UNH Marine Docent Floating Lab Program
Overview and Introduction at Dock:
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Big Concepts:
Energy = no life without a source of energy
Water = no life without water
Decomposition/Cycling = bacteria are essential to life
Food web/Abiotic factors = all animals (including humans) need the same things to survive
Adaptation = natural selection has caused ecological niches to occur - generalist species are
wide spread while others are in small pockets
Eco-system = eco-system is in balance. What can change the balance? Humans impose
artificial-selection causing many changes in environments
Introducing the program at dock:
Introduce yourself and docents; talk about docent program
Ask if they know what an estuary is. Look at tide…high? Or low?
Point out the working harbor
Explain that Eastman’s have recreational fishing boats that let us go out – we are grateful
Talk about safety: no running, feet on deck, hold on, go down stairs like a ladder, PFD are in
cabin, careful going down the ramp
Explain how the trip will run – order of stations, trawl, teachers, chaperones will take notes,
review and discussion at end
Use duck tape to make name tags
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Plankton Station:
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Big Concepts:
Phytoplankton = need sun, water, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and currents (pastures of the
sea!)
Zooplankton = need currents, phytoplankton, and a specific range in salinity, temp, pH, and
DO
Life cycle = most sea life have a planktonic stage and eat each other and other plankton.
Plankton is NOT about size=some plankton are large (jellies)
Humans = need plankton – make oxygen and begin the food web humans are linked with
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Equipment:
 Plankton nets in blue plastic “cart” with wheels
 Secchi disc in bucket
 Wash bottles with “straw” for spraying, Q-tips and Rags
 Discovery scopes w/ unscratched boxes
 1 ice cube tray to organize discovery scopes boxes
 1 dissecting scope with adaptor for camera (for zooplankton)
 1 compound scope (for phytoplankton)
 Two 5-megapixel cameras for two scopes
 Included with microscope - 1 box slides, 1 box cover slips, 3-4 pipettes, paper towels,
Kim-wipes, lens paper]
 One 17 inch laptop for display use for microscopes
Visual Aids:
 Illustrations of phytoplankton, zooplankton, copepods.
 Single sheet guides for plankton
Prep-work:
 Microscopes set-up inside cabin with cameras and laptop
 Arrange pipettes, slides, and cover slips
 Clean-up between sessions keeping interesting samples as back-up
 Plankton equipment set-up on stern
 Tie nets to the railing – keep out of the way
 Keep Secchi disc in a bucket
 Collect phytoplankton sample to set-up the microscopes as a back-up
Teaching the station:
1) Introduce yourself, the station, and the equipment.
 Ask ice-breaker questions - what do the students already know about plankton?
 Explain the word plankton comes from the Greek “Planktos” which means
“wanderer.”
 Explain phytoplankton are plant-like but are not plants - they make their own food,
are the base of the food chain
 Discuss what plants on land need to live (sun, water, CO2, and nutrients).
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How do plants in water get sun, water, CO2, nutrients?
Two types of phytoplankton: diatoms and dinoflagellates (show guide)
Diatoms have a silica shell around them (amber colored lipids and spines)
Dinoflagellates have 2 flagella that allow them to move (some dinoflagellates
produce toxins
Explain zooplankton - they feed on phytoplankton.
Discuss the types of zooplankton: meroplankton (larvae) and holoplankton (stay
plankton). Copepods are the most abundant – show illustrations of some planktonic
larval forms, jellies, and copepods.
Test turbidity of water using secchi disc
2) Show them the nets, tied on to the rail. Demonstrate how to lower the net down through
the water (close to bottom with opening submerged) and then pull it up at an even rate.
Rinse the net and cod-end from the outside with wash bottles filled with salt water, unscrew
the codend of net, pour the sample into plastic container, then coil the lines. Use all the
nets. Explain that the same procedure was done with the phytoplankton net. Let the
students feel the mesh on the phytoplankton net and explain that the mesh is much smaller
because the phytoplankton are 10-100 times smaller than the zooplankton.
