals and do things that the parts can’t do by algae grow on one another. Rocky shore themselves. creatures must constantly deal with the drag and shock of waves. Students in grades 3-5 should have experience taking mechanical systems California State Content Standards apart and perhaps putting them back Science together. By the end of 5th grade, Grade K: 1a, 2a, 2c, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 4c, students should know: 4d, 4e • if something consists of many parts, Grade 1: 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 3c, 4a, 4b, the parts usually influence one 4e another and Grade 2: 1a, 2a, 2c, 2d, 3b, 4a, 4c, 4d, • something may not work as well (or 4g not at all) if a part of it is missing, Grade 3: 1a, 1d, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 5a, 5e broken, worn out, mismatched or Grade 4: 2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 3c, 5c, 6a, misconnected. 6f Grade 5: 2a, 2f, 2g, 3a, 3b, 4a, 6a, 6g, With middle school students, systems 6h, 6i thinking can be made explicit, Grade 6: 1f, 2c, 3a, 4a, 4d, 5a, 5b, 4c, suggesting analysis of parts, subsystems, 5d, 5e, 7d interactions and motion. But Grade 7: 3a, 4c, 4f, 5a, 5b, 7b, 7e descriptions of parts and interactions are Grade 8: 1d, 1e, 2a, 2f, 9b more important than calling everything a Grades 9-12: system. By the end of 8th grade, students Physics: 1d, 1f, 3a, 3d, 4a should know: Biology/Life Sciences: 6a, 5b, 5c, 6d, • a system can include processes as 6e, 6f, 7d, 8b well as things, Earth Sciences: 3a, 5a, 5d, 6g • thinking about things as systems Investigation and Experimentation: 1a, means looking for how every part 1g relates to others, ©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org • the output from one part of a system • understanding how things work and can become the input to other parts, designing solutions to problems can • any system is usually connected to be facilitated by system analysis, other systems, both internally and • the successful operation of a externally and designed system usually involves • a system may be thought of as feedback and containing subsystems and as being a • even in some very simple systems, it subsystem of a larger system. may not always be possible to predict accurately the result of High school students should have the changing some part or connection. opportunity to reflect on the value of thinking in terms of systems and apply Benchmarks for Science Literacy. systems concepts to diverse situations. American Association for the By the end of 12th grade, students should Advancement of Science Oxford know: University Press, New York, 1993. • a system usually has some properties that are different from those of its parts, but appear because of the interaction of those parts, ©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org