Teacher’s Guide for APPLESEEDS July/August 2013: The Great Barrier Reef Teacher’s Guide prepared by: Sandra K. Athans, National Board Certified Teacher, literacy author & consultant, and freelance children’s writer living in upstate New York. This guide provides practical classroom activities teachers may wish to use to supplement the reading passages appearing in this issue. Vocabulary words are highlighted (italicized words are defined in the article) and small group and independent activities/projects that address a range of learning styles are suggested. Many of these are suitable for group work or homework. Discussion questions and activities align with the Common Core National Standards (Reading for Literature and Informational Text; Writing Standards for Text Types and Purposes, Research to Build Knowledge, Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas; Vocabulary Acquisition and Use; Speaking and Listening, Comprehension and Collaboration, and Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas). Objectives: To supplement the reading and discussion of this magazine, students will: 1. Explore the Great Barrier Reef and learn important features of this environment. 2. Gain an appreciation of the Great Barrier Reef by identifying its value as a natural resource. 3. Synthesize new information on their understanding of the Great Barrier Reef. Pre-reading Activity: Introduce an essential question: (1) What distinguishing features make up the Great Barrier Reef and (2) what important function does the Great Barrier Reef serve as a natural resource? While introducing these guiding questions, you might also wish to create a KWL Chart (with headings “What I Know, What I Want to Learn, and What I Learned) about the Great Barrier Reef. Begin by recording information in the first two columns of the chart. Add ideas to the KWL chart as students read through the articles. “Journey Down Under the Sea: My Visit to the Great Barrier Reef” by Alexandra Loewen (pages 2 – 6): Take a tour of the spectacular Great Barrier Reef and learn why the author calls it “one of the most special places on Earth.” Vocabulary: coral reefs, infinite, mantle, snorkeling, wetsuits Discussion Questions: Discuss what evidence in the article supports the author’s point of view that “the Great Barrier Reef is one of the most special places on Earth.” Share your thoughts on the vast and diverse animals that the author saw during the snorkeling tour. Explain how the photographs support key ideas in the article. Activities: Write captions for all of the photographs appearing in the article using facts and details from the passage. Create a rap about a snorkeling tour “wish list” and include the names of the many animals or sites you’re likely to see on the tour. Create a travel brochure for the Great Barrier Reef and include a descriptive language persuading people to visit. “FUN STUFF: Floppy Fish” by Marcia Amidon Lusted (page 7): Bring home a little bit of the Great Barrier Reef by making your own fish mobile to hang in your room! 1 “Master Builders” by Mary Reina (pages 8 - 10): Learn how corals became the master builders of the 2,900 coral reefs that make up the Great Barrier Reef. How do these amazing plant-like animals build colorful colonies? Vocabulary: algae, buds, calcium, colony, coral bleaching, coral polyp, invertebrates, photosynthesis, spawn, tentacles Discussion Questions: Describe how coral polyps are able to create the Great Barrier Reef. Explain the type of conditions that are best suited for the growth of corals and describe what could happen when these conditions are not met. Share your experiences with underwater sites. Activities: Present a mock Great Barrier Reef Talk Show and, using a question-and-answer format, interview classmates role-playing coral polyps and growing corals. With teacher or adult supervision, research some of the types of corals listed on page 10 and share five interesting facts with classmates and other friends. Using details from the article, create captions for the photographs appearing in the passage. “Voyagers of the Sea” by Heather Villa (pages 11 - 13): Humpback whales are voyagers of the sea. They live in oceans around the world yet travel 3,000 miles to visit the warm waters of the Great Barrier Reef to give birth, to mate and to rest. Vocabulary: blubber, calves, consume, insulation, krill, nursery, plankton, predators Discussion Questions: Using evidence from the article, discuss why Humpback whales are called Voyagers of the Sea. Describe some of the challenges Humpback whales face as they journey 3,000 miles to the Great Barrier Reef. Share your knowledge of Humpback whales or other migrating animals. Activities: Using information from the article, write a fictitious journal entry from the point of view of a Humpback whale making a journey to the Great Barrier Reef. Draw your own comic strip featuring the challenges a Humpback whale might encounter on a journey to the Great Barrier Reef. Using your school or local library, write a research article about the Humpback whale. “POETRY CORNER: Who’s Eating Whom?” by