Day 1

Goals:

1. The students will learn new knowledge, or reinforce what they previously learned, about the coral reefs through a different medium - a movie.

2. Visual learners will process new information about the coral reefs in an understandable manner.

Time:

one hour

Resources/Materials:

Possible movies: Coral Cities of the Caribbean, Coral Atoll Biology, Coral Reef, or The Coral Reef

television, VCR, paper, pens

Procedure:

1. The teacher will introduce the film that has been selected for the hour by highlighting some of the most significant parts.

2. The teacher will give the students two key ideas, like how coral reefs are formed, and how they are destructed, which the students will focus on while they are watching and use afterward for discussion. (The students may want to take notes during the movie.)

3. The teacher will select one for the students to watch. The teacher will use one that he/she has viewed and found appropriate.

4. After the movie, the class will have a brief discussion about the key concepts that they were to keep in mind during the movie.

Assessment:

The students will be assessed by participation in class discussion following the movie. The participation rubric is located at the end of this week's lesson plans.

Curricular Strands:

Social Studies - history of coral reefs

Science - water, coral reefs, aquatic life

Math - temperatures

English - writing, listening

Possible Extensions:

The students could watch other movies that pertain to this topic. They could write a paper on what they learned from the movie. Information from the movie will support future research. The students could plot out a map of coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea.

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