Monterey Bay Aquarium Natural History Poster Classroom Activities

20 Pages·2005·0.15 MB·English

by  Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey Bay Aquarium
Natural History Poster Learning Activities

Key Concepts
The habitat illustrated in the poster is a living system.
There are living and non-living parts to the system.
The living and non-living parts interact and impact each other.

Basic Skills
Observe, infer, identify, sort

Materials
Poster(s)
Six color printable posters and keys (Kelp Forest, Rocky Shore, Sandy Beach, Coastal
Wetlands, Coral Reef, Deep Sea) are available on the aquarium’s web site in the Teachers
Section under Learning Resources
(http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/lc/activities/poster_ispy.asp)
Poster key(s) (see above note)
Crayons, colored pencils or markers

Teacher Preparation and Activity Procedures
The posters can be used as a starting point for student inquiry. Coupled with other activities,
students can generate questions and design investigations to find answers to their own questions
related to living systems.

We have included teacher sheets and student handouts for the Kelp Forest, Rocky Shore and
Sandy Beach and Deep Sea posters. Coral Reef and Coastal Wetlands Poster Activities can be
based on the inquiry questions and suggestions for the other posters.

Web Site Resources
About the Animals (http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/living_species/default.asp)
Photo, description, diet, habitat and conservation information for over 150 animals and plants.

Aquarium Exhibits Section (http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/)
Photos and natural history information about the habitats featured in the natural history posters.
• Four of the Monterey Bay habitats posters relate to permanent aquarium exhibits (Kelp
Forest, Rocky Shore, Sandy Beach and Wetlands).
• The Deep Sea poster shows life in Monterey Canyon. We have no live Deep Sea exhibit
but have extensive online materials about this habitat.
• Our Splash Zone exhibit features coral reef animals.

Video Library (http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/video_library/video_library.aspx)
Short video clips to watch online of some of the animals found in our exhibits. A good way to
show students what the habitat or animals depicted in the posters look like.

Live Web Cams (http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/cam_menu.asp)
We offer live streaming images of many of our exhibits on our live web cams.
©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org
Kelp Forest Poster
Teacher Page

Activity Description 2. Encourage your students to look for
How does giant kelp obtain nutrients? clues that would give them
Where do animals make their homes in information about the interactions
the kelp forest? Using the kelp forest that might take place between the
poster as an inquiry starter, students will living and non-living parts of the
observe the living and non-living parts kelp forest. Have them consider
of this ecosystem. They generate what kelp forest animals need to
questions and design investigations to survive, what conditions they have to
find answers to their own questions endure and how they manage in such
related to the kelp forest and other living a harsh environment. Discuss how
systems. those conditions would differ
between the surface and sea floor.
Key Concepts 3. Have them jot down what they notice
• The kelp forest is a living system. about the kelp forest as it is
• There are living and non-living parts portrayed in the poster and what they
to the system. wonder about the kelp forest.
• The living and non-living parts of the
kelp forest interact and impact each Generate Student Questions
other. 1. Ask the students to generate some
questions based on their notes and
Materials post those questions in a common
area.
• Kelp Forest poster (color printable
2. Use the student-generated questions
version available on the aquarium’s
as an opportunity to assess their
web site under Teachers and Kids,
current understanding of the kelp
Learning Activities)
forest system, as well as providing
• Black line master of the poster
some possible starting points for
• Poster key
student inquiry activities and
• Crayons, colored pencils or markers
investigations.

