Download 7th Grade Aquatic Biomes Lesson Plan

UTeach Dallas 5E Lesson Plan Template
Aquatic Biomes Lesson Plan
Author: Christine Liou and Alyssa Paine
Date and Time of Lesson: 11/11/11 2:36 to 3:25
Grade Level:
7th grade
Lesson Source:
http://www.hometrainingtools.com/saltwater-density/a/1403/
http://www.vanaqua.org/education/aquafacts/
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/aquatic.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpV7NIJTxD0&feature=related
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (Process and Concept TEKS):
(A) Scientific investigation and reasoning.
(ii) Scientific investigations are conducted for different reasons. All
investigations require a research question, careful observations, data gathering,
and analysis of the data to identify the patterns that will explain the findings.
Descriptive investigations are used to explore new phenomena such as
conducting surveys of organisms or measuring the abiotic components in a given
habitat. Descriptive statistics include frequency, range, mean, median, and mode.
A hypothesis is not required in a descriptive investigation. On the other hand,
when conditions can be controlled in order to focus on a single variable,
experimental research design is used to determine causation. Students should
experience both types of investigations and understand that different scientific
research questions require different research designs.
(iii) Scientific investigations are used to learn about the natural world. Students
should understand that certain types of questions can be answered by
investigations, and the methods, models, and conclusions built from these
investigations change as new observations are made. Models of objects and
events are tools for understanding the natural world and can show how systems
work. Models have limitations and based on new discoveries are constantly being
modified to more closely reflect the natural world.
(E) Organisms and environments.
(i) Students will understand the relationship between living organisms and their
environment. Different environments support different living organisms that are
© 2010 The University of Texas at Dallas
UTeach Dallas 5E Lesson Plan Template
adapted to that region of Earth. Organisms are living systems that maintain a
steady state with that environment and whose balance may be disrupted by
internal and external stimuli. External stimuli include human activity or the
environment. Successful organisms can reestablish a balance through different
processes such as a feedback mechanism. Ecological succession can be seen
on a broad or small scale.
(b) Knowledge and skills.
(2) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student uses scientific inquiry
methods during laboratory and field investigations. The student is expected to:
(A) plan and implement comparative and descriptive investigations by
making observations, asking well-defined questions, and using appropriate
equipment and technology;
(B) design and implement experimental investigations by making
observations, asking well-defined questions, formulating testable
hypotheses, and using appropriate equipment and technology;
English Language Proficiency Standard (learning strategies, listening, speaking,
reading or writing):
2) Cross-curricular second language acquisition/listening. The ELL listens to a
variety of speakers including teachers, peers, and electronic media to gain an
increasing level of comprehension of newly acquired language in all content
areas. ELLs may be at the beginning, intermediate, advanced, or advanced high
stage of English language acquisition in listening. In order for the ELL to meet
grade-level learning expectations across the foundation and enrichment
curriculum, all instruction delivered in English must be linguistically
accommodated (communicated, sequenced, and scaffolded) commensurate with
the student's level of English language proficiency. The student is expected to:
(C) learn new language structures, expressions, and basic and academic
vocabulary heard during classroom instruction and interactions;
“An example of estivation is when an animal such as tortoise go into a sleep-like
state to avoid heat and to conserve water and energy.”
“When a drought occurs, what happen to the animals in the grassland? What
about in the desert?”
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Student Sentence Stem:
One adaptation that ocean animals have used to survive in their biome is _________.
Concepts Statement:
Objectives:
Students will be able to…




Define the two basic regions of the aquatic biome, freshwater and marine
Illustrate the ability to use laboratory equipment such as graduated cylinder, test
tubes in an experiment
Experimentally find the difference between the density of fresh water and salt
water
Know the sub-regions of freshwater and marine regions
Materials List:








3 test tubes for each group(15 total)
5 graduated cylinders
10 beakers
Water
Salt
5 Pipets/droppers
Food dye: red, blue, yellow
5 measuring tea spoons/plastic spoons
Safety:
Don’t’ get the salt in your eyes.
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ENGAGEMENT
What the Teacher Will Do
Show students the video of
“Finding Nemo”.
EXPLORATION
What the Teacher Will Do



Give out the preassessment sheet (5
minutes).
Give out an instruction
sheet. Assign group
according to Mrs.
Peeler’s.
Give out the data
collecting sheet.
Probing/Eliciting
Questions
 What kind of
environment are
the sea turtles at?
 How do you know
they are in the
ocean? What are
the characteristic
of an ocean?
 What are the sea
turtle doing?
 What is the water
tunnel called?
Probing/Eliciting
Questions
 Today we are
going to do an
experiment that
shows the
difference in
density between
freshwater and
salt water.
 Which water has
more density?
Which one will be
on the bottom?
Which one will be
on the top? Why?
Time: ___5__ Minutes
Student Responses
and Misconceptions