3) Assist the students in filling the discovery scope boxes up to the brim and positioning
them in the discovery scopes. While they look, encourage them to describe what they see,
ask how organisms are moving, what features do they have, how these features might be
useful, what sort of behavior. Use illustrations in the notebook to help identify.
4) Take the students into the cabin to view the phytoplankton and zooplankton on the
video/microscopes. Have the students try to identify the phytoplankton with the image key.
BE SURE TO TALK ABOUT DETRITUS and its importance.
Background:
We usually have diatoms this time of year. Explain that diatoms have a heavy silica (glasslike) case. How can they float if they are glass-like? Does glass usually float? Most diatoms
produce an oil (lipid) as a by-product of photosynthesis. Oil is lighter than water, so it floats.
When the diatom dies, it sinks to the bottom. Scientists think that diatoms that lived millions
of years ago formed the petroleum reserves (fossil fuels) we use today.
Talking points for dinoflagellates- We usually don’t see them this time of year, so use the
Great Bay Coast Watch Phytoplankton ID key to talk about toxic dinoflagellates. Did anyone
ever hear of “Red tide”? That’s a name used in the media for a Harmful Algal Bloom. Many
dinoflagellates present in the water changes the color of the water! (Hence the name, Red
Tide) Sometimes in spring or summer, there is a large bloom of Alexandrium and shellfish
beds are closed. Shellfish harvested in NH and Maine is fairly safe. Monitors sampling the
water spring through fall look for the toxin producing species.
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Clean up:
Between sessions: Have students coil up lines and place nets back in the buckets. Organize
equipment and wipe-down counter. Stow equipment before the trawl is set.
At the end of the day: rinse discovery scope boxes and dishes with fresh water and leave to
air dry. Plankton nets should be rinsed with fresh water and hung up to dry. Occasionally,
clean lens of Discovery Scopes with Q-Tip. Wipe the stage of the scopes with fresh water.
Clean the lenses with lens paper. Place the scope in the Styrofoam box inside the big plastic
box, laptop goes in its case, and dissecting scope into its bag.
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Gulf of Maine Ecosystem and Trawl:
Big Concepts:
Gulf of Maine: Unusual body of water, rich in nutrients, affected by flow from fresh water
rivers, tidal mixing makes a SOUP, unusual bowl formation perfect for mixing the SOUP of
nutrients; effect of up-welling. Productivity is at its peak in March and April. Lessens over the
summer
Labrador Current: Labrador Current brings cold water rich in dissolved oxygen which helps
fish grow
Nutrients: Nitrogen and phosphorus are main nutrients that mix and attract the fish.
Upwelling: Upwelling caused by pushing against the bank and pushing nutrients into tidal
mix.
Gyre: Gyre caused by mixing of cold and warm waters and the tides.
Plankton, Whales, fish: Phytoplankton and zooplankton grow rapidly when there are the
nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus). Whales bring their babies north in the spring to feed.
Other fish attracted by nutrients
Water Column: Fish live at different levels in the water column depending on the food they
eat
Trawl: The trawl is used to catch fish on the bottom of the ocean
Equipment:
 One magnetic white board and white board markers/eraser
 3D model of Gulf of Maine
 Watershed map of Gulf of Maine and currents
 Map showing Gulf Stream
 Bucket of fish attached to magnets
 Current meter in crate
 Model of trawl
Visual Aids:
 Cards (laminated) showing kinds of fish
 8x11 laminated sheets showing pictures of otter trawls
Prep-Work:
 Set up white board. Draw lines to show water levels
 Set up 3D model of Gulf of Maine
 Bucket with fish magnets
 Maps of Gulf of Maine and Gulf Stream
 Set up Current Meter
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Teaching the Station:
Introduce yourself and the station
 Ask ice-breaker questions. Where is the Gulf of Maine? How is Gulf of Maine unique?
 What are the things that make it unique?
