Marine Biology Archives - Secondary Sparks

Marine Vertebrates Activities for Middle School Science

Michelle Rudolph — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 02:40:14 +0000

Looking for fun and engaging marine vertebrates activities to add to your marine science lessons? You’re in the right place!

Whether your students are dissecting a shark or designing their own deep-sea creature, these activities make learning memorable and interactive.

Here are five of my favorite marine vertebrates activities to help your students dive deeper into the world of ocean science. Thousands of science teachers have used these five marine vertebrate activities to make their lessons unforgettable, too!

Marine Vertebrates Unit Bundle

Want to dive into marine science without all the prep? Explore my Marine Vertebrates Unit Bundle! Get everything you need to keep students engaged from start to finish.

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Feeling overwhelmed by the thought of planning a whole marine science course? I get it. I was there—excited to teach but totally lost when it came to organizing my lessons. After searching high and low for a pacing guide (and finding nothing useful), I built my own.

If you’re looking for a week-by-week plan with fun project ideas, labs, and activities to make your life easier, grab my free pacing guide here. It’s the guide I wish I’d had when I started!

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1. Dive Into Dissections (The Marine Activity Students Won’t Forget)

If you are able to get the materials, I highly recommend doing a dissection in your class. Nothing beats a hands-on experience, and actually working with marine organisms gives students a deeper understanding that’s hard to get anywhere else.

My personal favorite? Dogfish! When you tell students they’ll be dissecting a shark, the excitement is next level. If budget constraints make this tricky, don’t worry – there are plenty of interactive dissection simulations available online that can be a great alternative.

2. Create Your Own Marine Organism

Challenge your students to design their own marine marine vertebrate with at least three survival adaptations for their chosen ocean zone. Assign them an ocean zone, environmental challenge, or diet, and watch them craft some incredible creatures. The organism should have realistic adaptations to survive.

Whether they draw it or build a 3D model, this project lets students rise to the challenge and surprise you with what they have learned throughout the year in marine science. This project works best at the end of the year when your students have learned the key marine biology concepts. As a result, your students will have maximum knowledge from all units you’ve taught.

3. Comparative Physiology Discussions

This one is simple but powerful. Have students compare the anatomy and adaptations of different marine organisms.

Ask questions like:

Why does one species have sharp teeth while another filters water?
How do various vertebrates survive in the deep sea or near coral reefs?

These conversations spark curiosity and help students understand how each organism fits into the larger marine ecosystem.

4. Marine Vertebrates Collaborative ABC Book

If we’re being honest, you could spend an entire year teaching about the different marine vertebrate species. But, as we know, the school year always flies by and time is limited.

This is why I created this Marine Organisms ABC Book Project. I wanted to give my students the chance to dive deeper into the fascinating world of marine life without taking up too much class time.

This project combines research, creativity, and collaboration to help students explore marine vertebrates while working together to create something meaningful.

Each student is assigned a letter of the alphabet and chooses a marine organism corresponding to their letter. They’ll research key details about their chosen species and create a page for the class book. Once every letter is complete, your class will have its own unique ABC book, showcasing their collective work and new knowledge about marine life!

The best part? This project is fully editable and no-prep, making it easy for you to implement. Prefer digital tools? A Google Slides version is also included for creating a digital book, perfect for virtual learning or paperless classrooms.

5. Marine Organism Bingo

If you need a whole-group activity to review the characteristics of marine vertebrates across various phyla, classes, and orders, Marine Animals Bingo is for you! This low-prep activity is perfect for classes of up to 45 students. Simply print the materials and you’re ready to go.

You can customize the game by using bingo cards with images or text-only cards to encourage deeper recall.

Adding these marine vertebrates activities to your marine science unit is a guaranteed way to boost engagement and make marine science something your students look forward to. Whether they’re getting their hands dirty with dissections or creating a new marine organism, these projects help make learning fun and meaningful.

By mixing creative projects, discussions, and collaborative activities, you’ll create a classroom environment where students are curious, excited, and ready to dive into marine science. Ready to make your marine science unit unforgettable? Choose one of these tested activities and watch your students dive deep into learning.

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How to Infuse Current Events in your Science Classroom

Michelle Rudolph — Fri, 10 May 2024 17:10:31 +0000

“How does this even relate to us?!” This is a question you get a lot in your middle school science classes, right? It’s not always easy to show students the answer. Some topics in your science class are hard to find hands-on labs for and sometimes an online video just doesn’t do it justice. This is one of the reasons I love using current events in the science classroom. They relate what you’re teaching in the classroom to the real world.

