Oceanic Acidification & Seashells

Birds and their eggs aren't the only animals for whom an increasingly acidic environment would cause great harm.  This simple activity demonstrates the effect of acid on shellfish.

You'll need a couple of shells (large or small, any variety, but for the sake of comparison, it's good to have two of the same), two cups or beakers, vinegar and water.

Place each shell in a cup/beaker.

Cover one shell with water.  You might want to use salt water, as these organisms live in the ocean, but I didn't think of that as I was setting things up. You could also do three shells at a time - one in vinegar, one in water and one in salt water.

Cover the other shell with vinegar. 

You'll notice that the shell in the vinegar immediately begins to form bubbles and fizz.  The vinegar is breaking down the calcium carbonate that composes the shell. 

Within 24 hours, you'll notice the shell that was in vinegar has holes in it.  If there was still a creature living in the shell, this could obviously be detrimental.

Vinegar, while a weak acid, is quite a bit stronger than acidified ocean water.  The stronger acid speeds up the process, making it visible within a short period of time - perfect for students to grasp an understanding of the process.  Shells in an acid ocean environment would be subject to the same chemistry, it would just take place at a slower rate.  

You can learn more about the chemistry taking place, as well as ocean acidification here.  

You may wish to continue to leave the shell in the vinegar for an extended time to observe further.  If so, it may be necessary to replace or replenish the vinegar.  (I used a small enough amount of vinegar that the chemical reaction came to a halt within a day or so).

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Wild About Books: Insect Haiku

If you aren't familiar with Wild About Books, you should be - it's a fun read and a favorite in our house.  But, beyond that, you can incorporate it into your study of insects.

After the animals have learned to love to read books, they begin to write their own.  And, the insects begin writing haikus (and the scorpion gives each a stinging review).  Four of these haikus are included in the story.  Share them with your students and then have them try writing their own haiku that includes some facts they've learned about insects.

Maybe they could even write their finished poem on a piece of paper cut into the shape of their chosen insect for a cute display.  

In case you've forgotten, a haiku has three non-rhyming lines.  The first contains 5 syllables, the second 7 syllables, and the third 5 syllables.

Diary of a...: Writing Prompt

Doreen Cronin's Diary of a Worm, Spider and Fly are silly tales about each of the respective animals. 

While the stories are far-fetched enough to garner lots of giggle, they are based on real attributes of each of the animals. 

If you're looking to have your students do something a bit more creative than the traditional report after researching an animal, consider having them follow Cronin's model and write a "Diary of a _____". 

Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out!: Turtle Hurdles

Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out! follows one sea turtle from egg to egg-laying mother, through challenge after challenge, some man-made, some the natural order of things. 

This story and activity could be used in any number of units: the ocean, animals, predator/prey relationships, human impact on nature, etc.

Begin the lesson by reading the story aloud to the students.  While they're listening, have them write down challenges the turtles face as well as the good things that happen that aid the turtle's survival.  Or maybe you'll want to read the story twice - the first time just for listening, the second time for taking notes.  As a class, you can brainstorm additional items to add to each list, if you desire.

Next, each student will make a cootie catcher.  If you or your students are familiar with making these, I've included directions at the bottom of the lesson.

Label the inside of your cootie catcher as shown:

Now, pick 8 items from your lists - 4 from the list of challenges, 4 from the list of "good things". 

Open the flaps of your cootie catcher and write one item under each letter.  The order in which you write them can be completely random.

You'll also need to make a simple mat (one for the class) - use the following picture as a guide - and get a die.

Now you're ready to play. 

To being with, everyone needs to stand up - everyone is a thriving baby turtle.

The teacher, or other designated party, rolls the die onto the mat.  Each student manipulates his/her cootie catcher the number of times indicated by the die.  Then the students read the message under the letter that corresponds to the letter the die landed on.

Students whose message is a challenge or threat to the turtle sit down - they haven't survived.  Students who receive a message of a "good thing" remain standing.

The students who remain standing play another round in the same manner.  Try to play 5 rounds, or see how many rounds it takes for all students to be sitting.

Baby sea turtles face a lot of challenges in making it to adulthood, as do many other animals.  Hopefully this fun game helps your students understand just how few babies survive to adulthood and encourages them to think about the impact of their actions on other species. 

To Make a Cootie Catcher

Begin with a square piece of paper. (I cut 8.5x11" paper into a square).

Fold the square in half along the diagonal.

Unfold.  Fold in half along the other diagonal.

Unfold.  You'll have a square piece of paper, with the fold lines making an X across it.

Pick one corner of the square, and fold it, so the point is at the center of the X.

Fold in each of the additional corners of the square.

Turn your newly formed square over.

Repeat the previous step, folding each point into the center of the square

Label the sections, as directed above.

Fold the cootie catcher in half, to make a rectangle. 

Place both your thumbs and index fingers under each flap to work the cootie catcher.

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This activity is adapted from "Turtle Hurdles," published in Picture-Perfect Science Lessons by the National Science Teachers Association.

Food Chain to Food Pyramid

Turn a food chain into a food pyramid.  You'll want to use a food chain that has 3 levels of consumers in it. 

The food chain I used when making this example was:
Sun --> Seeds --> Mouse --> Weasel --> Fox

Begin with a square piece of paper.  Fold the paper along the diagonals and add lines as seen in the drawing below:



In the middle lined section, fill in the following (beginning at the botton/largest spot):

• Producers
• Primary Consumer
• Secondary Consumer
• Tertiary Consumer

On an ajoining side, fill in the corresponding organism (seeds, mouse, weasel, fox).

The other lined section can be used to represent another food chain.

When all sections have been filled in, cut along one of the diagonals (adjacent to the blank section) until you reach the center point. 

Then fold the pyramid, tucking the blank side underneath, so a pyramid is formed. 

This visual representation helps students remember that it takes a lot of producers to feed one primary consumer, many primary consumers to feed one secondary consumer, and so on. 

Insect Haiku

If you aren't familiar with Wild About Books, you should be - it's a fun read and a favorite in our house.  But, beyond that, you can incorporate it into your study of insects.

After the animals have learned to love to read books, they begin to write their own.  And, the insects begin writing haikus (and the scorpion gives each a stinging review).  Four of these haikus are included in the story.  Share them with your students and then have them try writing their own haiku that includes some facts they've learned about insects. 

Maybe they could even write their finished poem on a piece of paper cut into the shape of their chosen insect for a cute display.  

In case you've forgotten, a haiku has three non-rhyming lines.  The first contains 5 syllables, the second 7 syllables, and the third 5 syllables.

Animals: Insect Pre-test

So very simple, but effective. Gives you an idea of what your students already know.

Ask your students to “Draw an insect”.

That’s it!

Did they get 6 legs? 3 body parts? Antennae? Wings?

Try it again after your study of insects. 

Animals: Paper Bag Animals

Thansk to Nancy E.-B. for sharing iwth us this idea with us during the 2007 Maitland Simmons Institute.  I love the way your mind works!

Use paper lunch bags to model the simplest of animals:

Sponge: a plain bag

It has an inside and an outside and it just sits there. 

Cnidarian: a bag with the top cut into fringes

Flatworm: a flat bag, stapled/taped shut, with a straw stuck into it in one spot

One opening, through which both food enters and waste leaves. 

Nematod/Roundworm: a flat bag, stapled/taped shut, with a straw passing through in two spots

Separate spots for food to enter and waste to leave.

Animals: Spiders: Sticky Web

How are spiders able to walk on their own web without getting stuck?

Have students dip their fingertips into cooking oil and then “walk” their fingers across the sticky side of a piece of tape.