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Lesson 1
"Introduction to the Gulf of Maine: New England's Own Ocean"
Objectives:
- Students will learn the definition of the word gulf.
- Students will identify the location of the Gulf of Maine on a map.
- Students will list facts about general Gulf of Maine data.
Connections to Standards:
Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks
Science and Technology
Earth and Space Science Strand (Grades 6-8): Mapping the Earth
Reading and Literature
Nonfiction (Grades 3-4, 5-6): 13.2, 13.3
Understanding a Text (Grades 3-4, 5-6): 8.15, 8.18, 8.22
Materials:
- Gulf of Maine Handout 1-A and Worksheet 1-A
(Please note: A large printed poster of a watershed map of the Gulf of Maine, which would be a great visual for the unit, can be obtained by visiting http://www.gulfofmaine.org/council/contact/ and contacting the Council representative in your jurisdiction.)
Prior knowledge: Assess prior knowledge by asking the following:
- Has anyone heard of the Gulf of Maine?
- Does anyone know what a ‘gulf’ is?
Procedure:
- Begin by gathering students together. Ask the above prior knowledge questions to get the discussion started. After students share their ideas on what a gulf is, give them the definition: A gulf is a part of the ocean that is partially surrounded by land. There are gulfs all over the world–some students may offer names of others such as the Gulf of Mexico or the Persian Gulf. Using a large world map, identify those gulfs and point out how they are connected to the ocean but also surrounded by land on some sides.
- Explain to students that they will be studying a gulf that is right in their backyard–the Gulf of Maine (GOM). Point out on the world map the area of the Gulf of Maine. Show students that the Gulf of Maine waters come from the Atlantic Ocean and touch Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Canada. Tell students that they will be learning about the different types of organisms that live in the Gulf of Maine and how the Gulf of Maine is important to their lives.
- Depending on the level of the students, do one of the following:
- Read Handout 1-A aloud and complete Worksheet 1-A together (on overhead or board).
- Group students and have them read and complete the worksheets together, then gather them together to share what they have done with the class.
- Give each student the handout and worksheet to complete on his or her own, then gather together to discuss with the rest of the class.
Assessment:
Informal: Observations during discussions, group work.
Formal: Worksheet 1-A.
Lesson 2
Objectives:
- Students will identify characteristics of different types of plankton.
- Students will learn what a plankton bloom is.
Connections to Standards:
Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks
Science and Technology
Life Science/Biology Strand (Grades 3-5): Characteristics of Plants and Animals
Life Science/Biology Strand (Grades 6-8): Living Things and Their Environment
Reading and Literature
Nonfiction (Grades 3-4, 5-6): 13.2, 13.3
Understanding a Text (Grades 3-4, 5-6): 8.15, 8.18, 8.22
Materials:
- Gulf of Maine Handout 2-A
- Gulf of Maine Worksheet 2-A
Procedure:
- Remind students that they have previously learned some general information about the Gulf of Maine (point out some of the facts/terms they identified). They may recall reading about plankton. Plankton is the "food that nourishes all life in the Gulf of Maine" (Handout 1-A). Plankton comes from the Greek word meaning "wanderers;" they are tiny animals and plants that drift in the sea.
- Explain to students that today they will be learning about different types of plankton and why plankton is so important to the Gulf of Maine.
- Distribute Handout 1-A to students, either to be read alone, in a group, or aloud by teacher. After reading, ask the following types of questions to prompt discussion:
- What are the two types of plankton? Why are they different?
- How to plankton get around?
- What kinds of things eat plankton?
Write student ideas and thoughts about what they have read on the board or overhead.
- Explain to students that plankton is very important to the Gulf of Maine. Every year, an important thing happens called a ‘plankton bloom.’ A plankton bloom means that there is a high concentration (amount) of plankton in the water. Ask students why they think this might happen (student answers will vary greatly).
- Explain that the reason plankton bloom occurs is because at certain points during the year, there is more light that hits the ocean and more nutrients that the phytoplankton need to grow and reproduce (plants need light, water, and nutrients, etc.). Other things affect the plankton bloom, like temperature. Ask students why temperature might play a role. Sometimes, a plankton bloom can change the color of the water because there is so much plankton floating along!
- "The Gulf of Maine is richer in nutrients than almost any other place in the earth's oceans.
- The ocean "garden" is fertilized with high concentrations of dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide in the cold seawater from the north and nutrients carried by the rivers. The powerful tides mix them together.
- An abundance of microscopic plants called phytoplankton bloom in the aquatic garden, serving as a food supply for a huge variety of animals."
http://www.gomoos.org/aboutgulfme/
- Pass out Worksheet 2-A. Have students color and cut out the shapes of plankton to save for an upcoming food chain project.
Assessment:
Informal: Group discussion.
Lesson 3
Objectives:
- Students will learn about the importance of fish in the Gulf of Maine
- Students will identify types of fish that live in the Gulf of Maine.
Connections to Standards:
Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks
Science and Technology
Life Science/Biology Strand (Grades 3-5): Characteristics of Plants and Animals
Life Science/Biology Strand (Grades 6-8): Living Things and Their Environment
Reading and Literature
Nonfiction (Grades 3-4, 5-6): 13.2, 13.3
Understanding a Text (Grades 3-4, 5-6): 8.15, 8.18, 8.22
Materials:
Procedure:
- Students have previously learned about plankton in the Gulf of Maine. Now they will learn a little about the fish that live there.
- "The Gulf of Maine supports hundreds of species of fish and shellfish. Fifty-two species are commercially harvested.