Directions

For an inquiry approach to using the
For a directed approach to using the
Kelp Forest poster, use the poster as an
Kelp Forest poster, duplicate a blackline
inquiry starter to generate student
poster and species key for each student.
observations and questions.
A good source of species information for

the students is the Living Species List on
Notice and Wonder
the Monterey Bay Aquarium web site.
1. Tell the students that the kelp forest

poster provides us with an
1. Ask the students to use the key to
underwater view of the kelp forest,
identify the various living and non-
much as a SCUBA diver would see
living parts of the kelp forest system.
it. Encourage them to look carefully
at the poster.
©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org
2. Have each student select one of the the beach and looking at the
animals or plants to investigate and ocean? What wouldn’t you be
share with their classmates: able to see?
• How does it get its food? • How does this picture compare to
• How does it protect itself from your idea of how the kelp forest
predators? looks?
• How does it reproduce? • Do you think tides would affect
• Does it spend its entire life at the the kelp forest in this poster? In
kelp forest? If not, where else what way(s) might it be affected?
does it go? • How would sunlight affect the
• How is it affected by the non- living things at the kelp forest?
living aspects of the Kelp forest
• Do you think the waves would
system?
affect the kelp forest? In what
• How does it affect other living way(s)?
and non-living parts of the
• In what way(s) might color be
system?
important to the living things at
(Note: Students may respond to
the kelp forest?
these questions and the ones below
• How would wind affect the
using the Student Page.)
living things at the kelp forest?
3. With your classmates, create a kelp
• How would the kelp forest look
forest food web that includes the
at night?
species in the poster.
• Do you think the kelp moves?
4. Additional focus questions and
What would cause it to move?
investigation topics might include:
• How would this kelp forest be
• What are the living things in this
different in the winter? How
picture of the kelp forest?
would storms affect it? What
• What are the non-living things in
would happen to the animals?
this picture of the kelp forest?
• How would it be different if there
• Which animals at the kelp forest
were sand instead of rocks?
do you think eat other animals?
• What do you think might be
Which animals do they eat?
harmful to the things at the kelp
What makes you think so?
forest? Why?
• Which animals at the kelp forest
• How can we study the kelp forest
do you think eat something
without harming it or its
besides other animals? What do
inhabitants?
you think they eat? What makes
• How could what happens in your
you think so?
town or city affect the kelp
• Which animals in the poster are
forest?
visitors to the kelp forest?
• How could what happens at the
• Which animals in the poster are
kelp forest affect you?
residents?
• If you had to live in the kelp
• What do you notice about where
forest in the poster, what would
the plants are growing in the kelp
you need to survive?
forest?

• What parts of the poster could
Activity Links
you see if you were walking on
www.mbayaq.org/efc/kelp.asp
©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org
Visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s web Grade 2: 1a, 1b, 2a, 2c, 2d, 4a, 4c, 4d,
site for a diver’s eye view of the 4g
towering kelp forest exhibit using the Grade 3: 1a, 1d, 2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 3c,
kelp cam! This live cam shows just a 3d, 5a, 5b, 5e
small portion of the 28 feet high exhibit Grade 4: 2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 3c, 6a, 6c,
and its many inhabitants. For 6f
information about the kelp forest habitat Grade 5: 2a, 2e, 2f, 2g, 3a, 4a, 4b, 4c,
and its inhabitants, visit the “About the 6a, 6b, 6c, 6g, 6h, 6i
Animals” link in the upper navigation on Grade 6: 3a, 4d, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 7a,
the web site. Have students read along 7d
with the interactive book, Pup’s Supper, Grade 7: 3a, 4f, 5a, 5b, 5c, 6b, 6c, 7b,
on the aquarium’s web site to learn more 7e
about sea otters in the kelp forest. Grade 8: 1a, 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 9a, 9b

Grades 9-12:
Background
Physics: 3d, 3e, 4a
In the study of the kelp forest, as with all
Biology/Life Sciences: 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d,
systems, it is important to think about
6e, 6f, 7d, 8b
the whole system in terms of its living
Earth Sciences: 3a, 5a, 5d
and non-living parts and the parts in
Investigation and Experimentation:
terms of how they relate to one another
1a, 1g
and to the whole. As with non-living

systems, such as engines, sewage

systems and political systems, a living
Benchmarks for Science Literacy from
ecosystem is a collection of things and
American Association for the
processes that interact to perform some
Advancement of Science (AAAS)
function. There are inputs and outputs,
recommends that students have a wide
interactions among the system
variety of experiences with systems and
components and with other systems.
systems thinking.
Often systems include subsystems.

