Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 45894
Camouflage in the Ocean
In this lesson, students will complete two mini-labs to explore how colors change as you descend in an aquatic environment. Based on their
observations they are challenged to design a camouflage pattern which could be used below the upper, sun-lit portions of the ocean, AND defend
their design decisions in written form.
Subject(s): English Language Arts, Science
Grade Level(s): 9, 10, 11, 12
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, LCD
Projector
Instructional Time: 2 Hour(s)
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: abiotic factors, aquatic life, light, camouflage, depth
Resource Collection: CPALMS Lesson Plan Development Initiative
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Students will be able to describe the order in which colors disappear as you descend in an aquatic environment, and relate this to the wavelength of each color.
Students will be able to list colors which would provide camouflage in lower sections of an aquatic environment.
Students will be able to produce clear and coherent writing to describe the camouflage pattern they have designed.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Prior knowledge benchmarks:
SC.7.P.10.1 Illustrate that the sun's energy arrives as radiation with a wide range of wavelengths, including infrared, visible, and ultraviolet, and that white light is
made up of a spectrum of many different colors.
SC.7.P.10.2 Observe and explain that light can be reflected, refracted, and/or absorbed.
SC.912.P.10.18 Explore the theory of electromagnetism by comparing and contrasting the different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum in terms of wavelength,
frequency, and energy, and relate them to phenomena and applications.
SC.912.P.10.20 Describe the measurable properties of waves and explain the relationships among them and how these properties change when the wave moves
from one medium to another.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
How is life in the ocean different from life on land?
How do a biotic factors like light affect aquatic organisms?
What colors provide good camouflage as you descend past the upper, sun-lit portions of an aquatic environment?
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
The teacher will utilize the PowerPoint presentation (attached) to review prior concepts, explore the new concept and apply what they've learn to answer a design
question. See Formative Assessment section.
Camouflage_in_the_Ocean_PTT.pptx
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
page 1 of 4 The students will complete two mini-labs and take notes on the old and new concepts with the teacher's guidance.
These labs are fully detailed in the attached PowerPoint.
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
Students will independently perform two mini-labs to reinforce the concepts relating to light's behavior in aquatic environments. As detailed in the attached
PowerPoint.
Based on the results of their experiments, students will independently design a camouflage pattern for use in lower portions of an aquatic environment and write a
paragraph describing the pattern and defending their design decisions. See Summative Assessment section.
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
The teacher will bring the the class back to whole group after each mini-lab and guide the students in discussing the results of their explorations and articulating the
pattern that emerges. (During the first mini-lab, students will see the colors red, orange and yellow disappear quickly, while blue and green persist. During the
second mini-lab, students should notice that the predominate colors of the felt being picked up are blue and green. Why? They can't see the reddish tones through a
blue filter like ocean water.) The pattern should then be written out (on the board, overhead, etc.) and students are instructed to add the conclusion to their notes.
Summative Assessment
Students are asked to design a camouflage pattern based on the data they have collected. (You may need to provide students with colored pencils and crayons.)
Students are asked to write a concluding paragraph which should:
Describe the camouflage pattern they have designed.
Defend their design decisions (colors they chose) by referring to data from their two mini-labs.
Rubric available Camouflage in the Ocean RUBRIC FOR PATTERN and PARAGRAPH
Formative Assessment
The teacher will begin this lesson with a PowerPoint presentation.
The presentation opens with a link to You-Tube on the first slide. The video clip from "Finding Nemo" shows Mr. Ray picking up his students and singing "let's name
the zones." (Suggestion: Visit You-Tube and download the video clip (without commercials). Using a program like Realplayer will allow you to change the clip into
WMV format and place it into the presentation.)
The second slide shows two pictures and asks students, "Which of the 2 shows the euphotic zone?" Once students have a had a chance to respond (verbally, with a
show of hands, using dry erase boards to show their choice) the correct picture is framed. At that point the teacher should discuss WHAT feature of the picture
gave away the answer.
The third slide repeats the process for "Which fish is from the disphotic zone?", and the fourth slide asks "Which crab is from the Aphotic zone?".
On the fourth slide, students are asked to share what they already know about light. A series of subsequent slides reviews the parts of a light wave. (A picture of a
wave appears with a line and a question mark pointing to a specific portion. The next click will provide the answer after giving students a chance to remember the
correct terminology: crest, trough, amplitude, wavelength)
The presentation goes on to review: that white light can be broken into different colors using a prism and that each color corresponds to a different wavelength of
light. that light can be reflected, absorbed or transmitted as it hits a material. that the ocean appears "blue" because it absorbs all colors EXCEPT blue wavelengths.
Each slide poses a question about what students should have prior knowledge about, before providing the information on the following click of a mouse.
The presentation then poses the question, "What happens to colors at different depths of the ocean?" This slide introduces a mini-lab the students can perform in
pairs, followed by a chance for the class as a whole to discuss their observations and agree what the observed pattern is.
The presentation then asks how this phenomena affects organisms which live in the ocean. Students are able to use the same lab materials to perform a second
mini-lab in pairs. Again before proceeding, the teacher brings the class as a whole back together to discuss their observations and agree what the observed pattern
is.
