Lesson 3 Ж Fourth and Fifth Class
Me and the Sea: The Sea and Me
PRESENTATION NOTES
Lesson Part A: To include an introduction to the terms ECOSYSTEM and BIODIVERSITY, and an understanding of what these mean in the context of the GETNS aquarium, the Irish coastline, and the global ocean. Also includes a look at how these things are all connected through food chains. Finally an artistic, reflective exercise is included (Origami Wishing Sea Activity). The food chain game is included as an option, which can be done either at the end of Part A, or as a standalone activity at any point during Lesson 3. Presentation: Frames 1‐9, Marine ecosystems, biodiversity and food chains (20 mins) Activity: Frame 10, Wishing Sea Origami Activity (20 mins) Activity: Frames 11‐14, Food Chain Game (40‐50 mins) (?) Lesson Part B/C: In this part the class will look at the concept of being a GLOBAL OCEAN CITIZEN. This will include a discussion of negative human impacts on the marine environment and what we can do to either correct imbalances or correct these negative consequences. The main activity in the “The Sea and Me” lesson is the Debate Challenge. This activity can be kept as brief as 60‐90 minutes, or could be part of a much larger exploration of the issues identified and/or debating as an exercise in itself. Presentation & Discussion: Frame 15, Human Impacts (15 mins) Presentation & Discussion: Frame 16, Positive behaviours and solutions (15 mins) Activity: Frames 17, Debate Challenge (minimum of 60 mins) Lesson Presentation Notes Frame Notes (Suggestions for information that might be suitable to accompany each slide.) START OF LESSON PART A 1 2 3 4 We are going to look at what is in the sea around us – our ocean ecosystem ‐ and our relationship to it. We are going to question if we have to start thinking of ourselves not just as citizens of galway but as GLOBAL citizens, or citizens of the earth, taking care not just of the community that we live in, but doing our best for the whole planet too. This lesson is part of the BEAST programme that was put together by past GETNS students (6th class, 2013/2014), scientists from the Ryan Institute at NUI Galway, and artists from Baboro. The BEAST programme was also responsible for getting the aquarium in the school, with Galway Atlantaquaria and this year’s 6th class (aka the KEEPERS of the BLUE MARBLE) students and Barry help take care of. Think about the coastline and the ocean around our country. Do you do anything to try to help keep it clean and healthy? Is there anything you COULD do that you aren’t doing? Is there anything you might do that would have a negative impact? [examples might include on a community level like taking part in beach clean ups or on an individual level like disposing of litter properly or being careful what goes down the toilet! You could talk about where our wastewater goes – Mutton Island – and the discharge from Mutton Island goes into Galway Bay. Mutton Island is a Secondary Wastewater treatment facility which means that organic matter is dealt with but chemicals are not! So any cleaning chemicals, toiletries and hazardous materials like paint that go down the drain end up in the sea. You could also talk about being careful to leave the scene the way it was – e.g. not moving creatures from their rockpools] So let’s look at this word ecosystems. WHAT ARE THEY? [discuss] If an ecosystem is a home and all the things about that home and the creatures in it, then we can think of ecosystems as big as the whole ocean or as small as a rockpool at silver strand or our aquarium. [good place to start talking about connections…invite them to think about how a rockpool is connected to the ocean, how what happens in the ocean might affect the rockpool and vice versa. You could go on to looking at how activities on land might affect the rockpool and the ocean…this conversation could be endless!] You can invite them to think about the different characteristics of the marine ecosystems mentioned here – compare location, temperature, plants and animals, depth, etc. You could also invite them to think of other types of marine ecosystems. Are there more that aren’t here? 5 6 7 8 9 [answers might include estuaries (where a river meets the sea and fresh and salt water mix), lagoons (where a seawater cove is protected by a barrier like a coral reef), cliff faces and caves, sandy shorelines] Biodiversity is an indication of the range of different types of plants and animals living in an ecosystem. If the BIOLOGY is DIVERSE then there is good BIODIVERSITY. For example – in our aquarium there less than 10 different types of animals, whereas if we went down to the shore there would be many 100’s and 1000’s of different types of creatures. Which has higher biodiversity – the coastal ecosystem or our aquarium ecosystem? In considering the biodiversity of any area you could start with the very smallest creatures and plants, and think about what eats them, and then what eats those creatures, and so on. This is called a food chain. Looking at the BIODIVERSITY of the GLOBAL OCEAN (because really all of the separate oceans are just one big ocean, because they are all connected together) you can see that there is a lot of biodiversity! There are tiny tiny microscopic plants and animals right up to big sharks and whales. Here is an example of a marine food chain. Do you think we have good biodiversity in our coastal areas around Ireland? [could discuss what they see at the beach, what they know about what lives in the waters around Ireland] What about in our aquarium? Some of the creatures that we might find in our aquarium are in this picture on the slide, have you seen any of these? What are the plants that live in our aquarium? [algae, either growing on the surfaces or floating in the water] Would you also find these creatures in Irish waters? [you could invite them to talk about which creature is their favourite, and why they like it] ORIGAMI WISHING SEA ACTIVITY
10 Activity Time: This is a nice time to invite the students to reflect on the lives of some of their favourite marine creatures, or just to think about the ocean in general. This activity is about creating an “origami wishing sea” for the area – see activity instructions. FOOD CHAIN GAME/BIOACCUMULATION ACTIVITY
11 Activity Time: This activity is an option to do now, or later. A big space and 40‐50 minutes are required. See activity instructions. This and the next 3 slides can be used as discussion on the activity back in the classroom, if desired. 12 13 14 END OF LESSON PART A START OF LESSON PART B 15 16 END OF LESSON PART A Everyone will have made a wish from the heart for the ocean, and it’s true I am sure that no one really wants to do anything bad for the environment, or for the ocean. But sometimes what we wish and want, and what we actually do, don’t match up. Here are just some of the problems in the ocean environment at the moment. [this could be just a brief discussion, or a much longer one. Consult the debating activity “cheat sheets” for support information, that you can use the spark discussion in the classroom. This is an important segment of the presentation, as the information discussed and shared here lays the foundation for an effective debate later on.] SO, there are problems in the ocean created by people, but if we have the ability to create problems don’t we also have the ability to create solutions? What good can we do to keep the ocean clean and healthy, or to help to improve those areas that have already suffered? [discuss – positive activities could include (i)
personal behaviour – making sure that you make the right choices, that you think about the environment when choosing the fish that you eat, what you pour down the sink, or the things that you buy and how they will be thrown away AND learning more and teaching others (ii)
community activism – joining an environment group to use the power of your body and your voice to help spread good messages about protecting the ocean, or to clean up areas (iii)
political activism – lobbying government to make better laws about what we can and can’t do in the ocean. Lobbying can include writing letters to politicians, writing opinion pieces for newspapers or websites, petitions and protests] DEBATE CHALLENGE ACTIVITY 17 18 ACTIVITY TIME: Debate Challenge (See instruction page & pack of materials) 19 Invite them again to think about the coastline and the ocean around our country. Do you do anything to try to help keep it clean and healthy? Is there anything you COULD do that you aren’t doing? Is there anything you might do that would have a negative impact? 20 END OF LESSON REFLECTION