Primary students should practice
The main goal of having students learn
identifying parts of things and how one
about systems is not to have them talk
part connects to and affects another. By
about systems in abstract terms but to
the end of 2nd grade, students should
enhance their ability to attend to various
know:
aspects of particular systems in
• most things are made of parts,
attempting to understand or deal with the
• some things may not work if some of
whole system.
its parts are missing and

• when parts are put together, they can

do things that the parts can’t do by
California Science Standards
themselves.
Science

Grade K: 1a, 1c, 2a, 2c, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b,
Students in grades 3-5 should have
4e
experience taking mechanical systems
Grade 1: 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 3c, 4a, 4b,
apart and perhaps putting them back
4d, 4e
together. By the end of 5th grade,

students should know:
©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org
• if something consists of many parts, By the end of 12th grade, students should
the parts usually influence one know:
another and • a system usually has some properties
• something may not work as well (or that are different from those of its
not at all) if a part of it is missing, parts, but appear because of the
broken, worn out, mismatched or interaction of those parts,
misconnected. • understanding how things work and
With middle school students, systems designing solutions to problems can
thinking can be made explicit, be facilitated by system analysis,
suggesting analysis of parts, subsystems, • the successful operation of a
interactions and motion. But designed system usually involves
descriptions of parts and interactions are feedback and
more important than calling everything a • even in some very simple systems, it
system. By the end of 8th grade, students may not always be possible to
should know: predict accurately the result of
• a system can include processes as changing some part or connection.
well as things,
• thinking about things as systems Benchmarks for Science Literacy.
means looking for how every part American Association for the
relates to others, Advancement of Science Oxford
• the output from one part of a system University Press, New York, 1993.
can become the input to other parts,
• any system is usually connected to
other systems, both internally and
externally and
• a system may be thought of as

containing subsystems and as being a

subsystem of a larger system.

High school students should have the
opportunity to reflect on the value of
thinking in terms of systems and apply
systems concepts to diverse situations.
©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org
Kelp Forest Poster Activity
Student Page

1. Use the key to identify the various living and non-living parts of the kelp forest system.
2. Select one of the animals or plants and investigate and share with your classmates:
• How does it get its food?
• How does it protect itself from predators?
• How does it reproduce?
• Does it spend its entire life at the kelp forest? If not, where else does it go?
• How is it affected by the non-living aspects of the kelp forest system?
• How does it affect other living and non-living parts of the system?
3. With your classmates, create a kelp forest food web that includes the species in the
poster.

4. Additional focus questions and investigation topics might include:
• What are the living things in this picture of the kelp forest?
• What are the non-living things in this picture of the kelp forest?
• Which animals at the kelp forest do you think eat other animals? Which animals do they
eat? What makes you think so?
• Which animals at the kelp forest do you think eat something besides other animals?
What do you think they eat? What makes you think so?
• Which animals in the poster are visitors to the kelp forest?
• Which animals in the poster are residents?
• What do you notice about where the plants are growing at the kelp forest?
• What parts of the poster could you see if you were walking on the beach and looking at
the ocean? What wouldn’t you be able to see?
• How does this picture compare to your idea of how the kelp forest looks?
• Do you think tides would affect the kelp forest in this poster? In what way(s) might it be
affected?
• How would sunlight affect the living things at the kelp forest?
• Do you think the waves would affect the kelp forest? In what way(s)?
• In what way(s) might color be important to the living things at the kelp forest?
• How would wind affect the living things at the kelp forest?
• How would the kelp forest look at night?
• Do you think the kelp moves? What would cause it to move?
• How would this kelp forest be different in the winter? How would storms affect it?
What would happen to the animals?
• How would it be different if there were sand instead of rocks?
• What do you think might be harmful to the things at the kelp forest? Why?
• How can we study the kelp forest without harming it or its inhabitants?
• How could what happens in your town or city affect the kelp forest?
• How could what happens at the kelp forest affect you?
• If you had to live at the kelp forest in the poster, what would you need to survive?