 Show the 3D model of the Gulf of Maine. What is this part of the model? (Canada,
Nova Scotia…). Show the bumps on the model and ask what the bumps show?
(depths). Show Georges Bank and then show Georges Bank on the maps.
 How do we identify depths on the model? On the flat map? Suggest that at low tide,
the depth can be as low as 20 feet. Show Northeast channel on the model.
 How was Gulf of Maine formed? (glacial activity)
 What is bottom made of? What is on bottom of the ledges? (cobbles, rock..)
Gulf of Maine:
 It is remarkable because of the structure of the land form and the currents. What
happens when water hits Georges Bank? It pushes up the Bank bringing rich
nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus.
 Labrador Current. Where does it come from? Why is it important? It brings cold
water rich in dissolved oxygen (cold water has more DO than warm water)
 Effect of fresh water from rivers and rain mixing with ocean water.
 What happens when the tides come twice a day? Mixes things up in the water,
creates a SOUP-like condition (note that the Gulf of Maine is like a soup bowl),
creates a GYRE. All of this creates a perfect condition for the growth of fish and for
the mixing of nutrients.
KEY POINTS:
 Cold water is important from a productivity point of view. Why? (cold water has
more DO and therefore is better for fish)
 TIDAL MIXING….Gulf of Maine is complex environment. Key is MIXING.
 Height of tides: 2’ to 3’ in the South; 8’ to 10’ in GOM, therefore more current,
more mixing.
Fish:
Show white board and bucket of fish with magnets. Each student takes two or three
“fish” and when asked a question, places the fish in a part of the water where you would
expect to find it.
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Who has a COPEPOD, a type of zooplankton? Read us your “fish”. Where do you
think a Copepod would live in the Gulf of Maine? Why? What does it eat? (lives at
top of water column, close to sun, eats phytoplankton that needs sun to survive.)
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Now we need an animal that might want to eat copepods? (shrimp lives near bottom
but can swim up to the top, too)
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What looks like a shrimp? (a lobster) Compare the shrimp picture magnet to the
lobster picture magnet. Which one can swim the best? Why? Where does the shrimp
live? The lobster?
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Who has a Mammal? (humpback whale). Read us its size and information. What do
they like to eat (krill, copepods)? How does it eat? (straining through baleen) Where
would it live in the water? Identify its calf and where it was born (in the warm waters
of the Caribbean)
Who has a mackerel? A herring? A flounder? Where will they live? What do they feed
on? (copepods) How do they move around? (in schools) Who is chasing them?
(striped bass, blue fish)
What lives on the bottom of the ocean? (cod) What food does it like to eat?
(lobsters) Where does he swim? Identify barbell on cod.
Who has the TUNA and the SWORDFISH? Discuss characteristics of both fish and
where they live.
What would we do to catch a COD? (can move from fish into how to catch fish)
Compare types of fish. Compare fins (why is it shaped this way? Where might it live?
Why is lobster the color it is? In what ways is habitat important for color, shape? What is
barbel for on the cod?
Other questions for discussion: Compare two predatory fish. Same? Different? If we drag
a trawl, will be get a swordfish? How might fish be related? What has happened with the
cod industry?
Trawl:
We will use an OTTER TRAWL to catch some fish. What is an OTTER TRAWL? Use descriptive
pictures to show length (100’ across and 100’ long).
What is the purpose of this part (the DOORS). Why is trawl designed the way it is? What is
purpose of the CODEND?
The OTTER TRAWL is a bottom trawler. What might we catch with a bottom trawler?
(flounder, lobsters, crabs, sand dollars, sea stars, skates…..)
Demonstrate model of trawl and ask student to make it work.
Show the actual Otter Trawl if it is convenient!
Look at boats in the Harbor for other types of trawls.
Clean up:
Put maps, box with fish magnets into plastic box.
Wash off current meter with fresh water and put into crate.
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Water Station:
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Big Concepts:
Salinity = differences and ranges – where is salinity from?
