Our Coral Reef

By Martin Weirlangt

Context/Situation

Coral reefs are a crucial island resource. However, as our lifestyles change, this resource is increasingly endangered. It is important for our young ones to learn more about our coral reefs.

As Pacific Islanders, regardless of our background, coral reefs play a very important part in all our lives. The reef is the source of the food that we bring to the table; it is a place we visit for our enjoyment and recreation; it provides the basic materials for the foundations of our homes; and it is the protection for our home islands against the ferocity that Mother Nature sometimes displays. These and other reasons are why our coral reefs are important to us.

We are, however, at an important point in our history. We are currently being faced with the tremendous pressure of "development," or the need to keep pace with the global community and its technological revolution. In many of the Pacific islands, this may mean people striving for higher living standards, including better health services, better educational opportunities, and employment for our youth. These changes, for some of us, come at the expense of our traditional ways of life and our pristine environment. They impact the management of our natural resources, which include our coral reefs.

The threats to our coral reefs are clear and present in many of our Pacific islands. These threats include the over-fishing and over-harvesting of the life stock on our coral reefs; dredging of harbors, airports, and other structures, which pollutess coral heads and suffocates them with sedimentation; the blasting and poisoning of the fish and corals; and the high frequency of human visitations on the coral reefs, which destroys corals.

Pacific Science Content Standards and Benchmarks Addressed
(Pacific Standards for Excellence in Science, PREL, 1995)

Planet Earth
Students will . . .

Living Environment
Students will . . .

Human Society
Students will . . .

Students will learn . . .

• What a coral is.
• What a coral reef is.
• Identification of coral species.
• Coral formation.
• Parts of a reef.
• Coral reef evolution.
• Biological and physical agents of change on coral.
• Physical agents affecting the growth of coral reefs.

Knowing About and Caring for Our Coral Reef

What can we do to protect our unique and delicate coral reef ecosystem?

• Why is the coral reef important to us?
• What can we do to understand more about threats that are facing coral reefs?
• How can we reach some compromise with some of the social, economical, cultural, and political issues related to our use of coral and coral reefs?

Resources

Print resources:
E. B. Klemm et al., 1995, The Living Ocean: Biology and Technology of the Marine Environment

Human resources: To be determined by students and teacher

Sites, organizations, and agencies: To be determined by students and teacher

Criteria for Demonstration of Learning

Students will perform and produce the following:

• Write an essay/letter/report/ on the importance to us of corals and coral reefs.
• Write a report on the traditional/cultural uses, conservation methods, and other traditional practices and knowledge based on student- directed research.
• Participate in a debate on the pros and cons of the issues of the community's use of coral reefs such as sand mining, dredging, fishing, and recreational uses.
• Make presentations/displays/performances of student works, results of investigations, arts, dances, and songs that students have learned in the course of their coral reef investigation and have selected to exhibit.
• Dramatize the important uses of our coral reefs and threats that they face.
• Produce videos, newsletters, and radio programs of a local coral reef site with documentation of the dangers it faces.
• All students must have a role and should participate.
• Activities should answer the Driving Question and its related questions.
• The performances must have an outside audience.
• Criteria for evaluation for the study of products and performances must be made clear to the students at the outset.
• Have a set and clear program of the event.
• Other criteria are determined by the teacher and students.

Task 1: Classroom Investigation

Activity 1: Inquiry Teaching

Activity 2: Direct Teaching

Lesson Objectives:
The students will . . .

• Learn how to use tools or instruments such as hand lenses, thermometers, scales, and rulers.
• Learn the importance of listening, observing, and speaking.
• Learn measurement units and other mathematics conventions.
• Learn the conventions of graphing, charting, journal writing, and logging, etc.
• Learn how to present verbally to an audience.
• Learn the skills of working in groups.
• Learn how the different parts of the coral reef ecosystem work together.
• Learn how the tilting of Earth's axis, its rotation, and sunlight are important to coral reef growth.
• Learn scientific names of some of the important corals and other organisms on the coral reef.

Teaching Strategies:

• Chalk and Talk
  • Get the attention of the whole class. (The chalk and talk strategy works only if everyone is listening.)
  • Tell the students what they are going to learn.
  • Ask questions to help the students remember what they already know.
  • Check student attention and understanding by questioning.
  • Check the success of your teaching by giving a quick oral or written quiz.