Becky Loescher (pages 14 - 15): Snails, Eels, and other mild and wild creatures in this poetry collection leave you wondering Who’s eating whom? Vocabulary: delicate, nudibranch Discussion Questions: Discuss the tone of the poems featured on pages 14 and 15 and use evidence to support your views. Summarize in your own words the meaning of each poem. Share your thoughts on ocean predators and prey. Activities: Using ideas from the poems, write your own poems about underwater creatures. Practice reading the poems, focusing on fluency, pacing, and articulation and recite one of them for classmates and other friends. Illustrate each of the poems on pages 14 and 15 using ideas from the stanzas. “Diving In to Save Our Underwater Cities” by Liz Summit (pages 16 - 18): Many coral reefs around the world are dying. Yet, methods of conserving them are in action today. Vocabulary: conservation, evicted, nursery, teeming, undulating 2 Discussion Questions: Discuss some of the human and natural threats that the Great Barrier Reef faces. Explain what measures are being taken to help conserve coral reefs. Share your views about saving the Great Barrier Reef and other coral reefs. Activities: Create a poster featuring some of the conservations rules about visiting the Great Barrier Marine Park. Create illustrations that highlight key ideas about coral libraries and growing new coral. Write a persuasive letter to your classmates and other friends explaining why we should conserve our coral reefs and how we can do this. “YOUR TURN: What You Can Do to Protect the Great Barrier Reef” by Carollyne Hutter (page 19): There’s a lot kids can do to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Philippe Cousteau, grandson of the pioneer marine explorer – Jacques-Yves Cousteau—started an organization that that can help kids take action. Vocabulary: ecologically friendly, greenhouse gases, preserve, resources, souvenirs Discussion Questions: Describe the mission of EarthEcho. Explain some of the ways kids can help the Great Barrier Reef. Explain what Philippe Cousteau means when he says “Youth have the power to change the world.” Activities: With teacher or adult supervision, research EarthEcho on the Internet and share five interesting facts with classmates and other friends. Write a rap or song about helping to preserve the oceans (and in turn the Great Barrier Reef) using details from the article. Write a journal entry on your views about protecting the Great Barrier Reef. “Research at Lizard Island” by Jenny Buchet (pages 20 - 22): Lizard Island is home to Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS). Here, scientists and students from around the world live and study coral reefs. Vocabulary: conservation, herbivory, larval, sustained Discussion Questions: Describe what life is like for the scientists living on the reef. Explain what type of experimentation is taking place on Lizard Island Research Station and the impact of the studies and discoveries. Share your experiences visiting places where life was pretty basic. Activities: Using information from the article, write a diary page describing a memorable event as if you were a first-time visitor to the Lizard Island Research Station. Create a help wanted advertisement asking for scientists and other researchers to join the team at the Research Station. Write a poem about the sights and sounds a visitor might experience while visiting Lizard Island. “A Place for People, Too” by Carollyne Hutter (pages 23 - 25):The Great Barrier Reef is about more than fish and coral – it’s about people, too. Learn about the native people of Australia who enjoy special privileges to the Great Barrier Reef. Vocabulary: Aboriginal, dugongs, native, overfishing, perspective, Torres Strait Islander peoples Discussion Questions: Using information from the article, discuss the importance of the Great Barrier Reef to the native people who are considered the traditional owners of the Reef. Explain what the author means by the statement: “…the Great Barrier Reef is a paradise for fishing” and use evidence from the article to support your answer. Share your experiences helping to save or preserve a natural resource. 3 Activities: Write and illustrate a poster describing the importance of the Great Barrier Reef to the native people who are considered the traditional owners. Rewrite the article in comic strip format explaining the many ways in which the Great Barrier Reef is “a human story, too.” Using your school or local library, research more information about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and share five interesting facts with classmates and other friends. “At the Turtle Hospital” by Alicia Z. Kiepeis (pages 26 - 29): All six of the Great Barrier Reef ‘s marine turtle species are threatened by different types of hazards. The Turtle Hospital helps rehabilitate and return them to their home. Vocabulary: ailment, aquarist, diagnose, floating syndrome, habitat, hazards, rehabilitation, threatened, titanium, veterinarians Discussion Questions: Discuss the hazards that threaten the Great Barrier Reef turtles.