Materials:

One large sheet of paper to be used as a chart for the entire class. The paper should be divided into three columns, with the following headings:ÝìWhat I Know,îÝìWhat I Want to Know,î and ìWhat I Learnedî.

Markers

One magazine or Internet article per group (refer to book list)

Scavenger hunt worksheets

Overall Time:

Approximately ten hours over ìxî days

Goals:

1.Ý The students will obtain basic knowledge about coral reefs by searching magazine articles for information.

2.Ý The students will determine what information is important to know about coral reefs by constructing a ìWhat I Know...î chart.

3.Ý The students will work effectively with their peers to locate new information.

Time:

One hour

Procedure:

1.Ý Briefly introduce the students to the topic of coral reefs. To do so, the teacher may choose to read a short story or article that discusses coral reefs.

2.Ý The students will work as a class to complete the column titled, ìWhat I Know,î by contributing information that they already know about coral reefs.

3.Ý The students will then decide what more they would like to know about coral reefs, given what information is already known. These ideas will be listed under the column, ìWhat I Want to Knowî.

4.Ý Divide students into teams of 3 - 4.

5.Ý Each team will be given one magazine or Internet article containing information on the various characteristics of coral reefs.

6.Ý The students will work in their groups to highlight new information from their article.

7.Ý Each team will collaborate with the other teams to complete the column titled, ìWhat I Learnedî.

Assessment:

1.Ý Students will be assessed based on their participation in the group discussion using the Group Contribution Scoring Sheet (Criteria for success = 8 out of 10 points).

Goal:

1.Ý The students will learn about the various research tools that are available to assist them in researching coral reefs.

Time:

One hour

Procedure:

1.Ý The students will be divided into groups of two or three. The class will walk together to the school or local library.

2.Ý Each group will be given a listing of things to find on their library scavenger hunt (see sample).

3.Ý The students will work cooperatively within their groups to locate as many of the items on their list within the allotted time.

4.Ý The students will gather together at the end of the hunt to report on the sources that they located. Possible questions that the teacher may want to ask:

What things were you able to locate on your own?
What resources did you need help in finding?
Were there any types of resources that you did not know were available?Ý Which ones?

Assessment:

1.Ý The teacher will conduct informal observations with the students by noting how well the groups are working together (use Group Contribution Scoring Sheet).ÝIndividual students will be assessed based on contribution and cooperation within the group (Criteria for success = 8 out of 10 points).

2.Ý Group worksheets will be given a satisfactory grade if the students have demonstrated proficient use of library research skills. This will be determined by the number of items that the students correctly located (Criteria for success = 80% of the items correctly located).

Goals:

1.Ý The students will take personal responsibility for their learning by leading and conducting their own research teams.

2.Ý The students will be able to contribute detailed, accurate information to the class, based on what they learned from researching a selected topic.
Ý

Possible topics:
Clown Fish
Coral
Emperor Angelfish
Giant Blue Clam
Hermit Crab
Mandarin Fish
Moray Eel
Octopus
Sea Anemone
Sea Horse
Sea Cucumber
Sea Slug
Strawberry Shrimp
Ý
Ý

Some Internet sites that could be used are:

http://www.blacktop.com/coralforest
http://www.njaquarium.org/
http://mgfx.com/reef/

Time:

Five hours (over the course of a few days)

Procedure:

1.Ý The students will select a partner to work with on a research team. The team will select a topic that interests them from the list compiled by the teacher.

2.Ý The students will work together to complete their team research project. During the last 10 -15 minutes of each research period, the students will come together as a class to discuss their findings. The students may want to suggest certain resources that were helpful to them so that the other teams may use them as well.

3.Ý Students will compile their information into charts, graphs, pictures, etc. and present what they find to the class.

Note:ÝTo ensure that students locate appropriate, useful information, the teacher may wish to provide the students with a list of questions that they must answer in their research (see attached sample). Secondly, the teacher may also want to ask the students to utilize one resource from each of the following:Ý Internet, textbook, magazine, newspaper, etc., to encourage the students to locate a wide variety of resources.

Assessment:

1.Ý The students will be evaluated based on how well they work within their cooperative teams using the Group Contribution Scoring Sheet (Criteria for success = 8 out of 10 points).

2.Ý Before the research is completed, the teacher will provide a short assessment of the work the group has done up to that point. The students will then be able to decide what types of improvements need to be made before they present their research. This assessment will be in the form of a checklist, informing the students which criteria have already been met and which need more work. The teacher will also conduct interviews with the groups to investigate how the research process is going.

Goals:

1.Ý The students will utilize quality leadership and oral communication skills to present their findings on their given research topic.

Time:

Two hours

Procedure:

1.Ý The students will present the information to the class on the topics they choose. The presentations should be about 10-20 minutes in length.

2.Ý With the information they researched, the students will construct a bulletin board that represents their findings. This board will include any charts, graphs, or written information that the group has constructed. Each group will also create a life-size version of the plant or animal life that they chose to research. This artwork will then be placed on a large sheet of paper on the wall. Once all of the groups have added their creation, the class will have a very accurate coral reef seascape.

Assessment:

1.Ý Each team must turn in an outline from their research. This may also include strategies that they used to complete their research (Criteria for success = a minimum of five subtopics that effectively cover the depth and breadth of the research topic).

2.Ý Each team will be evaluated on group work using the Group Contribution Scoring Sheet (Criteria for success = 8 out of 10 points).

3.Ý Each team will evaluate each member as well as themselves (Criteria for success = positive feedback on performance from all members of the group).

Curricular Strands and Major Concepts:

1.Ý Language Arts - Communication within small groups and writing the "what I learned" section of the chart.

2.Ý Science - Identifying the various characteristics of coral reefs and exploring the impacts they have on the oceans and the environment

3.Ý Math - Exploring what temperature and depths that coral reefs live at

4.Ý Social Studies - Geography of the locations of coral reefs around the world found through the readings

5.Ý Art - Creating a life-like replica of their research topic animal and creating a bulletin board

Possible Extensions:

1.Ý The students will find ten words from the reading that were unfamiliar to them. They will then locate those words in the dictionary, and create a concentration game using index cards to match up each word with its correct definition.

2.Ý Students can create a story about the topic that they chose.

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Coral Reefs - developed by Kristen Treadway, Jenny Mavis, T. J. Beck, & Jim O'Keefe

This page submitted by the St. Norbert College Ocean Voyager Program

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