Density = currents, stratification
Dissolved oxygen = fish and invertebrates are efficient at removing DO from water
pH = effects metabolism
Temperature = hatch rate, survival rates, reproduction
Adaptation = living organisms have adapted to these non-living factors like temperature,
weather, effect of minerals in the water
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Equipment:
 Van Dorn bottles (new one is vertical. Not as easy to use)
 1 cline-finders (temperature in the water)
 2 hydrometers
 2 thermometers (blue ones)
 3 refractometers (bending of light)
 1 DO Chem-ette Kit
 1 pH test Kit
 Supplemental pH tester
 White board with dry erase markers and chart marked in permanent ink
 towels
 1000 ml graduated cylinders
 bottle of fresh water for washing up and density comparisons
 pail of fresh water
Visual Aids:
 salinity-temperature-density chart
 pH chart
Prep-work:
 Be sure the Van Dorn bottles are working – may need to oil the release
 Prepare a 1000 ml graduated cylinder with fresh water for density comparison
Teaching the Station:
1. Introduce yourself, and talk about the tests they will do
a. Temperature
b. Salinity (from density and temperature)
c. Dissolved Oxygen
d. Acidity
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2. Tell the students they will work as a team. Be sure they each get a chance to handle a
piece of equipment. You will use:
a. Van Dorn bottle
b. 1 empty 1000 ml graduated cylinder
c. Armored thermometer
d. Hydrometer
e. Refractometer if you would like to use for comparison, or to save time
f. DO Chem-ette ampoule and cylinder
3. After a brief dry dock demo have the group collect water using the Van Dorn bottle. Each
student has a different job…holding the Van Dorn, controlling the line, dropping the
“messenger”, etc. (Can ask questions such as Why use a Van Dorn bottle? Why not just
throw a bucket over the side?) Pour water from the Van Dorn into one of the graduated
cylinders. Do tests quickly. Why should we make tests soon after we pour the water into
the beaker?
Explain each concept as you go.
a. Temperature – have a couple of students take and record the temperature as the
van Dorn bottle is lowered. Briefly discuss why this is important, what things
would impact a change, and the different strategies organisms employ to deal
with the change.
b. DO – Pour water up to the line in the DO cylinder. Have a couple of other students
break the DO test ampoule in the DO cylinder and put aside to read and record
results after the next step. Be careful to break the ampoule at the tip. Let sit for
several minutes before matching the color.
c. Salinity – explain the hydrometer, and have a couple of students test for density in
both fresh and salt water. Have the group discuss the reasons for the greater
density.
Have the students use the chart to determine salinity, utilizing both the
density and temperature measurements. Then record the salinity. Encourage
discussion about the findings, what may cause differing results and what
strategies different organisms have to deal with the changes. Effect of estuary?
Effect of heavy rain? (can talk about the Mother’s Day rain in 2006 and effect on
lobsters, etc. in Great Bay). Discuss ppt measurement and meaning.
e. Return to the DO test. Have the students compare the ampoule to the
colorimeter and record the results. Be sure the students understand that this is
free O2 and not part of the H2O molecule. How does DO get in the water? (air and
plants in water) Relate to Plankton Station and Gulf of Maine Station. How is it
measured? (ppm)
f. Test for pH and use chart to discuss levels of pH
g. Ask a “reporter” to write all results on chart on white board.
4.The plankton team uses the secchi disk to test turbidity, but you can talk about turbidity in
the water and what changes might occur.
THROW ALL CHEMICALS IN BOTTLE PROVIDED. Why do we do this?
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Further questions for discussion:
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Why do we test salinity?
What happened in Great Bay when salinity went from about 23 ppt to under 3 ppt in
the Mother’s Day Flood?
Where in the world would you find high salinity?
Why is pH important?
Discuss turbidity and how it might affect water. Tie to plankton, Gulf of Maine
stations.
What happens to water when you let it rest for a few minutes?
Clean Up:
Wash all equipment with fresh water, dry it and put it away. Rinse towels and sponges
then leave out to dry. Check to see if the waste jug needs changing and if chemicals need
replenishing. Throw out used chemicals in empty bottle and throw away at home.