Ocean.
Varies answers.
They are
migrating.
Ocean current
Time: ___25__ Minutes
Student Responses
and Misconceptions

Bottom: salt water
Top: freshwater
Because salt
water is more
dense than
freshwater.
What To Do
1. If you do visit the ocean,
a freshwater lake, and/or
the Great Salt Lake, try
to bring a sample of
water home with you. If
not, you can make
artificial ocean water
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2.
3.
4.
5.
and Great Salt Lake
water using the
procedure below.
First, take the three test
tubes (or jars) and label
them "freshwater,"
"ocean water," and
"Great Salt Lake water."
Set aside.
Next, make your
artificial saltwater
solutions to represent
the salt content of the
ocean and the Great Salt
Lake. The average
salinity (salt content) of
the ocean is 3.5% and
the average salinity of
the Great Salt Lake is
15%. You can use our
recipes to make
approximate saltwater
solutions to represent
the salt content of ocean
water and Great Salt
Lake water. You may
also want to heat the
water up to help the salt
dissolve better, but this
isn't necessary.
To approximately make
ocean water, add 1/2
teaspoon of salt to 100
ml of water, stirring well
to dissolve the salt. Save
some of this solution in
the "ocean water" test
tube.
To approximately make
Great Salt Lake water,
add 2 teaspoons of salt
to 90 ml of water and
stir. Save some of this



Do you notice
anything
happening?
Which one is on
top? Which one is
on the bottom?
What is the
difference?
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6.
7.
8.
9.
solution in the "Great
Salt Lake water" test
tube.
Fill the "freshwater" test
tube with regular
drinking water.
Add one drop of blue
food coloring to the test
tube of freshwater, one
drop of yellow food
coloring to the test tube
of "ocean water", and
one drop of red food
coloring to the test tube
of "Great Salt Lake
water." As each test tube
of water receives a drop
of food coloring, closely
observe how the food
coloring mixes with
each type of water. Can
you draw any
conclusions or
predictions about which
type of water will be the
"heaviest" based on
what you observed with
the mixing of the food
coloring? After making
your predictions, stir up
each solution so that the
color is uniform
throughout each test
tube.
Fill the dropper with
water from the "Great
Salt Lake" test tube, and
add it to the graduated
cylinder. You may need
to add two or three
droppers full of water to
the cylinder.
Rinse the dropper out
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really well with faucet
water to avoid cross
contamination of salt
and food coloring.
10. Fill the dropper with
water from the "ocean"
test tube. This time, very
gently and carefully add
it to the graduated
cylinder so that the
force of the water being
squeezed out of the
dropper doesn't mix the
two waters. Add about
the same amount of
"ocean water" to the
graduated cylinder as
there is "Great Salt Lake
water." Rinse out the
dropper with faucet
water.
11. Fill the dropper with
water from the
"freshwater" test tube.
Again, add the water
very gently to the water
already in the graduated
cylinder to avoid mixing
the water, and add about
the same amount of
freshwater as "ocean
water."
EXPLANATION
What the Teacher Will Do
Probing/Eliciting
Questions
Time: ______ Minutes
Student Responses
and Misconceptions
Say, “In the experiment we just
did, we observed that salt water
is denser than freshwater.”

Ask questions

Which biome is
the largest of five

Aquatic biomes

75% of the planet
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

Say, “Today we are going to
talk about the different
types of aquatic biomes.”
Say, “Excellent! The two
regions of the Aquatic
Biome are Freshwater and
Marine. Today we are
going to explore the
characteristics of the
Marine region and a few
characteristics of the
freshwater region.”
biomes that make
up the Earth’s
biosphere?
Why?
What are the two
categories for
aquatic biome?
“There are two regions of
Aquatic Biome. Does
anyone know the names
of these regions? Hint:
Think about the
experiment we just did.”
“Which region do you
think covers more of the
Earth, the freshwater
region or the marine
region? Why?”
“What subregions are
included in the marine
environment?”
Say, “The Marine environment
covers three-fourths of the
Earth's surface.
The Marine environment
includes oceans, coral
reefs, and estuaries.
The Marine environment is
important because Marine
algae supplies much of the
world's oxygen supply and
takes in a huge amount of
atmospheric carbon
dioxide. The evaporation
“Why is the ocean
important for the
existence of life? Is
evaporation important?
Why?”
is makes up of
water and is the
source of all life.

