Source:  EPA and University of Southern Mississippi  

Lesson Summary:   A comprehensive and easy to use guide containing 55 lessons and activities  related to coral reefs.  Many activities can be adapted to various grade levels.  Simply click on the  pdf of the lesson you are interested in using in your classroom. English and Spanish.  

Grade Level:    K-12  

Go to:   http://www.usm.edu/aquarium/old/coralreef/index.html 

 

Source:  Treasures@Sea  

Lesson Summary:   Write each letter of the alphabet on a sheet of paper. Have students draw a  letter. They choose a sea animal whose name begins with that letter. Then draw the animal or  find a picture of it to glue to the page. Write facts about the animal under the picture. When all  the letters have been finished, photocopy and staple all the pages into a book for each child to  take home.  

Grade Level:    K-3  

Go to:   http://www.usm.edu/aquarium/old/coralreef/index.html 

 

Source:  New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium  

Lesson Summary:   During this activity, students investigate beach zonation by gathering and  comparing sand samples gathered from different areas of the beach.  Students will be able to  identify and separate the different zones of the beach by observation of various visual  characteristics, including grain size and composition; understand that the zones of the beach  respond to weather, waves and human actions; draw conclusions about how beaches work.   

Grade Level:   4-12   

Go to:  http://www.njmsc.org/Education/Lesson_Plans/Beach_Zonation.pdf  or  http://www.njmsc.org/Education/Lesson_Plans/Lesson_Plans.htm 

 

Source:  New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium  

Lesson Summary:   Students learn about fish anatomy and morphology and discover how the  shapes of a fish’s parts are related to how the fish functions. Younger students can also assemble  a paper fish from prepared parts.  

Grade Level:   K-8   

Go to:  http://www.njmsc.org/Education/Lesson_Plans/Build_A_Fish.pdf  or  http://www.njmsc.org/Education/Lesson_Plans/Lesson_Plans.htm 

 

Source:  FKNMS  

Lesson Summary:   Students will identify basic mangrove/seagrass/coral reef plants and animals  and describe this interrelated ecosystem. 

Grade Level:    K-3   

Go to: SEFCRI Teacher Resource CD  

 

Source:  Sea World  

Lesson Summary:  The student will learn about the physical factors that limit where coral reefs  develop. 

Grade Level:  4-8  

Go to: http://www.seaworld.org/just-for-teachers/lsa/i-030/pdf/4-8.pdf 

 

Source:  New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium  

Lesson Summary:  Students will be able to identify possible environmental complications that  can be attributed to clarity and turbidity, and measure the clarity of a body of water.  

Grade Level:  4-12  

Go to: http://www.njmsc.org/Education/Lesson_Plans/Clarity_and_Turbidity.htm or  http://www.njmsc.org/Education/Lesson_Plans/Lesson_Plans.htm 

 

Source:  Coral Reefs: An English Compilation of Activities for Middle School Students  

Lesson Summary:  Students will comprehend the living portion of stony corals are all on the  exterior non-attached surface.  Grade Level:  K-8  Go to: SEFCRI Teacher Resource CD  Coral Reef Activities  Source:  ABC Teach.com  Lesson Summary:  A variety of activities related to art, math and geography.  

Grade Level:  K-5  

Go to: http://www.abcteach.com/directory/basics/science/habitats_biomes/coral_reef/ 

 

Source:  Coral Reef Adventure Film  

Lesson Summary:  Students will simulate the variety of methods with which different fishes on  a reef feed. Learn how the size and shape of a fish’s mouth and teeth provide hints about what  type of food it eats.  

Grade Level:  3-8  

Go to: http://www.coralfilm.com/CRAEducatorGuide.pdf 

 

Coral Reef Jeopardy  

Source:  Florida Sea Grant  

Lesson Summary:  Based on the game Jeopardy!, students will be challenged to compose the  correct question when an answer is given related to coral reef biodiversity, reproduction,  zonation, threats and facts about southeast Florida coral reefs.  