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Benthic Station:
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Big Concepts:
Benthic = define
Sediments = silt, sand, gravel, clay, rocks
Nutrients = cycling by bacteria
Adaptation = form determines habitat; habitat determines form (worms, mussels, clams...)
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Equipment:
 Peterson Grab in milk crate
 3 white dish pans
 Bucket with hose and screen top
 Bucket for H20 with rope on handle
 Large tub for animals
 Crab trap and bait (can be ground-up mussels, chicken parts….)
 Bubblers (aerator for tanks)
 Sediment sample jars
 Wooden spoons, plastic knives
 Screens
 Large clear plastic containers
 Small plastic containers
 Overnight animal holding bucket to tie off dock (use if another FL the next day)
 Magnifiers
Prep-work:
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Collect animals off pilings at fish pier before lab starts. Can bring some animals
from Marine Docent Center. Put specimens in jar aquaria with sea water and
bubblers. Float aquaria in the big tub to keep temperature stable. Refresh water
as needed depending on air temperature. Temperature is more important than
oxygen.
Bait and set crab trap – tie on railing and drop over side
Set up equipment in stern of the boat.
Collect mud and sand samples in case grab doesn’t work (store in white pan.)
Always save good sediment samples in the white pans (one for mud, one for sand).
Teaching the Station:
1. Introduce the station – What does Benthic mean? Ask what animals might live in or on the
sediments and introduce bacteria as part of the community. Discuss the role of different
organisms in the recycling of nutrients: primary producers, primary consumers, secondary
consumers…decomposers. Then have students pull up crab trap and put crabs in the big tub.
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2. Hand out small jars and ask them to shake the jars. What does each one have to do with the
bottom? Explain sediment types and discuss how things land on the bottom: carried down
through watershed; dying and falling to bottom; movement of tides and currents (ties to
navigation and water)
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What is the bottom like in a fast-moving river? What is it like in a still spot?
Did everything on the bottom here originate here? How did it get here?
Discuss the watershed concept and the travel of sediments.
3. Demonstrate the Peterson Grab and explain safety features. Start with it on its side.
a) Always have safety pin in except when you cock it
b) Put the safety pin in after you bring it up from the bottom
c) NEVER put hands inside the grab
d) Use wooden spoon to scrape out sediment
4. Pick 2 students to lower grab and 1 student to read the depth mark (Have a reserve sample
on hand just in case the Peterson Grab doesn’t work)
5. Dump the contents on a screen and examine for color (aerobic layer will be lighter), smell
(Hydrogen sulfide is in the lower anaerobic layers). Anaerobic decay aided by bacteria produces
hydrogen sulfide, which in turn, produces sulfur. This process accounts for much of the native
sulfur found in nature. Discuss what organisms might live in the aerobic v. anaerobic sediments
and why (tie in with DO discussion)
6. Examine contents for pieces of bone, worms, etc. – lay them out so you can discuss where
they came from – rivers, the ocean, etc. Wash the contents on the screen with water to
discover more. Save good samples to use with subsequent stations. Discuss role of “detritus”
7. Have students observe the invertebrates - have assortment of mussels, anemones, barnacles,
sea stars, etc. in mini-aquaria to observe without disturbing. Have some specimens that can be
handled. Keep crabs and aquaria in the big tub in the shade when not in use. Change water
throughout the day to keep them cool and refreshed. (Use plankton from plankton station to
feed invertebrates – let students do this).
e) Discuss feeding techniques.
f) Discuss protection adaptations
g) Discuss mobility adaptation
h) Teach students to sex the crabs. Use references to identify green, Jonah, rock and Asian
Shore crabs.
8. Discuss basic concept particularly “adaptation”…Why does this creature look this way? What
are claws for? How do they sense things? Compare and contrast critters.
