Goals:
Become more knowledgeable about the state of marine life due to increased pollution. Develop a hypothesis about the source of various pollution problems, the long-term effects on water quality, and the long-term effects on marine life due to a particular source of pollution.
Resources:
1. Computer and Internet access.
2. Encarta Encyclopedia CD-Rom or some similar type of CD-Rom encyclopedia.
* Topics to look up in Encarta Encyclopedia; algae, fish, plankton, shark, nautical history, deep sea exploration.
* Topics to look up in Encarta World Atlas; Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean.
3. Internet Topics include:
Ocean Planet Smithsonian: http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/ocean_planet.html This site presents information on topics such as oil pollution, toxic wastes, sewage disposal, alien species, wetland destruction, and climate change.
The WoodsHole Oceanographic Institution: http://whoi.edu/k-12/k12-resources.html This site provides a comprehensive list of oceanographic resources.
Time:
This lesson will require 1-2 hours of class time.
(The amount of time the class spends on their sharing activities can be easily adjusted if needed.)
Procedure:
1. As an introduction activity have the students find a newspaper or magazine article related to the causes and effects of marine pollution, marine habitats, or global climate change prior to beginning the lesson (homework). The main focus of the students should be marine pollution. 2. Have the students prepare a summary of the information that is discussed in the article by writing a summary paragraph or writing an outline of the information that is contained in the article. (An explanation on the format of an outline may be needed at this point).
3. The students will then share the information they learned from their articles with the class.
4. Have the class create a list of problems currently facing our oceans.
How have they improved? How have they gotten worse? What is different now from the 1840’s? (Slave Dancer)
How are things different concerning pollution?
Discuss how these problems have changed over the years.
5. Have the students record their list on the board. After the list if finished, ask the students to chose a topic and hypothesize in writing about the source of the problem, its long-term effects on the quality of water, and the continued existence of marine life. Give the students approximately five minutes to complete this step.
6. Students should then divide into groups of three or four students. In these groups, the students should explain their pollution hypotheses and a summary of their article to one another. Prior to group discussion, each group should elect a facilitator, a recorder, and a spokesperson.
7. Each student should have a chance to speak and after all of the ideas discussed were recorded, the spokesperson should give a brief overview to the class of the hypotheses and the issues that were discussed by the group.
8. As the spokesperson reports, another member of the group should be at the board recording notes on what was mentioned.
9. The information that was gathered in the sharing should be used to lead a fifteen minute class discussion about the students’ impressions of the present state of our oceans and how they compare to the state of our oceans in the past.
Assessment:
To assess the information the students found in his or her article, the summary paragraph or outline done by the student will be collected. For a successful evaluation, the completed paragraphor outline must be turned in with the article. This assignment is purely to monitor if the introductory research is being done and is read and coprehended by the student. To assess the student’s hypothesis it will also be turned in to the teacher. Four parts must be included to be successful. 1. The topic of pollution that is being discussed. 2. The source of the pollution problem. 3. How it effects long term water quality. 4. How it effects long-term marine life.
Curricular Strands and Major Concepts:
Language Arts-writing, research skills, speaking skills, cooperation and communication. Science- pollution, marine life, water quality, hypothesizing.
Art- creation of poster
Possible Extensions:
See next lesson