Why Should You Use Current Events?

By using current events in your classroom, you are relating topics from your curriculum to the real world. You are giving students the opportunity to learn about something going on right now in the world that ties into what they are learning in the classroom. This brings that topic to life in a brand new way. It shows its relevance in the world and answers that famous question you get in your middle school classroom which is “why is this important?”

Science is constantly evolving and changing with new discoveries and technological advancements. Students need to understand that and what better way to help them understand it than to actually see that it is occurring in real time? Promotion of scientific literacy will also give them a way to look up this information on their own so they can make informed decisions about their lives using articles that are from reputable sources.

Also, not only are you relating your science standards to the real-world, but you are also helping your students become better critical thinkers and improving their writing skills. The ELA teachers will thank you!

How Can You Infuse Them in Your Classroom?

There are a few ways you can infuse current events into your science classroom.

1. Find an article related to what you are teaching at the time. For example, if you are currently on a unit about galaxies, you may want to find an article about a new, recently-discovered galaxy that is light years away. Have all the students complete a science current events template like the one shown below to learn about it and describe how it relates to what they are learning.

2. Dedicate a section or wall of your classroom to this. I called mine “Science in the News.” I used a string and some clothes pins to add various articles I found online to, what looked like, a clothes line. Students can walk up to the wall, find an article that interests them and fill out the same current events template shown in the image above. I loved to find informative articles as well as some more silly ones that related to science but also would peak students interest. Students would grab the article, a template and start writing.

Where Can You Find Science Articles?

Whether you teach Earth Space, Life Science, Physical Science, Marine Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, STEM, Forensics or any other secondary science subject, there is a ton of news sources you can use to find articles to suit your needs.

If you have a NewsELA subscription, you can find articles there by searching the science category. I also loved using NewsELA because you can sort by lexile levels to adjust the level of difficulty with each reading.

Here are some other sites where you can find up-to-date, relevant and reputable science articles for students:

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Activities For the End of the Year in Your Marine Science Class

Michelle Rudolph — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 19:13:26 +0000

As the school year wraps up and all the testing chaos ends, you may be thinking “what can I do for the rest of the school year?” “How can I keep my students engaged?” Well, I believe the end of the year in marine science is all about having some fun while still keeping the activities content-focused. Here are some of my favorite ways to wrap up the end of the year in marine science.

Did you Miss Anything?

This one may be simple but just looking at your pacing guide and curriculum map can be really helpful here. What are some of those big projects or labs that you put off because you didn’t have enough time earlier in the year? The end of the year is the perfect time to revisit those activities.

Contributions to Marine Science Project

This is a fun project that I usually like to assign at the beginning of the year but I have done it at the end of the year as well. The Contributions to Marine Science Project is a research project that allows students to learn more about inventions and technologies that have made the lives of marine scientists easier and advanced research. The students get assigned a contribution (or you can let them choose) from a list. Once they have theirs chosen, they begin to do research about it. What does it do? What does it look like? Who uses it? How does it help marine scientists?

Once they have their background knowledge about the invention, they take on a marketing role. Their job is to pretend they are on the marketing team for this invention or advancement. They must design an advertisement for their contribution that shows what it is capable of and convince others why it’s so helpful. If you want to take things up a notch, you can add a Shark Tank twist. Have your students present their advertisements as if they are on the show. This always made it a bit more fun!

Plastic Pollution and the Coral Reef PBL

This is an excellent long-term project for marine science. It covers coral reefs, biodiversity, ecology and the impact of plastic pollution on coral reefs. It reviews many of the concepts you have gone over throughout the year and ties it all together. You can learn more about the project here or grab the resource for the project here. You will need about 2-3 weeks to complete this PBL, making it perfect for the end of the year.

Here is the quick summary of the project plan:

1. Introducing the project. This really sets the tone for the unit and keeps students on track with a goal in mind. I like to write the question (How does plastic pollution affect the biodiversity of life on coral reefs?) on the board and come back to it throughout the project.

2. Create a sketch. Have students create a sketch of what they think a healthy, biodiverse coral reef looks like. They can apply what they know about coral reefs here.

3. Research. Students will begin researching the coral reef and the current state of things. This can be done individually, with a partner, or even in small groups depending on your class size and dynamics.

4. Create a new sketch. After researching, have students create another sketch that represents the “true” state of coral reefs based on what they learned.

5. Create a PSA. Now that students know why coral reefs are important and what is happening with coral reefs – they can inform others! Put students into groups to create a PSA about biodiversity and how plastic pollution has affected coral reefs.