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Clean-up:
Keep healthy animals in the holding bucket overnight or take aquaria to Kingman Farm, release
all others. Rinse equipment thoroughly with freshwater and arrange to dry overnight.
Note: If you leave animals in a holding bucket overnight, be sure to tell the Captain of the boat
so he won’t dump out the bucket!
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Navigation Station:
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Big Concepts:
Human navigation = research, commercial, recreation, migration
Currents = affect navigation
Weather = affects navigation
Navigational tools = latitude and longitude, compass, GPS, charts, parallel rule, sextant
Note for Navigation Station: Kids haven’t had a lot of training in mapping and geography. Also,
lots of information here! You may not have time for all of it! Plan to spend 10 minutes or so on
explanations and about 15 minutes on hands-on work with compasses, globe, charts, GPS.
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Equipment:
 12-16 hand-held bearing compasses with strings for around the neck
 2 parallel rulers
 2 charts of New Hampshire coastline and Gulf of Maine
 2 boards and rubber bands for securing worksheet map
 copies of the Hampton-Seabrook harbor chart blown up
 towels for wiping seats
 tape
 2 GPS instruments and related charts
Visual Aids:
 latitude/longitude/degrees/minutes poster showing Greenwich meridian and showing
how many miles one degree of longitude represents
 Chart of NH coast
 Diagram of the bearings and how to read them
 inflatable globes
 laminated pictures to describe satellites
Prep-work:
 Spread out larger chart and tape to available surface (on cabin wall or flat surface)
 Blow up globe
 Attach worksheet map to boards
 Check string attachment on compasses
 CHECK THAT GPS UNITS ARE CHARGED
Teaching the Station:
1. Introduce yourself and the term, “navigation”
2. Chart work, longitude and latitude
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a) Gather around the chart so everyone can see. “Ok, we are in a boat…we need to go
somewhere…how do we get there?”
b) Blow up globe and use it to show longitude and latitude
c) How do we navigate on land? How navigation different on the water? What is our
address on land? What is a boat’s address at sea?
d) What is Latitude & Longitude
(N & S latitude and E & W Longitude – discuss degrees, minutes and seconds)
3. Compass Work
a) Establish direction by using a Magnetic compass
(North Magnetic Pole, where? Relationship to geographic North Pole)
b) Establishing distance
(1 minute –Long. @ equator = 1 nautical mile)
Use of dividers to measure distance on chart Latitude scale
How to measure distance underway (knot meter log; Time X Speed = Distance
c) Can use map with Eastmans on it to get bearing on line.
i)
ii)
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Where would be good places to fish?
About how far away are the Isles of Shoals? (how do we measure….)
What is the approximate latitude & longitude of Hampton-Seabrook Harbor?
Where is the compass rose? How does compass relate to compass rose?
What prominent features might help establish our location?
d) Bearing compass and parallel rules will be used to find our location.
GPS: The (not so) new kid on the block!
4. What if it is foggy? What do we do?
a) Triangulation with multiple satellites: (Shane’s rope trick to show triangulation.) The
more satellites we have, the better the data
b) Look over GPS unit (1 for each two students)
Look at satellite acquisition display and signal strength.
Examples of various screens – toggle through using laminated examples to demonstrate
screens. (Key to use buttons…what does each one do?)
Getting Latitude and Longitude and compare to chart. Setting waypoints – route to
destination (Isles of Shoals buoy?) (Read out course and distance. Look at “highway”
presentation)
Mapping and tracking function (if feasible, leave on during harbor exit and trawl)
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Electronic chart plotters (inspect the unit in the boat wheelhouse; compare with paper
chart)
5. Reiterate the role navigation plays in marine sciences and research, commercial fishing and
transport and environmental issues.
6. Take home thoughts:
What is our Latitude in Hampton?
Why is it useful/necessary to know where we are at sea?
What are two methods for establishing position?
Clean-Up:
You picked the right station! Just organize for the next group.
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Teaching Tips!
LET STUDENTS DO EVERYTHING THEMSELVES!
Involve students by asking questions that encourage them to think.
