Coral Reef Biomes: Essential and Endangered
Teacher’s Guide
Grade Level: 6-8
Curriculum Focus: Life Science
Lesson Duration: Three class periods
Program Description
Coral Reef Biomes: Essential and Endangered—The diversity of life found in a coral reef biome is
unmatched in any other underwater habitat. Vibrantly colored sponges, tropical fish, feather
duster worms, sea anemones, lobsters, and many other kinds of life thrive on and near reefs. This
program gives students an explorer’s-eye view of these fascinating ecosystems as it examines the
different kinds of reefs, how reefs form, and the various species that inhabit them. Scientists
explain that reefs could provide important medical, scientific, and economic benefits to human
society—if the world’s coral reefs survive long enough to reveal their secrets.
Discussion Questions
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What kind of animal builds coral reefs?
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What kinds of plants and animals live on and around coral reefs?
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How are human activities threatening the survival of the world’s coral reefs?
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What changes can we make in our daily lives that will help the reefs survive?
Lesson Plan
Student Objectives
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Discuss the building of coral reefs and the forms they take.
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Discuss the value of coral reefs and what humans will lose if we don’t act to save them.
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Write a report about one particular threat to the health or safety of coral reefs and what can be
done to educate people on this issue.
Materials
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Coral Reef Biomes: Essential and Endangered video
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Computer with Internet access
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Print resources about coral reefs and the threats they face
Coral Reef Biomes: Essential and Endangered
Teacher’s Guide
2
Procedures
1. Review information from the video with the class.
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What is a biome? (a type of habitat that supports specific kinds of plant and animal life)
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Where do we find coral reefs? (in tropical oceans around the world)
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Name the major types of coral reefs. (fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls)
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Which animals build coral reefs with their limestone skeletons? (coral polyps)
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What kind of plants live inside the coral polyp and help feed it? (tiny algae called
zooxanthellae)
•
In addition to the hard corals that build the reef, what other kinds of corals live around
reefs? (soft corals, such as fan and feather-shaped corals)
•
What other biomes support the health of coral reef biomes? (mangrove swamps and sea
grass beds)
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What kinds of animals live around a coral reef? (invertebrates such as sponges, lobsters,
shrimp, and crabs; vertebrates, such as sharks, rays, and other tropical fish)
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What special role does the parrot fish play on coral reefs? (Parrot fish bite off and chew
small chunks of coral to get at the polyps and the algae living inside. They take in large
amounts of limestone coral, which they grind in their gullets and excrete as sand. A
single adult parrot fish can produce as much as a ton of sand every year.)
•
What defenses do reef animals commonly use to avoid being eaten by predators?
(camouflage and chemical defense)
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How do scientists think studying coral reefs will benefit humans? (Scientists believe they
might discover life-saving drugs and other beneficial chemicals by studying coral reefs.)
2. Ask students to name human activities that harm coral reefs. Record their responses and read
any from the list below not offered by a student.
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Snorkelers and scuba divers damage reefs.
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People catch tropical fish for pet stores
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Boaters throw litter overboard, which hurts reef animals
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Boats and anchors cause damage.
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Fertilizers and other chemicals run off with rain and pollute ocean waters
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Global warming alters the coral reef habitat.
3. Challenge students to learn more about coral reefs, how humans have damaged them, and what
we can do to protect them. Have them consider these questions: What human activity causes
the greatest harm to coral reefs? What would humanity lose if all the world’s coral reefs were
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
Coral Reef Biomes: Essential and Endangered
Teacher’s Guide
3
destroyed? What has been done to educate people so the damage may stop? What else can be
done to protect coral reefs?
4. Have students use print and Web resources to research coral reefs and their conservation. The
following Web sites are good starting points:
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Reef Relief: Protecting Living Coral
http://www.reefrelief.org/coral_reef_index.shtml
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NOAA: Coral Reef Conservation Program
http://www.coralreef.noaa.gov/
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Reefs in Danger
http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2001/11/111201_reefs.jhtml
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The Nature Conservancy: Coral Reefs
http://nature.org/magazine/fall2002/coralreefs/
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World Wildlife Fund: Coral Reefs Initiative
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/marine/what_we_do/coral_reefs/index.cfm
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Coral Reef Links
http://directory.google.com/Top/Science/Biology/Ecology/Aquatic_Ecology/Marine/Coral_Reefs/
5. When students have completed their initial research, ask them to summarize their findings in a
one-page report about a particular threat to the health or safety of coral reefs, including what
could be done to educate people and protect the reefs.
