Goals:

The students will learn the significance of plankton in the ocean.

The students will create their own plankton.

The students will learn about the different varieties of plankton.

Materials:

resources on plankton

pictures of plankton

paper

markers, crayons, etc.

This project should take about 2 hours depending on the type of presentation the teacher gives before the actual making of the plankton.

Procedures:

1.  Have a display or slide show of several different types of plants and animals that make up plankton.

2.  Check student's prior knowledge of the term "plankton." Let students guess at definitions.

3.  Explain the difference between zooplankton and phytoplankton as well as their adaptations.

4.  Have the students create their own plankton. They can draw a picture, describe it through writing, or both. If they decide to just draw a picture, they must orally explain it.

5.  Each student shares their individual plankton and describes it.

6.  Display students' plankton on a bulletin board or cut them out and hang them from the ceiling.

Assessment:

Criteria for success: Students will be assessed by their participation and presentation of their plankton.

Curricular Strands and Major Concepts:

Science - learning about the different types of marine life that are found in the ocean and the around shipwrecks

Art - creating their own plankton through a drawing

Language Arts - explaining their creation through the written or spoken word

Adapted from Vancleave, Janice. (1991). Physics for Every Kid. New York: Wiley.

The Titanic - developed by Kelly Coleman, Nikki Cosgrove, Megan Mills, & Dorothy Weber

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This page submitted by St. Norbert College Ocean Voyagers Program.