Reinforce basic concepts of science not just facts. WHY is key, not just WHAT. Translate
concept into commonly-understood example. Use a story to give an example!
Encourage students to make predictions about what they will find.
Talk less! No long introductions! If possible, get them in a “hands-on” experience within five
minutes. Students this age need to be actively involved.
Do everything as a group. Try NOT to break everyone into subgroups.
Engage students by making it FUN….a UNIQUE experience.
Assign tasks. Don’t wait for volunteers. Watch for the student who gets left behind and draw
him in.
Understand the “choreography” of the group. Who is the quiet person? Find him or her and
“tease” success out of the student.
Simplify when necessary. If you can’t get everything done in 25 minutes, don’t worry! Do what
you can with the group you have. (Ex: With younger children, you might have to slow down
and just do one or two procedures.) Make them feel good about where they are.
Compliment the students and be positive but don’t overdo it! Praise in public; punish in
private (for discipline problems). Make the experience a FUN, ENGAGING one!
Help students make connections between your station and the other stations.
For Example:
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Compare “adaptation” in Benthic and “Plankton” stations and “adaptation” in Gulf of Maine
station – what are examples of adaptation
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Compare Dissolved Oxygen as discussed in Water Station to importance of DO in Gulf of
Maine
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Discuss ”Ecosystem” – What is an Ecosystem? How do things get out of balance in Water,
Benthic, Plankton and Gulf of Maine stations? (Examples: acid rain, salinity, pollution, and
so on)
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New Hampshire State Curriculum Framework
Standards Relevant to the UNH Coastal Floating Lab
The UNH Coastal Floating Lab program will engage students in the discovery and understanding of the following concepts in varying
degrees dependent upon the prior preparation and follow-up in the classroom.
Science Process Skills
SPS1– Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking Skills (INQ)
1. MAKING OBSERVATIONS & ASKING QUESTIONS
S:SPS1:8:1.1 Use appropriate tools to accurately collect and record both qualitative and quantitative data gathered through observations (e.g.,
temperature probes, electronic balances, spring scales, microscopes, stop watches).
S:SPS1:8:1.2 Determine the degree of accuracy that can be obtained using a given instrument.
S:SPS1:8:1.3 Investigate similarities and differences noted when making observations.
S:SPS1:8:1.4 Construct and use a dichotomous key to classify a given set of objects or organisms.
3. CONDUCTING SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS
S:SPS1:8:3.2 Use appropriate tools to gather data as part of an investigation (e.g., ruler, meter stick, thermometer, spring scale, graduated
cylinder, calipers, balance, probes, microscopes).
SPS2– Unifying Concepts of Science
2. SYSTEMS & ENERGY
S:SPS2:8:2.1 Understand that any system is usually connected to other systems, both internally and externally; thus a system may be thought of as
containing subsystems and as being a subsystem of a larger system.
S:SPS2:8:2.2 Analyze how the output of one part of a system, which can include materials, energy or information, can become the input to other
parts.
5. FORM & FUNCTION
S:SPS2:8:5.1 Describe the relationship between structure and function of organ systems in plants and animals.
S:SPS2:8:5.2 Describe the structure and function of various organ systems (i.e., digestion, respiration, circulation, nervous, protection and
support) and how these systems contribute to homeostasis of the organism.
S:SPS2:8:5.3 Compare the structure and function of organ systems in one organism to the structure and function in another organism.
A-1
SPS3– Personal, Social, and Technological Perspectives
1. COLLABORATION IN SCIENTIFIC ENDEAVORS
S:SPS3:8:1.1
S:SPS3:8:1.2
S:SPS3:8:1.3
S:SPS3:8:1.4
Work effectively within a cooperative group setting, accepting and executing assigned roles and responsibilities.
Work collectively within a group toward a common goal.
Demonstrate respect of one another’s abilities and contributions to the group.
Demonstrate an understanding of the ethics involved in scientific inquiry.
