This Spanish-language video teaches students about coastal Oregon estuaries, the animals that live in estuaries, and their importance to our environment.
Students learn about the impact of tides, brackish water, and changing seasons on the animal species living in estuaries.
The information presented can also be an excellent introduction to evolutionary adaptations, using salmon as an example.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The video uses maps and examples to help students comprehend the layout of estuaries in relation to rivers, streams, and the ocean.
The visuals of the animals will keep students' attention, along with enthusiastic narration.
Students can replicate the simple experiment shown in the video.
Additional Prerequisites
The teacher and/or students should have access to the Internet.
An advertisement will play before the video begins or during the video.
Students should have some prior knowledge of rivers and oceans.
A vocabulary list will be helpful since there are many terms that may be new for students.
Differentiation
Although the video is presented with Spanish narration, there are subtitles available in many languages.
The English-translated subtitles present names of estuaries and rivers differently than the video itself.
Earth science classes can discuss the effects of tides, salinity of water, and environmental adaptation after watching this video.
This video can enhance prior lessons about ecosystems and habitats.
Students can create visual representations of an estuary and its inhabitants.
The lesson can be used for climate change education by connecting it to the issue of rising sea levels and changing precipitation patterns.
Teachers can use this lesson for in-person or virtual learning, utilizing a graphic organizer for note-taking and defining unfamiliar vocabulary.
Scientist Notes
In this video, estuaries are introduced and an overview of what they are, why they are important, how they change over the year, and other basic information is explained. Information about the animals, particularly the fish who live in estuaries, are also discussed. Two examples of estuaries in Oregon are shown. Additionally, an experiment about density, that can easily be done in class, is demonstrated in the video. The narration of the video is geared towards younger students, but the video does provide a good general overview of estuaries for any age. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
MS-LS2-2 Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.
5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
MS-LS4-2 Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.
World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (ACTFL)
Connections: Connect with other disciplines and acquire information and diverse perspectives in order to use the language to function in academic and career-related situations.
3.1 Making Connections: Learners build, reinforce, and expand their knowledge of other disciplines while using the language to develop critical thinking and to solve problems creatively.