6. Create an Action Plan. Finally, have students create an action plan that gets the school or community involved in efforts to reduce the plastic in the oceans. Their action plan will focus on why coral reefs are important and what the average citizen can do to help.

Polynesian Nautical Stick Charts

This is a fun project that ties in the history of marine science and early map making. Ancient Polynesians made their maps out of sea shells, sticks and other natural materials to create personalized maps that helped them with seafaring. With this Polynesian Nautical Stick Charts Project. With this project, Students will learn about Ancient Polynesian stick charts, how they were created, and their significance. Then, they will build their own map using various materials and include islands of their choice. Once they have created their own charts, they will trade with a classmate to see if they can be read and understood by others. This project will take a couple of class periods so that students get an idea of how to tie the sticks together.

You’ll need some supplies such as:

Kabob sticks

Sea shells

Clay

Beads

Strings

Build an Edible Coral Polyp

Students love a good food lab. They can be messy but they are fun and educational too! This Edible Coral Polyp Lab is a simple lab that you can do with students to review coral polyp anatomy. Students bring in different candies or snacks to create their coral polyp. However, the foods they use must represent the different parts of the anatomy for their coral polyp. Have your students review the anatomy, the function of each feature and how the food they choose represents that anatomical feature. This one was always a favorite in my marine science class!

Marine Animals Bingo

If you are looking for a way to have your students review characteristics of marine animals, this Marine Organisms Bingo Game is perfect. It is played similar to the traditional style of Bingo but, in order to win, students need to be able to identify and understand the characteristics of organisms in various phyla, classes and orders. As the teacher, you read off the characteristics and the students mark the correct organism on their Bingo card. Make the game easier by giving students game cards with images or make it more challenging by providing game cards without images.

Marine Animals ABC Book

One of my favorite projects is the ABC’s of Marine Vertebrates Book. This is a collaborative project in which each student’s contribution puts the whole project together. Each student gets a page of a book with a letter. The students have to find a marine vertebrate that matches that letter and research it’s characteristics. Then, they draw their animal and color it. Once all students are complete, you can place all the pages together in order, bind the book with string and there you have it! A book that your class made together. Sometimes, we donate the book to our local elementary school so that the younger students can enjoy it.

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Earth Day Middle School Science Activities to Try

Michelle Rudolph — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 16:00:34 +0000

Earth Day is quickly approaching and I am sure you’re trying to find ways to celebrate in your middle school science classroom. It’s one of my favorite “holidays” to celebrate in class because, as a science teacher, it’s one of the best because a lot of the ways to celebrate will align with the standards you are already reviewing.

If you are using NGSS, Earth Day is a perfect day to tackle these standards:

MS-ESS3-4

MS-ESS3-3

MS-ESS3-2

So, if you’re trying to plan something special, here are some Earth Day middle school science activities:

Earth Day Choice Board

My favorite go-to activity for Earth Day because it allows students to show how they want to spread the love for our planet on Earth Day. I provide my students with a menu that provides them with 9 choices for project activities they can do. Sometimes, students will come up with their own ideas and I welcome that too. They come up with some amazingly creative ideas sometimes if you give them the change to do it. You’d be surprised to learn of some of the many talents and strengths your students have when you give them a choice to showcase them. Of course, a rubric is included so that students know what the expectations of the assignment are. Here are some things I learned about using choice boards in the science classroom.

If you’re looking for an Earth Day choice board to use in your classroom, fill out the form below and get this one sent to your inbox free!

Sea Turtle Conservation Activity

If you want to be a little bit more focused on how human impact aspects of our planet, this sea turtle conservation activity focuses on how some human activities have a negative impact on sea turtles. Students read about the impacts humans can have on sea turtles and answer questions based on the nonfiction reading article. This topic can bring up a lot of discussion topics in the classroom about light pollution and the effects of habitat destruction on different animals. This is an activity I love to use in my marine science class specifically but can work in any science class.

Hunan Impact on Earth Activities

This activity covers a lot of Earth Day related topics in one! Students can review/learn about renewable and nonrenewable resources on Earth, and discuss the difference between the two. Then, students will observe different images of human impact on land including urbanization, deforestation, erosion and desertification. They will need to describe those types of impact and how they are represented in each image. A water pollution slide focuses on eutrophication, biological pollution, chemical pollution and thermal pollution. Students will also research decomposition times of different everyday materials and how some marine organisms are impacted by this type of pollution. Another slide focuses on global warming indicators and allows students to research two and discuss them. The final slide in the activity is an opportunity for students to identify a way that they can help protect our planet and make a difference!

