Grade Level: 4-5
Topic: Coral Reefs/Marine Ecosystem
Objective: To learn about an ecosystem and build vocabulary
Coral Reefs are an important part of the marine ecosystem. “Marine” is a fancy word for ocean and an “ecosystem” is the environment or surrounding area. Coral reefs are generally located in tropical areas, like the Florida Keys or Australia. Reefs in a marine ecosystem can act as a habitat, or a home, to many different types of animals. This habitat, as well as others, also provides food. Every ecosystem has its own food chain or food web, which basically describes what eats what. Some animals can even live inside the corals and build a symbiotic relationship with them called mutualism. “Mutualism” means that both the coral and the animal benefit from each other. For example, the organism gets a safe home and the coral gets its color, oxygen, and energy. Another relationship is called “parasitism” which is when one organism benefits while the other is harmed. Think about the two different relationships and some examples for each. Coral reefs act as a home and food source to many different kinds of animals. It is important to protect our environment, like reefs and other ecosystems.
Podcasts are a good way to reinforce information learned in class; however I don’t think that it should replace face to face teaching. It could also be used as an interesting way to introduce a topic, but further instruction by a teacher is necessary for maximum student understanding. Podcasts are beneficial to verbal learners, but they do not benefit a wide variety of learners, such as visual and active learners.