- Some varieties of fish live in the Gulf year-round, including cod, haddock and flounder. These fish, as well as northern shrimp, lobsters, crabs and scallops, live on or near the seabed.
- Other fish live in the water column and migrate from the south to feed and spawn in the Gulf's rich waters during the summer and fall, such as mackerel, menhaden, herring and squid.
- Atlantic salmon migrate to the Gulf from the North Atlantic to spawn in the rivers where they were born."
http://www.gomoos.org/aboutgulfme/
- Provide student computer access. Have the following sites bookmarked:
- http://www.usm.maine.edu/gulfofmaine-census/Docs/About/Organisms/Organisms_func.htm
- http://www.gma.org/herring/biology/what/default.asp
- http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/recreationalfishing/species.htm#profiles
- If computer access for students is unavailable you may want to print off the information from the above sites to use as handouts.
- Students will use the Internet to answer the questions on Worksheet 3-A.
- Gather students together and discuss what they have found.
- Students will color and cut out Worksheet 3-B for use during a lesson later on.
Assessment:
Formal: Worksheet 3-A
Lesson 4
Objectives:
- Students will read about lobsters in the Gulf of Maine.
- Students will discover basic facts about lobsters and complete a worksheet.
Connections to Standards:
Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks
Science and Technology
Life Science/Biology Strand (Grades 3-5): Characteristics of Plants and Animals
Life Science/Biology Strand (Grades 6-8): Living Things and Their Environment
Reading and Literature
Nonfiction (Grades 3-4, 5-6): 13.2, 13.3
Understanding a Text (Grades 3-4, 5-6): 8.15, 8.18, 8.22
Materials:
- Gulf of Maine Handouts 4-A & 4-B
- Gulf of Maine Worksheet 4-A & 4-B
Procedure:
- Distribute handouts and worksheets to individual students or groups (or read handouts aloud and complete worksheets as a class). Have students read the handouts and complete the worksheets.
- Gather students together to share the facts they read. Have students discuss why they think lobsters might be important in the Gulf of Maine.
- Have students color and cut out Worksheet 4-B to use for a later lesson.
Assessment:
Informal: Group discussion.
Formal: Worksheet
Lesson 5
"Mammals in the Gulf of Maine"
Objectives:
- Students will read about mammals in the Gulf of Maine.
- Students will identify facts about mammals.
- Students will present facts to their classmates.
Please note: This lesson can be greatly expanded upon to take up several days or weeks and can be an introduction for a unit on Marine Mammals. Many curriculum resources can be found at http://whale.wheelock.edu/whalenet-stuff/curriculum.html#cdrom to take this lesson into greater depth and detail.
Connections to Standards:
Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks
Science and Technology
Life Science/Biology Strand (Grades 3-5): Characteristics of Plants and Animals
Life Science/Biology Strand (Grades 6-8): Living Things and Their Environment
Reading and Literature
Nonfiction (Grades 3-4, 5-6): 13.2, 13.3
Understanding a Text (Grades 3-4, 5-6): 8.15, 8.18, 8.22
Language
Oral Presentation (Grades 3-4): 3.4, 3.5
Materials:
- Gulf of Maine Handouts 5-A, 5-B, 5-C, 5-D, 5-E
Procedure:
- Divide students into four groups. Each group should get a copy of Handout 5-A. One group will get 5-B, one 5-C, etc.
- Explain to students that they are to read the information on the handouts. Their job will be to then present what they have learned to the class so that everyone can learn the information they have learned. Have students use a format that is familiar to them in the classroom to pull out and organize the information they want to share, or use Worksheet 1-A from Lesson 1 and create a Mammal 3-2-1 chart.
- Give students ample time to complete their reading and prepare their presentation. Be sure to remind students what makes a good presenter and what makes a good listener. Student presentations should take no more than 5 minutes.
- Have students ask questions or ask them questions if their presentations are unclear. You may also choose to compile their information on the board or have students take notes so that everyone has the information.
Assessment:
Informal: Observations during group work, presentations.
Formal: Presentation.
"Teaching Others About the Gulf of Maine"
Objectives:
- Students will create a poster to teach about the Gulf of Maine and what people can do to keep it safe.
Materials:
- Handouts 6-A, 6-B, & 6-C.
- Previous handouts and worksheets.
- Large paper or poster board.
Procedure:
- Brainstorm with students the ways they might use the Gulf of Maine and the things they might get out of it. Examples include swimming, boating, fishing, etc. Record ideas on the board or an overhead.
- Ask students to think about what would happen if they could no longer use the Gulf of Maine for those things. What would happen if the Gulf of Maine no longer had any marine life in it? How could it even get like that? (The general idea is to get students thinking about how important the Gulf of Maine is for people and animals).
- Give students Handouts 6-A, 6-B, and 6-C. Read together or have students read alone. Discuss with students. What did they learn about the safety of marine life in the Gulf of Maine?
- Explain to students that the best way to protect the Gulf of Maine is to teach others about it. Before they started this unit, they didn’t know about all the important life in the Gulf of Maine–now they are the experts who much teach others. If people learn about how interesting the GOM is, they will want to protect it.
- Divide students into groups. Students will create a poster to teach other people about the Gulf of Maine. Each poster should have a title and include important facts about the GOM and the marine life there. Students can use the previously colored pictures of GOM marine life. The goal of the poster is to get other people interested in the Gulf of Maine–it should be nice to look at, readable, and informational.
- Display completed posters for others to see.
Assessment:
Formal: Final poster.
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