Phytoplankton and the Marine Food Web
Lesson Plans
Grades5, 6, 7, 8Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Gulf of Maine Research Institute
What it is
- In this 5-lesson module, students use scientific modeling to explore how marine food webs are changing because of warming ocean waters in the Gulf of Maine and the effects on plankton.
- Students will watch videos, draw food web diagrams, play a game that models marine ecosystems, analyze data about ocean warming, and create a final product to synthesize their learning.
Teaching tips
Positives
- Students are able to practice analyzing data presented as graphs and maps.
- Students create a final product to communicate what they've learned about the impacts of climate change on nearby ocean ecosystems with their community.
- There is an option to email GMRI and have them send you materials for the game, so you don't have to prep them!
Prerequisites
- Students should understand food webs and how they are interconnected.
- Many lessons in this module will require more than one class period.
- Students should have a foundational understanding of climate change and its impacts.
- Each lesson has a slideshow, student handouts, discussion questions, and assessment rubrics.
- The Seattle Aquarium link in the Plankton Investigation section doesn't work.
- The link to the Sea Surface Temperature Maps in the Final Project Digital Note Catcher does not work, but these maps are in the Lesson 3 resources.
- The link to Jill Pelto's data art is broken, but many Jill Pelto resources are in the SubjectToClimate Resource Database.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Students watch videos of multiple scientists working on this research, which can connect this module to green careers.
- The lesson provides flexibility in what the final products can be and how students can share them with the community.
- Most lessons include optional extension activities and resources that teachers can use to expand learning on the topic.
- When playing the food web modeling game, students in large classes may benefit from wearing markers to indicate their level on the food web.
From the scientist review
This resource allows students to learn about marine food webs and how they are changing. The content focuses specifically on the Gulf of Maine. In addition to learning about food webs, students will learn about models, how they help people better understand what is happening, and how they aid scientific research. The provided resources are accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
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