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Database Provider

Authors

UCI Science Project, The Ocean Agency

Grades

6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th

Subjects

Science, Biology, Earth and Space Sciences

Resource Types

  • Lesson Plans
  • Presentation Slides
  • Artwork
  • Worksheets
  • Videos, 1 minute, 3 seconds
  • Activity - Classroom

Regional Focus

Global

Format

Google Slides, PDF, YouTube Video

The Magic of Seagrass Secondary Lesson Plan

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Synopsis
  • This lesson plan and supporting materials are an excellent resource for introducing students to seagrass ecosystems.
  • Students will learn about seagrass ecosystems, what is happening to them, where they are found, why they matter, and what can be done to protect and conserve them. 
  • The lesson culminates in a seagrass mural activity that will build awareness of the benefits of seagrass.
Teaching Tips

Positives

  • This resource has everything teachers need to deliver a high-quality and engaging lesson. 
  • Each presentation slide has thorough teacher notes, which are very helpful for moving through the slides and explaining the concepts presented. 

Additional Prerequisites

  • Students should have a basic understanding of climate change before this lesson. 

Differentiation

  • A cross-curricular connection can be made in language arts classes by using this resource as a research component before writing. Students can use what they've learned in this lesson to compose a persuasive or informative essay on the importance of preserving seagrass ecosystems. 
  • The optional extension presentation slides and worksheet are a great additional resource for extending learning on this topic. 
  • Other related resources include this podcast about one impact of seagrass decline, this mural that depicts positive efforts to restore the oceans, and this video about the importance of biodiversity. 
Scientist Notes
Students will learn the value of protecting seagrass to support a robust, sustainable marine ecosystem from this interesting resource. The resource includes assignments that ask students to examine and map threatened seagrass in various sites, detect commonalities, assess the severity of the damage, and plan restoration measures using a rubric. It is advised to use this material in the classroom.
Standards
  • Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
    • ESS2: Earth's Systems
      • HS-ESS2-2 Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth’s surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems.
    • ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
      • MS-ESS3-4 Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.
      • MS-ESS3-5 Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
    • LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
      • MS-LS2-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
      • HS-LS2-5 Develop a model to illustrate the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of carbon among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.
      • HS-LS2-6 Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.
  • College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
    • Dimension 4: Taking Informed Action
      • D4.7.9-12 Assess options for individual and collective action to address local, regional, and global problems by engaging in self-reflection, strategy identification, and complex causal reasoning.
  • Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
    • Reading: Science & Technical Subjects (6-12)
      • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account.
    • Speaking & Listening (K-12)
      • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
    • Writing: History, Science & Technical Subjects (6-12)
      • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
  • Related Resources

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