Freshwater and
marine.
Answers: freshwater
and marine; fresh
water and ocean;
freshwater and
salt water.
“Marine, because it
includes the
ocean.”
“Freshwater because
it includes lakes
and rivers.”
“Oceans, coral reefs,
and estuaries.”
“Oceans.”
They may not know
what else besides
the ocean.
“The ocean is
important because
it helps provide
rain through
evaporation and it
also helps provide
oxygen.” They
also may not
know.
“Are there different zones
in the ocean? Is there a
difference between
shallow water and deep
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of the seawater provides
rainwater for the land.”
water?”
Various responses.
Say, “Oceans make up most of
the Earth’s surface. The
ocean supports very
diverse species. Ocean
regions are separated into
separate zones or
subregions: intertidal,
pelagic, abyssal, and
benthic.
The intertidal zone is where
the ocean and land meet.
Sometimes it is submerged
and other times it is not,
which is why the
communities are always
changing. On rocky coasts,
the zone is stratified
vertically. Where only the
highest tides reach, there
are only a few species of
algae and mollusks. The
intertidal zone on sandier
shores is not as stratified
as in the rocky areas.
Waves keep mud and sand
constantly moving, thus
very few algae and plants
can establish themselves
— the fauna include
worms, clams, predatory
crustaceans, crabs, and
shorebirds.
“What kind of animal do
you think can be found in
the intertidal zone?”
“What kind of animals do
you expect to find in the
“open ocean?” Hint: Think
of finding Nemo.
“Seagulls, crabs.”
“Turtles, sharks,
clownfish, turtles,
whales.”
The Pelagic zone includes
where waters further from
land, basically the open
ocean. It is generally cold,
but there is something
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called thermal
stratification which
involves a constant mixing
of warm and cold ocean
currents. The flora in the
pelagic zone include
surface seaweeds. The
fauna include many
species of fish and some
mammals, such as whales
and dolphins. Many feed
on the abundant plankton.
Show the kids pictures of
dolphins and whales.
The benthic zone is the area
below the pelagic zone,
but does not include the
very deepest parts of the
ocean (see abyssal zone
below). The bottom of the
zone consists of sand, slit,
and/or dead organisms.
Here temperature
decreases as depth
increases toward the
abyssal zone, since light
cannot penetrate through
the deeper water. Flora are
represented primarily by
seaweed while the fauna,
since it is very nutrientrich, include all sorts of
bacteria, fungi, sponges,
sea anemones, worms, sea
stars, and fishes. Show the
kids pictures of sea
anemones.
“What kind of animals do
you think live in the
abyssal zone? What kind
of adaptations do you
think these animals have
made to live here?”
Various responses.
The deep ocean is the abyssal
zone. The water in this
region is very cold (around
3° C), highly pressured,
high in oxygen content,
but low in nutritional
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content. The abyssal zone
supports many species of
invertebrates and fishes.
Mid-ocean ridges
(spreading zones between
tectonic plates), often with
hydrothermal vents, are
found in the abyssal zones
along the ocean floors.
Chemosynthetic bacteria
thrive near these vents
because of the large
amounts of hydrogen
sulfide and other minerals
they emit. These bacteria
are thus the start of the
food web as they are eaten
by invertebrates and
fishes.” Show the kids
some pictures of deep sea
animals.
Ask the students a few probing
questions. Show the kids a
picture of a Coral Reef.
Say, “Excellent! Many tropical
fish live in Coral Reefs.
Coral reefs are widely
distributed in warm
shallow waters. They can
be found as barriers along
continents (such as the
Great Barrier Reef off
Australia), fringing islands
(such as Hawaii).
Naturally, the dominant
organisms in coral reefs
are corals. Corals are
interesting since they
consist of both algae and
“For those that have seen
Finding Nemo, where did
he live? For those that
have not, where do many
tropical fish make their
home? Hint: Coral…”
“What kind of animals do
you expect to find in a
coral reef? What are
some characteristics of a
coral reef?”
“Coral Reef”
“Sea anemone”
They may not know.
“Starfish, sea
urchins.”
“It is really colorful!”
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tissues of animal polyp.
Since reef waters tend to
be nutritionally poor,
corals obtain nutrients
through the algae via
photosynthesis and also by
extending tentacles to
obtain plankton from the
water. Besides corals, the
fauna include several
species of
microorganisms,
invertebrates, fishes, sea
urchins, octopuses, and sea
stars.
Estuaries are areas where
freshwater streams or
rivers merge with the
ocean. This mixing of
waters with such different
salt concentrations creates
a very interesting and
unique ecosystem.
Microflora like algae, and
macroflora, such as
seaweeds, marsh grasses,
and mangrove trees (only
in the tropics), can be
found here. Estuaries
support a diverse fauna,
including a variety of
worms, oysters, crabs, and
waterfowl. Show a picture
of an estuary.
“Does anyone know what
an Estuary is?”
“What is the main
difference between
freshwater and Marine
Regions? Hint: think of
the experiment we did.”
They will probably not
know.
“The Marine Region
has salt water and
the Freshwater
region does not.”
Freshwater is defined as
having a low salt
concentration — usually
less than 1%. Plants and
animals in freshwater
regions are adjusted to the
low salt content and would
not be able to survive in
areas of high salt
concentration (i.e., ocean).
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There are different types
of freshwater regions:
ponds and lakes, streams
and rivers, and wetlands.
Examples of animals that
live here include crayfish,
catfish, alligators. Show
the kids a picture of a lake,
river, or wetland and
maybe a picture of an
alligator.
ELABORATION
What the Teacher Will Do