Grade Level:  5-12  

Go to: SEFCRI Teacher Resource CD 

 

Source:  Coral Reefs: An English Compilation of Activities for Middle School Students  

Lesson Summary:  Students will identify at least three ways corals benefit people; name three  natural disturbances to coral reefs and three human induced threats to coral reefs; increase their  knowledge on the survival needs of corals; and gain insight on ways to protect corals from  human disturbances.  

Grade Level:  3-8  

Go to: SEFCRI Teacher Resource CD  

 

Dining Out in the Coral City  

Source:  Shedd Aquarium  

Lesson Summary:  If you live on the coral reef, you have no use for knives and forks. Students  will learn some of the ways reef animals have developed different adaptations for feeding,  experiment with some reef animal eating "tools”, and make comparisons between how humans  eat and how reef animals eat.   

Grade Level:  3, 4, 5  

Go to:   http://www.sheddaquarium.org/sea/lesson_plans.cfm?id=41 or  http://www.sheddaquarium.org/sea/search_results.cfm 

 

The Edible Coral Polyp  

Source:  Coral Reefs: An English Compilation of Activities for Middle School Students  

Lesson Summary:  Students will review the parts of a coral polyp by building an edible coral  polyp model.  

Grade Level:  K-5   

Go to: SEFCRI Teacher Resource CD  

 

Source:   Coral Reefs: An English Compilation of Activities for Middle School Students   

Lesson Summary:  Students will construct models of coral colonies showing many aspects of  the coral’s natural history – including the structure of coral polyps and the coral colony’s  colonial life style.  

Grade Level:  K-5  

Go to: SEFCRI Teacher Resource CD  

 

Source:  New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium  

Lesson Summary:  Students study the parts of a fish to develop the understanding that the  shape, form and structure of a fish’s parts influence its lifestyle and behavior.  Students will be  able to identify the various parts of a fish;  describe the concept of fish morphology; relate shape,  form and structure of a fish’s parts to function; and draw inferences about where and how fish  might live based on its morphology.  

Grade Level:  3-12  

Go to: http://www.njmsc.org/Education/Lesson_Plans/Fish_Morphology.htm or  http://www.njmsc.org/Education/Lesson_Plans/Lesson_Plans.htm

 

Growing Coral  

Source:   Sea World   

Lesson Summary:  Students will observe the growth of crystals that develop in a way similar to  how coral polyps create their calcium carbonate cups.  

Grade Level:  3-8  

Go to: http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/Coral/gcoral.html 

 

How to Hide in the Ocean   

Source:   Woods Hole Sea Education Association   

Lesson Summary:  Students will observe and discuss the advantages of camouflage, then try  their hands at designing a well-camouflaged fish.  

Grade Level:  K-8  

Go to:  http://www.sea.edu/academics/k12.asp?plan=hideinocean 

 

Making Sense of Sharks  

Source:  Shedd Aquarium  

Lesson Summary:  From dark, deep waters to shallow sandy beaches, sharks' incredibly sharp  senses make them the ocean's most successful predators. Get a sense of how sharks use their  senses.  Students will explain how sharks use an integrated system of senses to locate prey and  compare human and shark senses.  

Grade Level:  1-5  

Go to:  http://www.sheddaquarium.org/sea/lesson_plans.cfm?id=33 or  http://www.sheddaquarium.org/sea/search_results.cfm 

 

Source:  Shedd Aquarium  

Lesson Summary:  Do you know that you can "read" a fish without even using the alphabet?  You can learn a lot about a fish just by looking at it.  Students will be able to explain how  features of fishes can reveal information about them, begin to develop a sense of the diversity of  fishes and learn to record their findings by starting a fish journal.  

Grade Level:  K-2  

Go to:  http://www.sheddaquarium.org/sea/lesson_plans.cfm?id=40 or  http://www.sheddaquarium.org/sea/search_results.cfm 

 

Source:  University of Miami  

Lesson Summary:  Students will act out characters in a coral reef play.  

Grade Level:  K-5  

Go to: SEFCRI Teacher Resource CD  

 

Remote Sensing and Coral Reefs  

Source:  NOAA Satellite and Information Service   

Lesson Summary:  Coral reef and ocean curriculum that includes seven lessons on: Remote  Sensing and the Electromagnetic Spectrum, Altimetry, Phytoplankton and Ocean Color,  Introduction to Coral Reefs, Symbiosis and Coral Anatomy, Sea Surface Temperature and Coral  Bleaching, and Coral Reef Conservation. 