©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org
Rocky Shore Poster
Teacher Page

Activity Description in such a harsh environment.
How do animals survive the force of Discuss how those conditions would
crashing waves at the rocky shore? How differ between the different parts of
do they avoid drying out at low tide? the rocky shore.
Using the rocky shore poster, students 2. Using the key, have your students
will view the rocky shore as if looking identify the various living and non-
through a window placed at the middle living parts of the rocky shore
tide zone. They will identify the living system.
and non-living parts of this ecosystem 3. Have the students select one of the
and share their findings. animals or plants that they see in the
poster. Throughout the unit, have
Key Concepts the students investigate:
• The rocky shore is a living system. • How does it get its food?
• There are living and non-living parts • How does it protect itself from
to the system. predators?
• The living and non-living parts of the • How does it keep from drying
rocky shore interact and impact each out or getting crushed by the
other. waves?
• How does it reproduce?
Materials • Does it spend its entire life at the
• Rocky Shore poster rocky shore? If not, where else
• Blackline master of the poster does it go?
• Poster key • How is it affected by the non-
• Crayons, colored pencils or markers living aspects of the rocky shore
system?
Directions • How does it affect other living
1. Duplicate blackline posters and keys and non-living parts of the
for each student in your class. system?
2. Encourage your students to look at (Note: Students may respond to
the poster. Explain that they are these questions and the ones below
viewing the rocky shore at the using the Student Page.)
middle tide zone and that they can 4. Additional focus questions might
see above and below the water. Ask include:
them to make reasonable guesses as • What are the living things in this
to the interactions that take place picture of the rocky shore?
between the living and non-living • What are the non-living things in
parts of the rocky shore. Have them this picture of the rocky shore?
consider what rocky shore organisms • Which animals at the rocky shore
need to survive, what conditions they do you think eat other animals?
have to endure and how they manage Which animals do they eat?
What makes you think so?
©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org
• Which animals at the rocky shore • How could what happens in your
do you think eat something town or city affect the rocky
besides other animals? What do shore?
you think they eat? What makes • How could what happens at the
you think so? rocky shore affect you?
• Which animals in the poster are • If you had to live at the rocky
visitors to the rocky shore? shore in the poster, what would
• Which animals in the poster are you need to survive?
residents? 5. Throughout the unit, have the
• What do you notice about where students keep a running list of
the plants are growing at the questions that develop as they
rocky shore? conduct various activities. At the
• How does this picture compare to end of the unit, have students review
your idea of the rocky shore? the poster questions and those they
• Do you think tides would affect generated. Ask what other things
the rocky shore in this poster? In they would like to find out about the
what way(s) might it be affected? rocky shore.

• How would sunlight affect the
Activity Links
living things at the rocky shore?
www.mbayaq.org/efc/rocky.asp
• Do you think the waves would
Visit Monterey Bay Aquarium’s web
affect the rocky shore? In what
site to learn more about where the land
way(s)?
meets the sea! Watch a living tidepool
• In what way(s) might color be
video, use the tidepool spotting guide to
important to the living things at
locate rocky shore animals and play the
the rocky shore?
interactive Make a Tidepool game. Use
• How would wind affect the
the “About the Animals” list for rocky
living things at the rocky shore?
shore animal facts.
• How would the rocky shore look