Earth Space Science Standards
ESS1– The Earth and Earth materials, as we know them today, have developed over long periods of time, through constant
change processes.
1. WATER
S:ESS1:8:7.1 Describe how water flows into and through a watershed, falling on the land, collecting in rivers and lakes, soil, and porous layers of
rock, until much of it flows back into the ocean.
S:ESS1:8:7.2 Identify the physical and chemical properties that make water an essential component of the Earth’s system
S:ESS1:8:7.3 Explain the processes that cause cycling of water into and out of the atmosphere and their connections to our planet’s weather
patterns. [ESS1(5-8)SAE-2]
ESS2– The Earth is part of a solar system, made up of distinct parts, which have temporal and spatial interrelationships.
1. EARTH, SUN AND MOON
S:ESS2:8:1.3 Recognize the relationships between the tides and the phases of the moon; and use tide charts and NOAA information to describe
them.
S:ESS2:8:1.4 Explain the temporal or positional relationships between or among the Earth, Sun and Moon (e.g., night/day, seasons, year, tide).
[ESS2(5-8)SAE+POC-8]
2. SUN
S:ESS2:8:2.1 Describe the Sun as the principle energy source for phenomena on the Earth’s surface.
A-2
Life Science Standards
LS1– All living organisms have identifiable structures and characteristics that allow for survival (organisms, populations, and
species).
1. CLASSIFICATION
S:LS1:8:1.1 Recognize that similarities among organisms are found in anatomical features and patterns of development; and explain how these
can be used to infer the degree of relatedness among organisms.
S:LS1:8:1.2 Describe or compare how different organisms have mechanisms that work in a coordinated way to obtain energy, grow, move,
respond, provide defense, enable reproduction, or maintain internal balance (e.g., cells, tissues, organs and systems). [LS1(5-8)SAE+FAF-2]
2. LIVING THINGS AND ORGANIZATION
S:LS1:8:2.2 Define a population and describe the factors that can affect it.
S:LS1:8:2.3 Explain why it is beneficial for an organism to be able to regulate its internal environment while living in a constantly changing
external environment.
S:LS1:8:2.5 Using data and observations about the biodiversity of an ecosystem, make predictions or draw conclusions about how the diversity
contributes to the stability of the ecosystem. [LS1(5-8)INQ+SAE-1]
LS3– Groups of organisms show evidence of change over time (e.g. evolution, natural selection, structures, behaviors, and
biochemistry).
1. ENVIRONMENT
S:LS3:8:1.1 Describe the type of impact certain environmental changes, including deforestation, invasive species, increased erosion, and pollution
containing toxic substances, could have on local environments.
2. FLOW OF ENERGY
S:LS3:8:2.3 Use a model, classification system, or dichotomous key to illustrate, compare, or interpret possible relationships among groups of
organisms (e.g., internal and external structures, anatomical features).
[LS3(5-8)MAS+FAF-8]
3. NATURAL SELECTION
S:LS3:8:3.2 Recognize that in any given environment the growth and survival of organisms depend on the physical conditions that exist; and
explain that in all environments, organisms with similar needs may compete with one another for resources, including food, space, water, air, and
shelter.
A-3
S:LS3:8:3.3 Explain how individual organisms with certain traits are more likely than others to survive and have offspring.
S:LS3:8:3.5 Cite examples supporting the concept that certain traits of organisms may provide a survival advantage in a specific environment and
therefore, an increased likelihood to produce offspring. [LS3(5-8)POC-9]
LS5– The growth of scientific knowledge in Life Science has been advanced through the development of technology and is used
(alone or in combination with other sciences) to identify, understand and solve local and global issues.
2. TOOLS
S:LS5:8:2.1 Recognize and provide examples of how technology has enhanced the study of life sciences, as in the development of advanced
diagnosing equipment improving medicine.
4. CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION CONNECTIONS
S:LS5:8:4.1 Understand that some scientific jobs/careers involve the application of life science content knowledge and experience in specific
ways that meet the goals of the job.
A-4