Create a Creature
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1) describe adaptations of sea creatures to their environments;
2) describe how adaptations can help sea creatures survive in their habitat;
3) interpret the importance of adaptations in animals.
Method:
Students design a variety of sea creatures adapted for various aquatic habitats.
Background:
Aquatic animals are the product of countless adaptations over long periods of time. These adaptations, for the most part, are features that increase the animalsÍ likelihood of surviving in their habitat.
When a habitat changes, either slowly or catastrophically, the species of animals with adaptations that allow them many options are the ones most likely to survive. Some species have adapted to such a narrow range of habitat conditions that they are extremely vulnerable to change. They are overspecialized and are usually more susceptible than other animals to death and extinction.
In this activity, the students design a kind of sea creature. They choose the adaptations that their animal will have. Each choice they make would actually take countless years to develop. As these adaptations become part of the creatureÍs design, the animal becomes better suited to the habitat in which it lives. Because of the variety of conditions within each habitat, many different sea creatures can live together and flourish.
Materials:
recycled “junk”, paper, large chart paper, magazines pictures of sea creatures, tape, glue, markers, scissors.
Procedures:
1) Lead a discussion emphasizing the adaptation of various animals to their habitat. Guide the discussion into the salt water environment and the adaptations of sea creatures. Using a chart and magazine pictures, have children come up with examples of adaptation of sea creatures, coloration, body shape, mouth shape, locomotion methods, and reproduction (laying of eggs or having live babies). Leave the chart displayed for future reference. (For further activities on adaptation, see “The Ocean Book” by the Center for Marine Conservation.)
Ask the students to “create a creature” using the characteristics previously discussed. This can be done as an individual task or the children can work in small groups cooperatively. Each individual or group should:
Ðcreate an artform that represents the creature
Ðname the creature
Ðdescribe and draw the habitat for their creature Ask each group or individual to share with the rest of the class and report about the attributes of the sea creature they have designed, including identifying and describing its adaptations. Ask the students to describe how this kind of sea creature is adapted for survival.
Extensions:
Repeat this activity using the concept of freshwater habitats and the unique animal life found there.
ÐIntroduce the activity by asking students to create a creature that could survive in a future time. This allows students to express possible scenarios for future ocean habitats.
Sample Activity #2
Setting up a Long Island Sound Aquarium
An aquarium must provide everything that the organisms in it require to stay alive: Food, oxygen, and clean water of correct temperature, correct salinty, and correct chemical balance. If you buy the right supplies the tank will mostly take care of itself.
The pump forces water through the gravel. The gravel filters and cleans the water physically by trapping sediment, including animal waste products. The surface of every piece of gravel gets colonized with bacteria, which break the organic matter down into nutrients. The nutrients are the most easily removed by changing the water regularly. You should do a 10 gallon water change once a month.
Materials:
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1. Tank, all glass. Metal parts will corrode and introduce toxins into the water. A 20 or 29 gallon tank is sufficient. Since most of your animals will be bottom living, rather than swimming in the water column, a long tank is better than a high one.
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2. Air pump and tubing, and air stones. The stronger the pump the better. Don’t skimp, since the air pump is providing both oxygen and cleaning power.
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3. Gravel made of calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonate keeps the pH stable, saving you the trouble of testing and correcting it. You need to buy gravel designed specifically for a salt water aquarium. You need 15-20 pounds, giving you a layer of 2-3 inches thick. You could also use oyster shells crushed finely. You can obtain quantities of oyster shell from Tallmadge Brothers Inc. in New Haven. Students enjoy putting shells into a pillowcase and, wearing eye goggles, smashing the shells with a hammer. The pieces need to be very fine, however, both to provide sufficient filtration and sufficient surface area for bacteria, and also to keep the tank uncluttered.
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4. Under gravel filter. The air rising in the tube pulls water up the tube. The through the gravel, and passes under the platform and up the tube.
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5. Water. If you live or work near the Sound, the easiest thing to do is to get water in empty jugs or buckets. You can also buy sea salts such as “Instant Ocean” from a pet store. For a Long Island Sound aquarium use a little more water and a little less salt than the package instructions recommend.
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6. Cover. This keeps water from evaporating, and keeps animals from jumping or climbing out. Also it keeps children’s hands out and limits vandalism.
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7. You will also need a small dip net and a few rocks for the animals to hide under, you will not need a heater or a light.
Set Up
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ÐSet the aquarium in a cool place. You will not be able to move it once it is filled.
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ÐPlace the pump above and to the side of the tank so that it cannot fall in.
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ÐPlace the filter in the bottom as directed.