at night?
Background
• Do you think the rocks move?
In the study of the rocky shore, as with
What would cause them to
all systems, it is important to think about
move?
the whole system in terms of its living
• How would this rocky shore be
and non-living parts and the parts in
different in the winter? How
terms of how they relate to one another
would storms affect it? What
and to the whole. As with non-living
would happen to the animals?
systems, such as engines, sewage
• How would it be different if there
systems and political systems, a living
was sand instead of rocks?
ecosystem is a collection of things and
• What do you think might be
processes that interact to perform some
harmful to the things at the rocky
function. There are inputs and outputs
shore? Why?
and interactions among the system
• How can we study the rocky components and with other systems.
shore without harming it or its Often systems include subsystems.
inhabitants?
©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org
The main goal of having students learn
about systems is not to have them talk Benchmarks for Science Literacy from
about systems in abstract terms but to American Association for the
enhance their ability to attend to various Advancement of Science (AAAS)
aspects of particular systems in recommends that students have a wide
attempting to understand or deal with the variety of experiences with systems and
whole system. systems thinking.

Rocky shore organisms live in specific Primary students should practice
parts of the intertidal zone. In general, identifying parts of things and how one
predators and competitors set the lower part connects to and affects another. By
limit of an organism’s range. Physical the end of 2nd grade, students should
factors, such as water, salinity and know:
temperature, determine the upper limits • most things are made of parts,
of the range. • some things may not work if some of
its parts are missing and
Competition for space is fierce in the • when parts are put together, they can
rocky intertidal. Many animals and do things that the parts can’t do by
algae grow on one another. Rocky shore themselves.
creatures must constantly deal with the
drag and shock of waves. Students in grades 3-5 should have
experience taking mechanical systems
California State Content Standards apart and perhaps putting them back
Science together. By the end of 5th grade,
Grade K: 1a, 2a, 2c, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 4c, students should know:
4d, 4e
• if something consists of many parts,
Grade 1: 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 3c, 4a, 4b,
the parts usually influence one
4e
another and
Grade 2: 1a, 2a, 2c, 2d, 3b, 4a, 4c, 4d,
• something may not work as well (or
4g
not at all) if a part of it is missing,
Grade 3: 1a, 1d, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 5a, 5e
broken, worn out, mismatched or
Grade 4: 2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 3c, 5c, 6a,
misconnected.
6f

Grade 5: 2a, 2f, 2g, 3a, 3b, 4a, 6a, 6g,
With middle school students, systems
6h, 6i
thinking can be made explicit,
Grade 6: 1f, 2c, 3a, 4a, 4d, 5a, 5b, 4c,
suggesting analysis of parts, subsystems,
5d, 5e, 7d
interactions and motion. But
Grade 7: 3a, 4c, 4f, 5a, 5b, 7b, 7e
descriptions of parts and interactions are
Grade 8: 1d, 1e, 2a, 2f, 9b
more important than calling everything a
Grades 9-12: system. By the end of 8th grade, students
Physics: 1d, 1f, 3a, 3d, 4a should know:
Biology/Life Sciences: 6a, 5b, 5c, 6d, • a system can include processes as
6e, 6f, 7d, 8b well as things,
Earth Sciences: 3a, 5a, 5d, 6g • thinking about things as systems
Investigation and Experimentation: 1a, means looking for how every part
1g relates to others,
©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org
• the output from one part of a system • understanding how things work and
can become the input to other parts, designing solutions to problems can
• any system is usually connected to be facilitated by system analysis,
other systems, both internally and • the successful operation of a
externally and designed system usually involves
• a system may be thought of as feedback and
containing subsystems and as being a • even in some very simple systems, it
subsystem of a larger system. may not always be possible to
predict accurately the result of
High school students should have the changing some part or connection.
opportunity to reflect on the value of
thinking in terms of systems and apply Benchmarks for Science Literacy.
systems concepts to diverse situations. American Association for the
By the end of 12th grade, students should Advancement of Science Oxford
know: University Press, New York, 1993.
• a system usually has some properties
that are different from those of its
parts, but appear because of the
interaction of those parts,
©2005 Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation www.montereybayaquarium.org