 

• Teacher Demonstration:
  • Before the lesson, practice the demonstrations, so you know what will happen and whether or not they will work.
  • Bring the class forward in a tiered row so everyone can see.
  • Ask some questions to remind students what they already know.
  • Carry out the demonstration while constantly explaining and questioning.
  • Question further to help students draw some sensible conclusions.
  • Check the success of your demonstration by doing a quick oral or written quiz.

Assessment:

• Pencil and paper
• Personal communication, questioning and observing students

Task 2: Field Excursion

Activity 1: Pre-Excursion

• Work together and develop some safety skills, social skills, and communication skills.
• Think critically and creatively to determine suitable clothes to wear and other preparations.
• Demonstrate the use of simple tools for measurement.
• Develop some questions related to the coral reef, both the living and nonliving parts of it. Why is it the way it is? What would happen if . . . ?
• Learn about the site of the visit and any associated cultural importance.
• Learn songs and poems about coral reefs.
• Learn the rules of handling the organisms on the coral reef.
• Learn some ways animals are classified (such as those with and without backbones).

Teaching Strategies:

• Forming Group Activity: Play games and work on puzzles.
• Shared Group Activity: Divide the activity into subtasks; each group is charged with doing something different at the end of the activity. Groups share work. (This grouping will be done in the field.)
• Common Group Activity: Students form groups doing the same tasks, and they share the results at the end. This should be done in the preparation stages to help determine what needs to happen before you go into the field.
• Teacher Demonstration: Teacher demonstrates the use and maintenance of the tools and equipment to be used.
• Songs and Poems: Learn to read and write songs and poems.
• Chalk and Talk: Provide knowledge, directions, rules, and safety features.

Activity 2: Field Excursion

• Observe the coral reef environment with at least three different senses. For example: See the color of the water, measure the temperature of the water, and taste the saltiness of the water.
• Work with partners in collecting, observing, discussing, synthesizing, and analyzing data.
• Use instruments to measure and record data clearly and accurately.
• Observe and collect some of the rocks and sand that make up the coral reef.
• Ask thoughtful questions about the coral reef ecosystem.
• Show respect and care for the coral reef and animals found there by handling them with care.
• Measure the temperature of the water at predetermined depths.
• Describe the color or clarity of the water.
• Observe and describe the different kinds of fish/birds in the different parts of the reef.
• Observe and describe the different corals, anemones, crabs, sea cucumbers, mollusks, sponges, and other organisms.
• Observe and note plant types found on coral reefs.
• Observe and note animals found in these plants.
• Observe and note animals found under the rocks and logs.
• Observe and note animals found in the sand and gravel.

Teaching Strategies:

• Chalk and Talk: Remind students of rules of safety as well as use of equipment. Go over tasks for the day.
• Shared Group Activity: Each group is responsible for doing a task. Do "creature feature" activity for the different organisms of the reef.
• Using Songs and Poems: Songs can be sung and poems can be read during lunch breaks or on the way to the sites.
• Teacher Demonstration: Teacher will explain rules/safety of handling organisms on the reef and proper ways of using instruments.

Assessment:

• Quick written or oral quiz.
• Performance-based: Checklist for how students follow rules and safety procedures; how they contribute in the work groups; and their use and maintenance of the tools.

Activity 3: Post-Excursion

• Record coral reef data and observations in logs and journals.
• Communicate their results in charts, graphs, and drawings, as well as verbally.
• Work with others in completing the job.
• Show clarity and honesty in recording and sharing of data.
• Show respect for living things on the coral reef.
• Classify the living things on the coral reef.
• Explain how coral reefs are formed.
• Identify and describe some changes happening on the coral reef, what and may be responsible for them.
• Identify and describe the coral reef food chain.
• Show why and where coral reefs grow on our island and other parts of the world.

Teaching Strategies:

• Chalk and Talk
• Homework Assignment: Students will polish up their excursion data for group presentation.
• Excursion Reports
• Songs and Poems: Students will write their own songs and poems about their the field trip.
• Writing Wall Story: On 15"x12" paper, students will write and illustrate the excursion. Divide the excursion into different chapters (leaving, on site, and returning). Do one with class, and have them do the others in small groups. Students share their work with the class.
• Writing Big Books: In groups of 2-3, students talk about their experiences and observations. On a mock-up page or paper, each student then selects a topic and writes and illustrates his or her story. Teachers check student work, which is then transferred to larger papers. Students present by reading their Big Books to the class.
• Make story sequence consisting of 3-8 pictures (pictures from old books or magazines) of how coral reefs and islands are formed.