We all love dolphins and
they are also one of the
animals that live in the
aquatic biome.
A dolphin is a fast
learner that can
differentiate between
many objects. Some
scientists have
compared the
intelligence of a dolphin
to that of a two year old
child. Like a toddler a
dolphin can understand
some complicated
commands and also
some of the human
language. Because a
dolphin can understand
this much information
they are able to
communicate with their
trainers.
Probing/Eliciting
Questions


Are they smart?
Are they smarter
than humans?
Why are they
smart?
Time: ___5___ Minutes
Student Responses
and Misconceptions



Yes.
No.
Various answer
Dolphins have large
brains for their bodies
-- in fact, a bottlenose
dolphin is second only
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to humans in the ratio
of brain size to body
size. Researchers
have also pointed to
the parallels in the
organization of
dolphin and primate
brains as more
evidence of high
intelligence in
dolphins. Some have
gone so far as to
suggest that dolphins
actually have a
language that humans
simply cannot
comprehend.
EVALUATION
What the Teacher Will Do
Probing/Eliciting
Questions
Time: ___7___ Minutes
Student Responses
and Misconceptions
Give out the post assessment
test (10 minutes)
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Instruction sheet for Density Lab
Material List:








3 test tubes for each group
1 graduated cylinders
2 beakers
Water
Salt
1 Pipets/droppers
Food dye: red, blue, yellow
1 measuring tea spoons/plastic spoons
What To Do:
1. If you do visit the ocean, a freshwater lake, and/or the Great Salt Lake, try to bring a
sample of water home with you. If not, you can make artificial ocean water and Great
Salt Lake water using the procedure below.
2. First, take the three test tubes (or jars) and label them "freshwater," "ocean water," and
"Great Salt Lake water." Set aside.
3. Next, make your artificial saltwater solutions to represent the salt content of the ocean
and the Great Salt Lake. The average salinity (salt content) of the ocean is 3.5% and the
average salinity of the Great Salt Lake is 15%. You can use our recipes to make
approximate saltwater solutions to represent the salt content of ocean water and Great
Salt Lake water. You may also want to heat the water up to help the salt dissolve better,
but this isn't necessary.
4. To approximately make ocean water, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to 100 ml of water, stirring
well to dissolve the salt. Save some of this solution in the "ocean water" test tube.
5. To approximately make Great Salt Lake water, add 2 teaspoons of salt to 90 ml of water
and stir. Save some of this solution in the "Great Salt Lake water" test tube.
6. Fill the "freshwater" test tube with regular drinking water.
7. Add one drop of blue food coloring to the test tube of
freshwater, one drop of yellow food coloring to the test tube of
"ocean water", and one drop of red food coloring to the test
tube of "Great Salt Lake water." As each test tube of water
receives a drop of food coloring, closely observe how the food
coloring mixes with each type of water. Can you draw any
conclusions or predictions about which type of water will be
the "heaviest" based on what you observed with the mixing of
the food coloring? After making your predictions, stir up each solution so that the color is
uniform throughout each test tube.
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8. Fill the dropper with water from the "Great Salt Lake" test tube, and add it to the
graduated cylinder. You may need to add two or three droppers full of water to the
cylinder.
9. Rinse the dropper out really well with faucet water to avoid cross contamination of salt
and food coloring.
10. Fill the dropper with water from the "ocean" test tube. This time, very gently and
carefully add it to the graduated cylinder so that the force of the water being squeezed
out of the dropper doesn't mix the two waters. Add about the same amount of "ocean
water" to the graduated cylinder as there is "Great Salt Lake water." Rinse out the
dropper with faucet water.
11. Fill the dropper with water from the "freshwater" test tube. Again, add the water very
gently to the water already in the graduated cylinder to avoid mixing the water, and add
about the same amount of freshwater as "ocean water."
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Aquatic Biome Game (Pre-Assessment key)
1. What are the aquatic biomes?
A. Habitats dominated by grasses (not trees and shrubs). Grasslands include tropical