These labs and/or teacher observations of student participation and responses throughout the discussion with the PowerPoint can be used to assess students
understanding of these concepts before formally introducing the lesson.
Feedback to Students
This lesson utilizes a Power Point presentation. Students are to copy the lesson into their notes (interactive note-book, etc.) as the lesson unfolds.
During the course of the lesson, questions are posed to activate prior knowledge, and students are given a chance to share what they remember related to the
topic. After the class participants share what they remember, the "correct" answer is provided and students added this to their notes.
Students will explore the topic with their partner, using two mini-labs built into the presentation. Before continuing, the students are given an opportunity to share
their results with the class and state the general pattern which is being observed and enter this in their notes. (During the first mini-lab students will see the colors
red, orange and yellow disappear quickly, while blue and green persist. During the second mini-lab, students should notice that the predominate colors of the felt
being picked up are blue and green. Why? They can't see the reddish tones through a blue filter like ocean water)
In the last step students are challenged to apply what they've observed in the lab activity, to organisms living in the oceans. "What colors offer the best
camouflage in the ocean?" (BLACK and RED)
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
This lesson will NOT work with students who have vision impairments which do not allow them to distinguish between colors.
Some students may benefit from being provided with a copy of the PowerPoint notes.
Some students may be allowed extra time to write out their design description and defense.
Extensions:
Different versions of this experiment exist. Mine has been modified from a NOAA lesson, All that Glitters. It can be accessed at
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/02sab/background/edu/media/sab_deep_sea.pdf There are additional readings which would allow students to learn about
various camouflage techniques used by aquatic organisms such as counter-illumination.
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, LCD Projector
Special Materials Needed:
page 2 of 4 The teacher should visit the weblink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufxGw8EqY5Q download the video clip, change the format to WMV and insert the video clip
onto the appropriate slide prior to presenting this to students. (Finding Nemo- Mr. Ray)
Each pair of students will need:
a piece of black felt with rectangles of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet felt glued to it
a baggie filled with many small pieces of felt (fingernail sized) in assorted colors
a set of 4 blue, plastic strips tied together (while these can be made from theatrical light film, it is cheaper to get some plastic report covers and cut them into
strips)
a set of crayon/colored pencils
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Nadia Le Bohec
Name of Author/Source: Nadia Le Bohec
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Brevard
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
LAFS.1112.WHST.2.4:
LAFS.910.WHST.2.4:
SC.912.L.17.2:
Description
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose,
and audience.
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose,
and audience.
Explain the general distribution of life in aquatic systems as a function of chemistry, geography, light, depth, salinity,
and temperature.
Define a problem based on a specific body of knowledge, for example: biology, chemistry, physics, and earth/space
science, and do the following:
1. Pose questions about the natural world, (Articulate the purpose of the investigation and identify the relevant scientific
concepts).
2. Conduct systematic observations, (Write procedures that are clear and replicable. Identify observables and examine
relationships between test (independent) variable and outcome (dependent) variable. Employ appropriate methods for accurate and
consistent observations; conduct and record measurements at appropriate levels of precision. Follow safety guidelines).
3. Examine books and other sources of information to see what is already known,
4. Review what is known in light of empirical evidence, (Examine whether available empirical evidence can be
interpreted in terms of existing knowledge and models, and if not, modify or develop new models).
5. Plan investigations, (Design and evaluate a scientific investigation).
6. Use tools to gather, analyze, and interpret data (this includes the use of measurement in metric and
other systems, and also the generation and interpretation of graphical representations of data,
including data tables and graphs), (Collect data or evidence in an organized way. Properly use instruments,
equipment, and materials (e.g., scales, probeware, meter sticks, microscopes, computers) including set-up,
calibration, technique, maintenance, and storage).
7. Pose answers, explanations, or descriptions of events,
8. Generate explanations that explicate or describe natural phenomena (inferences),
9. Use appropriate evidence and reasoning to justify these explanations to others,
10. Communicate results of scientific investigations, and
11. Evaluate the merits of the explanations produced by others.
Remarks/Examples:
Florida Standards Connections for 6-12 Literacy in Science
For Students in Grades 9-10
LAFS.910.RST.1.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to
the precise details of explanations or descriptions.
SC.912.N.1.1:
LAFS.910.RST.1.3 Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking
measurements, or performing technical tasks attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text.
LAFS.910.RST.3.7 Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form
(e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into
words.
LAFS.910.WHST.1.2 Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific
procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
LAFS.910.WHST.3.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
For Students in Grades 11-12
LAFS.1112.RST.1.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to
page 3 of 4 important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account.
LAFS.1112.RST.1.3 Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking
measurements, or performing technical tasks analyze the specific results based on explanations in the text.
LAFS.1112.RST.3.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and
media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
LAFS.1112.WHST.1.2 Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific
procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
LAFS.1112.WHST.3.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Florida Standards Connections for Mathematical Practices
MAFS.K12.MP.1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
MAFS.K12.MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
MAFS.K12.MP.3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. [Viable arguments include
evidence.]
MAFS.K12.MP.4: Model with mathematics.
MAFS.K12.MP.5: Use appropriate tools strategically.
MAFS.K12.MP.6: Attend to precision.
MAFS.K12.MP.7: Look for and make use of structure.
MAFS.K12.MP.8: Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
page 4 of 4