Assessment: How do we know they know?

• Quick oral or written quiz: Assesses important knowledge.
• Checklist on how the students are participating and contributing in the group.
• Criteria
  The students . . .

• Share.
• Do not dominate.
• Respect one another and their propertiesy.
• Use respectful language with their groups.
• Help clean and store tools.

Rubric for creating the Big Book:

Presenting and reading the Big Book:

• Criteria:
  Students will . . .
  • Look at the audience.
  • Make sure the audience can hear.
  • Not fidget.
  • Point to pictures and words while reading.
  • Read slowly and clearly.

   

• Tools identification and proper use: Oral quiz

Task 3: Interview

Activities: 1. Preparation 2. Field work 3. Presentations

Objectives:
Students will . . .

• Ask thoughtful questions about how islanders use coral reefs.
• Work with others to get the job done.
• Show honesty, clarity, and accuracy in their record keeping and sharing of data.
• Use critical thinking in developing skills to make informed decisions in daily life.
• Classify organisms that live on the reef and explain their cultural significance.
• Promote the conservation and protection of our coral reefs.
• Identify some cultural strategies the local island communities use in order to protect and conserve coral reefs.
• Collect songs, chants, poems, and dances pertaining to coral reefs.
• Show respect for the people with whom they are working.

Teaching Strategies:

• Chalk and Talk: Discuss rules, purpose, and expectations.
• Guest Speakers: Cultural resource persons.
• Group Work: Design instruments, plan work, complete task, analyze, and synthesize report.
• Group Presentation and Performance: Decide on audience, reporting format, and next steps.

Assessment: Criteria may be set by the teacher or by the teacher and students depending upon the teacher's judgement of the cognitive ability of the students.

• Set criteria for the students' work.
• Set criteria for the group and individual performances.
• Set criteria for the individual and group presentations.

Task 4: Survey

Activities: 1. Preparation 2. Field work 3. Presentations

Objectives:
Students will . . .

• Develop thoughtful questions on the important uses of coral reefs.
• Name some upon coral reefs. (How do we use coral reefs?)
• Discuss events, past and present, that bring about changes on coral reefs.
• Work with others to decide what is best for our coral reefs.
• Show honesty, clarity, and accuracy in responding to questions and in sharing of data.
• Show respect while working with others.
• Identify and describe some local environmental impacts on the coral reef.
• Participate in the community and cultural governing systems as responsible citizens.
• Describe trade-offs in making choices.
• Use tools (computers) to design and carry out projects.
• Cite examples of appropriate and inappropriate technologies in the Pacific.

• Chalk and Talk: Provide purpose, insights, directions, and rules.
• As a group, plan instruments, decide who and why to survey, and plan and carry out work.
• Present results through forums, debates, rallies, reports, newspaper, TV, radio, and letters.

Assessment:

• Criteria for the students' work. (Make sure these are made clear to the students in advance.)
• Criteria for the students' performances. (Make sure these are made clear to the students in advance.)
• Public reactions.
• Checklist on student participation and contribution.
• Personal communications to determine the students' behaviors and beliefs.

Students will . . .

• Model situations using oral, pictorial, graphical, and algebraic methods.
• Understand and apply reasoning processes with special attention to spatial reasoning with proportions and graphing.
• Explore problems and describe results using graphical, numerical, physical, algebraic, and verbal mathematical models and representations.
• Develop number sense.
• Use computation, estimations, and proportions to solve problems.
• Describe and represent relationships using tables, graphs, and rules.

Students will . . .

• Develop skills in oral presentations.
• Use persuasive language.
• Listen critically to analyze data.
• Read to learn from reading.
• Read to get information.
• Use different forms of writing.
• Review and revise writing mechanics and styles.
• Demonstrate the ability to express emotions through singing and dancing.
• Be introduced to graphic arts.

Students will . . .

• Discuss land formation processes and land features.
• List and draw geographical locations.
• Identify and discuss cultural values and how they affect everyday life.
• Name the major groups of islands in the Pacific and discuss their climates, weather, animals, and plants.
• Discuss events that brought about changes in the Pacific islands.
• Identify economic resources of the islands.
• Name and discuss some of the services that are in great demand in the islands.