savannas and temperate grasslands (prairies).
B. Ponds lakes, rivers, streams, estuaries, sea shores, and coral reefs.
C. Areas where rainfall is less than 50 cm/year, and it includes hot and dry, semiarid,
coastal, and cold.
2. What kinds of plants live in the Aquatic Biome?
A. Cactus
B. Grass
C. Water lily
3. What determines the different aquatic biomes?
A. the color of the water
B. the smell of the water
C. how much salt in the water
4. What are two types of aquatic biomes?
A. north region and south region
B. freshwater and marine
C. mountain water and river water
5. What factors determine aquatic biomes?
A. the abiotic (non-living) factors
B. the biotic (living) factors
C. the erosion
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Aquatic Biome Game
1. What are the aquatic biomes?
A. Habitats dominated by grasses (not trees and shrubs). Grasslands include tropical
savannas and temperate grasslands (prairies).
B. Ponds lakes, rivers, streams, estuaries, sea shores, and coral reefs.
C. Areas where rainfall is less than 50 cm/year, and it includes hot and dry, semiarid,
coastal, and cold.
2. What kinds of plants live in the Aquatic Biome?
A. Cactus
B. Grass
C. Water lily
3. What determines the different aquatic biomes?
A. the color of the water
B. the smell of the water
C. how much salt in the water
4. What are two types of aquatic biomes?
A. north region and south region
B. freshwater and marine
C. mountain water and river water
5. What factors determine aquatic biomes?
A. the abiotic (non-living) factors
B. the biotic (living) factors
C. the erosion
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Data Collecting Sheet for Density Lab
Draw the graph of your result and label the layer of colors.
Which one has the highest density? Why?
Which one has the least density? Why?
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Picture of Brains
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Post Assessment Answer Key
1) What is the primary difference between the Marine Region and the Freshwater Region of
the Aquatic Biome?
a. The Freshwater region contains salt water, and the marine region does not
contain salt.
b. The Marine region contains salt water, and the Freshwater region does not
contain salt.
c. The Freshwater region contains zones that are stratified vertically, and the
Marine region does not.
d. The Marine region has zones that are stratified vertically, and the Freshwater
region does not.
2) In this Marine zone, the fauna include many species of fish and some mammals, such as
whales and dolphins. What is the name of this Marine zone?
a. Benthic zone
b. Intertidal zone
c. Pelagic zone
d. The abyssal zone
3) ____Make up most of the Earth’s surface.
a. Estuaries
b. Coral Reefs
c. Oceans
4) The deep ocean is the_____. The water in this region is very cold (around 3° C), highly
pressured, high in oxygen content, but low in nutritional content.
a. Abyssal zone
b. Intertidal zone
c. Benthic zone
d. Pelagic zone
5) The____ is where the ocean and land meet. Sometimes it is submerged and other times it
is not, which is why the communities are always changing.
a. Abyssal zone
b. Benthic zone
c. Intertidal zone
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Student Post-Assessment
1) What is the primary difference between the Marine Region and the Freshwater Region of
the Aquatic Biome?
a. The Freshwater region contains salt water, and the marine region does not
contain salt.
b. The Marine region contains salt water, and the Freshwater region does not
contain salt.
c. The Freshwater region contains zones that are stratified vertically, and the
Marine region does not.
d. The Marine region has zones that are stratified vertically, and the Freshwater
region does not.
2) In this Marine zone, the fauna include many species of fish and some mammals, such as
whales and dolphins. What is the name of this Marine zone?
a. Benthic zone
b. Intertidal zone
c. Pelagic zone
d. The abyssal zone
3) ____Make up most of the Earth’s surface.
a. Estuaries
b. Coral Reefs
c. Oceans
4) The deep ocean is the_____. The water in this region is very cold (around 3° C), highly
pressured, high in oxygen content, but low in nutritional content.
a. Abyssal zone
b. Intertidal zone
c. Benthic zone
d. Pelagic zone
5) The____ is where the ocean and land meet. Sometimes it is submerged and other times it
is not, which is why the communities are always changing.
a. Abyssal zone
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b. Benthic zone
c. Intertidal zone
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