Recycled Art

This one requires a little bit of prep beforehand but the students come up with some amazing creations! About 2-3 weeks before Earth Day, ask your students to bring in some recycled materials from home. Then, dedicate a day to creating art pieces that represent the importance of Earth Day in some way. I have had students make models of a healthy vs. unhealthy Earth, bleached coral out of bottle caps and other creative projects!

Plastic Pollution Project-Based Learning

If you teach life science or marine science, this may be one for you. It is a long term project, but it is perfect to do around Earth Day. It covers coral reefs, biodiversity, ecology and the impact of plastic pollution on coral reefs. You can learn more about the project here or grab the resource for the project here. You will need about 2-3 weeks to complete this PBL.

Here is a quick summary of the project plan:

Introducing the project. This really sets the tone for the unit and keeps students on track with a goal in mind. I like to write the question (How does plastic pollution affect the biodiversity of life on coral reefs?) on the board and come back to it throughout the project.
Create a sketch. Have students create a sketch of what they think a healthy, biodiverse coral reef looks like. They can apply what they know about coral reefs here.
Research. Students will begin researching the coral reef and the current state of things. This can be done individually, with a partner, or even in small groups depending on your class size and dynamics.
Create a new sketch. After researching, have students create another sketch that represents the “true” state of coral reefs based on what they learned.
Create a PSA. Now that students know why coral reefs are important and what is happening with coral reefs – they can inform others! Put students into groups to create a PSA about biodiversity and how plastic pollution has affected coral reefs.
Create an Action Plan. Finally, have students create an action plan that gets the school or community involved in efforts to reduce the plastic in the oceans. Their action plan will focus on why coral reefs are important and what the average citizen can do to help.

Organize a School-Wide Clean Up

If your administration allows it, have your students go outside and help clean up the school. As they clean up, have them track the garbage they found as they cleaned up. After cleaning up, you can have your students discuss what they found, how much trash was there and help come up with a plan to reduce the amount of trash left around campus for the future. Present this plan to your admin if you can!

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Teaching Classification of Organisms and Taxonomy

Michelle Rudolph — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 16:00:48 +0000

Classification is one of those fundamental units to teach when you are teaching biology, zoology or marine biology. Review of taxonomy and classification of organisms is essential before diving into any of the individual phyla. Why? Because you don’t want your students asking you what a “phylum” or a “kingdom” is when you are trying to introduce Phylum Porifera. Trust me, the confusion will only get worse from there and that is the last thing you want. So, whether you are introducing taxonomy for the first time or your students need a quick review, here are some tips for teaching classification of organisms.

Starting with Guided Notes

Do not be afraid of a little direct instruction, especially with a vocabulary heavy topic like classification and taxonomy. Now, I don’t mean standing in front of the class and talking at them for 45 minutes straight while they copy notes. Include them in on it. Add opportunities for engagement, checkpoints and a way for them to bring it all back in the end. This gets the students more engaged in the lesson, retaining more of the information and saves your voice! You can get this Classification of Organisms and Taxonomy Lesson, Guided Notes and Assessment which includes everything you need to maintain your students focus during the lesson.

Go on a Nature Walk

I’m serious! Have students walk around campus and document what organisms they see. Have them identify the characteristics of the organism as well as the domain and kingdom they belong to.

Sorting Organisms

Getting resin specimens was a great idea for this unit and students loved them! As part of a classification and taxonomy stations activity, you can have students look at the organisms and place them into groups by anatomical comparisons so they can think like a taxonomist! This can also be done with images of organisms.

Dichotomous Keys

Teach students about dichotomous keys and how they are used for identifying organisms. You can even have students create their own dichotomous keys for specific organisms.

Creative Posters or presentations

Have students choose a domain or kingdom to focus on. They can create a poster or digital presentation that outlines all the key characteristics of organisms within that kingdom or domain.

Let your Students Get Creative!

Choice Boards have been a game changer in my classroom. Instead of thinking of one project for the whole class, you can provide some autonomy to your students and allow them to choose from a list of activities or let them come up with their own ideas. Of course, these activities will have to show you, as the teacher, that your students actually understand classification and taxonomy. You can add requirements for that so your students know what to follow. Some of the activities I provide on a list for students include:

Creating an Ecosystem guidebook
Creating a board game
Writing a story
Domain debates
Recording a podcast.

These types of activities can highlight individual student talents while still making sure they are understanding the critical content. You can find the Classification of Organisms Choice Board I use here. Grab an entire unit of activities for Classification of Organisms and Taxonomy.

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