Grade Level:  4-6, adaptable to 9-12  

Go to: http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite/education/reef_remote_sensing.html 

 

Source:  Monterey Bay Aquarium  

Lesson Summary:  Learn about sea stars, where they live and how they eat through this  integrated set of activities. Hands on activities include learning and singing a sea star song,  sorting sea stars to learning about diversity and building a sea star to learn about sea star  characteristics.  

Grade Level:  K-2  

Go to: http://www.mbayaq.org/lc/teachers_place/activity_seastar.asp?bhcp=1 

 

Source:  Sea World  

Lesson Summary:  Students explore the natural history of sharks and recognize that humans are  an interconnected part of sharks’ ecosystems.  The student will be able to create an artistic  impression of a shark and identify shark body parts; explore ways to measure the size of a shark;  portray a shark’s ecosystem; investigate the sense of smell; discuss ways people impact shark  populations and make suggestions for how people can conserve sharks; describe what sharks eat;  and evaluate how schooling behavior is an adaptation for avoiding predators.  

Grade Level:  K-3  

Go to: http://www.swbg-animals.org/just-for-teachers/guides/pdf/shark-K-3.pdf 

 

Source:  Sea World  

Lesson Summary:  Students explore the natural history of sharks and recognize that humans are  an interconnected part of sharks’ ecosystems.  The student will be able to identify and describe  various shark adaptations; compare and contrast sharks and bony fishes; use a dichotomous key  to identify shark families; discuss what sharks eat; demonstrate the steps of the writing process;  create an artistic impression of a fish; and discuss why sharks need conservation and how people  can help conserve sharks.  

Grade Level:  4-8  

Go to:  http://www.swbg-animals.org/just-for-teachers/guides/pdf/shark-4-8.pdf 

 

Source:  Treasures@Sea  

Lesson Summary:  Children will create an undersea environment in their classroom while  researching interesting facts about their favorite sea creatures.  

Grade Level:  K-2  

Go to: http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow8/dec98//lessons/index.html 

 

Source:   Woods Hole Sea Education Association   

Lesson Summary:  Students will build plankton models and compete to see which sinks most  slowly.  

Grade Level:  2-8

Go to:  http://www.sea.edu/academics/k12.asp?plan=sinkingraces 

 

Source:  Shedd Aquarium  

Lesson Summary:  There are lots of fishes in the sea, but not all that swims is a fish. Learn what  it takes to be a fish and find out why animals such as octopi or dolphins don’t fit the bill.   Students will make a fish print, compare and analyze fish characteristics and identify features  common to most fishes.  

Grade Level:  1-5  

Go to: http://www.sheddaquarium.org/sea/lesson_plans.cfm?id=31 or  http://www.sheddaquarium.org/sea/search_results.cfm 

 

Source:  Treasures@Sea  

Lesson Summary:  Children will create an undersea environment in their classroom while  researching interesting facts about their favorite sea creatures.  

Grade Level:  K-2  

Go to: http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow8/dec98//lessons/index.html 

 

Wavy Sentences  

Source:  Treasures@Sea  

Lesson Summary:  This activity is to encourage students to be creative in their writing about the  ocean. Students will write descriptive sentences about the ocean in up and down patterns,  depicting the waves of the ocean. The students then add color and ocean animals creating an  exciting colorful language art experience.  

Grade Level:    2-5   

Go to: http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow8/dec98//writ.html 

 

Source:  Sea World  

Lesson Summary:  Students will discover the food/energy relationships within a food web in a  coral reef habitat.  

Grade Level:  K-5  

Go to:  http://www.aquarium.usm.edu/old/coralreef/37.pdf 

 

Source:  FKNMS  

Lesson Summary:    

Grade Level:    K-3   

Go to: SEFCRI Teacher Resource CD  

 

Source:  Sea World  

Lesson Summary:  The student will learn to use a dichotomous key to identify a variety of reef  organisms. 

Grade Level:  4-8