Coral Craze: Build Your Own Edible Reef with Appleseed Expeditions!

Objective: Students will build an edible model of a coral polyp, learn its anatomy, and discover why corals are animals, not plants. By the end of this lesson, students will understand coral's role in marine ecosystems and recognize the Fibonacci sequence in nature.

Materials Needed:

• Paper towels/rag for clean-up

• Paper plates (1 per student)

• Paper napkins (1 per student)

• Toothpicks (1 per student)

• 1/3 plastic straw (1 per student)

• 1/3 banana (1 per student)

• Pull and Peel Twizzlers cut into 1-inch pieces or pretzel sticks (6 per student)

• Sugar sprinkles (1 per group of students)

• Jam (1 jar)

• Ritz crackers (1 per student)

• Coral Polyp handout (1 per student)

• Analogy Map worksheet (1 per student)

• Teacher Guide: Build a Coral Polyp

• Blue Planet DVD: Coral Seas episode

• DVD player with LCD display

  
  

Scientific Terms for Students:

• Hard Coral: Marine animal with a calcium carbonate skeleton forming coral reefs.

• Coral Polyp: A cylindrical marine animal with tentacles around a central mouth.

• Algae: Aquatic plant-like organisms lacking true roots, stems, and leaves.

• Zooxanthellae: Tiny algae living within coral tissues, aiding in photosynthesis.

• Tentacles: Flexible body parts used for feeding, grasping, or moving.

Preparation:

1. Organize the lesson into three parts, each taking about 30-45 minutes.

2. Make copies of the Coral Polyp handout and Analogy Map worksheet.

3. Group students in fours or fives for material sharing.

4. Prepare plates with materials for Part 2.

   
   

Part 1: What Could Coral Be? (30 min)

1. Kick-Off: Write “Is coral a plant, animal, or something else?” on the board.

2. Brainstorm: Let students think-pair-share and discuss differences between plants and animals.

3. Group Discussion: Create a board table to track key differences.

4. Introduction: Explain the goal of discovering whether coral is a plant, animal, or something else.

   
   

Part 2: Build a Coral Polyp (45 min)

1. Recap: Remind students of the focus question from Part 1.

2. Building Time: Distribute materials and follow the steps in the Teacher Guide to build coral polyps.

3. Group Discussion: Reflect on whether coral is a plant, animal, or something else. Students should conclude that coral is an animal.

4. Tasting: Allow students to eat their edible coral polyps, pretending to be predatory fish.

   
   

Part 3: Reflection (45 min)

1. Compare and Contrast: Discuss how the edible polyps compare to real coral polyps.

2. Watch and Learn: Play the Coral Seas episode from the Blue Planet DVD (0:00-10:24) and pause at key moments for detailed views.

3. Record Observations: Have students use sentence frames to document what they notice and wonder.

4. Analogy Map: Use the Analogy Map worksheet to organize reflections and brainstorm improvements.

5. Creative Thinking: Think of ways to better represent features like tentacle movement and zooxanthellae.

   
   

Wrap-Up:

Discuss any remaining questions about corals and coral polyps.

Background: Corals are fascinating animals from the phylum Cnidaria. They form reefs with their calcium carbonate skeletons and have a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae. Explore the Fibonacci sequence in the design of coral polyps and other ocean creatures. For a deeper dive into coral ecosystems and natural patterns, join Appleseed Expeditions on a student trip to the Florida Keys!

This lesson is not only educational but also fun and interactive, giving students a hands-on experience that aligns with the exciting field trip adventures offered by Appleseed Expeditions