6. Have students choose partners. Ask them to share their reports with their partners and answer
any questions. Then have each student summarize his or her partner’s report for the class,
including at least three interesting facts.
Assessment
Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students’ work during this lesson.
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3 points: Students were highly engaged in class discussions; produced a complete report,
including all of the requested information; accurately summarized partner’s report and cited
three interesting, relevant points.
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2 points: Students participated in class discussions; produced an adequate report, including
most of the requested information; satisfactorily summarized partner’s report and cited two
relevant points.
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1 point: Students participated minimally in class discussions; created an incomplete report
with little or none of the requested information; did not summarize partner’s report or recall
any interesting, relevant points.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
Coral Reef Biomes: Essential and Endangered
Teacher’s Guide
Vocabulary
atolls
Definition: Ring-shaped reefs surrounding a lagoon
Context: Most atolls form in deep ocean water far from land.
barrier reefs
Definition: Coral reefs that lie offshore, separated from land by a shallow lagoon
Context: Barrier reefs often mimic the shape of an island’s shoreline.
fringing reefs
Definition: Coral reefs that grow on rocky shelves close to shores
Context: Fringing reefs are one of the major types of coral reefs.
hard corals
Definition: Corals that secrete calcium carbonate and build reefs
Context: The polyps of hard corals are about the size of a pencil eraser.
reef crest
Definition: The highest part of the reef
Context: Waves break over the surface of the coral on the reef crest.
reef flat
Definition: The gently sloping area that runs from the lagoon or beach to the crest of the reef
Context: On the reef flat we see sand, clumps of sea grass, and bits of coral.
reef front
Definition: Also called the fore-reef, the reef side that faces the open ocean
Context: Reef fronts often descend sharply, forming a spectacular wall that divers like to
explore.
soft corals
Definition: Flexible corals that secrete little calcium carbonate and don’t build reefs but are
usually found near reefs
Context: Soft corals form colorful structures shaped like fans, feathers, whips, and rods.
zooxanthellae
Definition: Tiny algae that live inside coral polyps and help feed them
Context: Zooxanthellae use the energy of sunlight to create their own food through
photosynthesis.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
4
Coral Reef Biomes: Essential and Endangered
Teacher’s Guide
5
Academic Standards
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences provides guidelines for teaching science in grades K–12 to
promote scientific literacy. To view the standards, visit this Web site:
http://books.nap.edu/html/nses/html/overview.html#content.
This lesson plan addresses the following national standards:
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Life Science: Structure and function in living systems; Regulation and behavior; Populations
and ecosystems; Diversity and adaptations of organisms
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)
McREL’s Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K–12 Education
addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp.
This lesson plan addresses the following national standards:
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Science—Life Sciences: Understands the structure and function of cells and organisms;
Understands relationships among organisms and their physical environment; Understands
biological evolution and the diversity of life
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Language Arts—Viewing: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret
visual media
National Council for the Social Studies
The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) has developed national standards to provide
guidelines for teaching social studies. To view the standards online, go to
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands/.
This lesson plan addresses the following thematic standards:
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Culture
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Time, Continuity, and Change
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People, Places, and Environment
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Production, Distribution, and Consumption
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Science, Technology, and Society
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Global Connections
•
Civic Ideals and Practices
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
Coral Reef Biomes: Essential and Endangered
Teacher’s Guide
6
Support Materials
Develop custom worksheets, educational puzzles, online quizzes, and more with the free teaching tools
offered on the DiscoverySchool.com Web site. Create and print support materials, or save them to a
Custom Classroom account for future use. To learn more, visit
http://school.discovery.com/teachingtools/teachingtools.html.
Credit
Renne Leatto, education and curriculum writer
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.