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ÐRinse the gravel very well trying to get out as must dust as possible.
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ÐAdd the gravel on top of the filter platform, fill the tank with water and start the pump.
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ÐLet the aquarium run for a day or two until the water is clear.
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ÐAdd one or two small crabs. They will run around for a week spreading bacteria into the gravel.
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ÐAfter a week, introduce the other animals gradually. Choose hardy animals direct from Long Island Sound. Many fish, mollusks, crustacea, and other animals do very well but be careful not to overcrowd the animals. A good rule to remember is no more than one or two inches of animal per gallon of water.
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ÐFish should be less than six inches long.
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ÐYour students can begin collecting intertidal animals from the beach, tide pools, and mud flats as you begin to take your class on field trips to the shoreline.
Feeding
Mussels collected and broken open or chunks of canned tuna can be used for aquarium foods. Feed two or three times a week. Remove uneaten food after half an hour or it will rot and foul the tank.
Children love to be made part of the process of setting up an aquarium, feeding the animals, and maintaining the tank. When involved, they take a daily interest in observing activity and changes in the aquarium. Additional activities have been mentioned previously in this unit to continue study of the aquarium habitat throughout the year.
An excellent resource to the classroom teacher in New Haven is Schooner, Inc. This organization is a non-profit marine educational organization dedicated to the conservation and study of Long Island Sound and its tributaries. They trawl daily for animals from mid-April to mid-November and can help stock your aquarium with animals. Schooner, Inc. makes a point of working closely with the New Haven schools by providing hands-on programs to the classrooms and setting up outdoor shore trips. They also provide an excellent curriculum guide called Project Soundwise, A Curriculum and Teacher’s Guide to Long Island Sound for Grades K-4. Also a curriculum written for grades 5-8 has just been finished and will be available to teachers by 1996.
Sample Activity #3
Peabody Museum Diorama Hunt
Peabody Museum of Natural History
Shoreline Diorama in the Hall of Southern New England
Objectives:
To identify some of the plants and animals that live in various wetland habitats.
Method:
Students will participate in finding and identifying animals and plants in a shoreline diorama.
Background:
The Peabody Museum of Natural History has outstanding exhibits which can be used as resources throughout the year. On the third floor there are numerous dioramas which reflect a wide variety of habitats such as; a mangrove swamp, a prairie, a desert, a tundra, a rainforest, and more. One diorama in particular can be used directly with this study of local wetlands. The shoreline diorama in the Hall of Southern New England shows three representations of local habitat communities, the seashore, the salt marsh, and the lowland farm including freshwater habitat. Some of the animals seen find their niche in more than one community such as the red-winged black bird, others have a very restricted niches and are limited to one single habitat, such as the fiddler crab. We also find a shell midden displayed here left by the Native Americans in this area dating between 4000 and 2000 B.C. Shell middens are mounds of waste left by the Native Americans usually consisting of discarded shells and bones. It is advisable for the teacher to visit the museum beforehand to become familiar with the diorama. A diorama which represents such a wide and varied range of habitats can be utilized in many ways with a class.
Procedure:
We begin in the classroom after our initial introduction of what wetlands are and descriptions of some of the different kinds of wetlands. Literature is read to the class about wetlands and the wildlife found there. Slides and/or pictures are then shown of several different wetlands and marshes which we find in our area. Talk about the types of animals most likely found there. See if the students can describe how each animal is adapted to living in a wetland habitat. For example, the heron’s long legs help it wade in shallow water while searching for food, or the duck’s webbed feet help it swim. Ranger Rick’s NatureScope called Wading into Wetlands provides a variety of useful information and activities for younger children as well as older children.
Primary children love to find and count things that are hidden. A hunt can be initiated using the shoreline diorama. The students could work either individually or in pairs. A list of animals and/or plants present in the diorama would be available to them. On this list would be the animal name. The students would then, after finding this animal in the diorama, write down where they found this animal; in the seashore, salt marsh, or lowlands. A number of points would be given for each animal or plant found. More points are given for animals and plants which are more difficult to find. A sample worksheet follows. At the end of the activity, the students add up the points they accumulated and prizes related to the study can be awarded. Everyone should receive a prize of acheivement.
Extensions and Options:
The list of animals to find would change with the age of the group. Younger children would have fewer animals to find than older children. This activity can also be divided into two separate trips to the museum; one “hunt” for animals and another “hunt” for wetland plants. The questions asked on the worksheet can be more specific in terms of types of animals found and classifying them into proper catagories such as mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, or reptiles. Clues and riddles about particular animals to find instead of the animal name can also be tried. The following is only a sample of animals and plants found in the diorama.
