Looking Closely
Authors
Beth Bisson
Maine Sea Grant
Sarah Morrisseau
Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Vital Signs Program
Questions
How do you tell different species apart?
Overview
Students practice Looking Closely at a leaf, flower, leg, wing, shell, etc. to really hone their observation skills and see the
pieces and parts they wouldn’t otherwise see. Species observation skills gained during this detailed drawing activity will
help students tell different species apart when they do their own investigation. This activity may be done as individuals or
as a team.
Science & Technology Standards (MLR)
B1. Skills and traits of scientific inquiry. Students plan, conduct, analyze data from, and communicate results of
investigations, including simple experiments.
B1e. Use logic, critical reasoning and evidence to develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models.
E1. Biodiversity. Students differentiate among organisms based on biological characteristics and identify patterns of
similarity.
E1a.
Compare physical characteristics that differentiate organisms into groups.
E1c.
Explain ways to determine whether organisms are the same species.
Learning Objectives
 Students practice forming hypotheses and making observations to test their hypotheses
 Students improve scientific observation skills
 Students practice communicating their hypotheses and observations with one another and learning through scientific
discussions
 Students learn how to identify key physical features and adaptations that provide clues about a species’ preferred
habitat, prey, and behavior
Grade Level
7
8
Setting
Classroom
Laboratory
Activity Type
Skill-building activity
Hands-on
Class discussion
Materials
 Trays of animal and plant specimens (some native and some invasive)
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Paper, pencils, crayons, and markers
Microscopes
Field Guides
Vital Signs species identification cards
Time Needed
60 minutes
Can be adapted for longer time frames with additional discussion/ extensions
Activity Procedure
This activity is written specifically for marine intertidal species, but can be used with all types of animals and plants from
coastal, freshwater, and upland ecosystems. When doing this activity with students, start with a simple and familiar plant
or animal (a leaf, a worm). In subsequent rounds move on to a specimen that requires greater attention to detail (a
periwinkle shell, a crab carapace).
1. Students choose a marine intertidal species to examine more closely and place one on your tray.
2. Ask students to take a minute or so to look at all parts of their species, and write down three or four observations they
can make about its physical characteristics.
3. Have them put their species aside, and draw a picture of it from memory. Have them try to depict or label the
characteristics they wrote down.
4. Ask students to look at their species again and add features they might have missed during the memory drawing,
using a different color. Have them make a hypothesis about what habitat their species is adapted for, based on their
observations of its physical characteristics.
5. Now, have students look more closely at their species under a microscope or with a hand lens, and write down any
additional observations they can make.
6. Have them draw their species again, including these new observations, or add to the original drawing using a third
color. Ask them to check their hypothesis: Did it change?
7. Now, ask students to look up their species in a guidebook to identify it. Have them look at the photo/drawing, and read
what it says about their species. Have them check their hypothesis again: does it match the description in the book?
8. Ask students to take a final look at their species to see if they can see anything new after learning a bit more in their
reference book.
9. Have students use a “Turn to Your Neighbor” sharing session to analyze and conclude:
 Did you miss anything with your naked eye, or with the microscope?
 Did looking more closely help you understand your species? Did it improve your hypothesis about what type of
habitat it is adapted for? Could you make a hypothesis about what it likes to eat, or how it protects itself?
 Which important details did you miss that are critical for identifying your species, or for telling it apart from a lookalike species?
 If you found out your species is invasive, did you see any unique characteristics during your observations that
might make it a particularly good invader?
Reflection or Formative Assessment Ideas
Collect written hypotheses, observations, and drawings as part of a student portfolio. They should be arranged in
chronological order, from when they started their observations, to when they finished.
Ask students to write a scientific explanation in their scientists’ notebooks of how they used a series of observation
strategies and tools to test and modify their hypotheses. They should explain why they modified their hypothesis as they
went along (if they changed it), and whether/how the “Turn to Your Neighbor” discussion with their classmates affected
their final hypothesis.
Extension Ideas
Use this activity to compare observations of native species and a look-alike non-native species, and test hypotheses about
which species is native and which is invasive.
Use this activity as a way for students to observe, identify and catalogue samples of the species they find during field
surveys.
Resources
Field Guides:
 Vital Signs species identification cards, Gulf of Maine Research Institute, www.vitalsignsme.org
 Guide to Marine Invaders in the Gulf of Maine, Salem Sound Coastwatch, URL: http://www.salemsound.org/chimp.htm
 Peterson, RT. 1999. Field Guide to the Atlantic Seashore: From the Bay of Fundy to Cape Hatteras. Sagebrush
Education Resources.
 Watling L, Fegley A, Moring J, and White S. 2003. Life Between the Tides: Marine Plants and Animals of the
Northeast. Tillbury House Publishers. Gardiner, ME.
 National Audubon Society. 1998. Regional Guide to New England. Alfred A. Knopf. New York.
 Marine Invasive Species Information Websites:
 MIT Sea Grant, Center for Coastal Resources, Marine Bioinvasions Web Page, Links and References. URL:
http://massbay.mit.edu/exoticspecies/links.html
 Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), Marine Invasions Research Lab, URL:
http://www.serc.si.edu/labs/marine_invasions/
 U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Science Center, Marine Nuisance Species Web Page: URL:
http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/stellwagen/didemnum/index.htm (focus on the tunicate, Didemnum sp.)