Ac vi es:

A. Beginning

1. Gree ngs

2. Administra ve business – roll call, etc. (performed internally)

3. Reflec on: “Nature does nothing superfluous, nothing useless and knows how to extract mul ple effects from a single cause.” Copernicus

4. Before the students get to the classroom, the teacher should arrange the chairs in an oval or oblong shape, with an empty space in the center.

5. To begin studying the importance of seagrasses, the teacher will show the students the Seagrasses video recorded by the University of Puerto Rico’s Sea Grant Program. The video can be accessed through the following link: h p://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=BtA5huSBEZo. The video is also included in the CD-ROM included with this guide.

A er watching the video, the teacher will use open ques ons to get the students to provide their thoughts on the ecosystem and its importance. The teacher may ask ques ons such as: What are the seagrass meadows’ func ons? Why is this ecosystem important? What benefits does it offer the species that live there, as well as human beings? To answer these ques ons, the students will use what they observed in the video as well as their own experience. The teacher will not evaluate or correct student contribu ons, only acknowledge them and move on to the next part of the lesson.

B. Development

1. The teacher should have selected one of the two op ons presented below for the Go hide! role-playing ac vity prior to the class period. Direct the students in how to proceed with the chosen op on. The detailed instruc ons can be found in the ac vity sheet, but here is a general breakdown.

First op on:

This game will be split in two parts:

First part: Some students will act like seagrasses. Other students will role-play the fish and animals hiding among the seagrasses. One student will perform the role of the predator. Then, the ones playing seagrasses will stand near one another and move all together, swaying back and forth without moving their feet. The students playing the fish will hide behind the seagrass, and the predator will a empt to flush out and ‘catch’ the fish. Students will analyze how easy it is for the predator to catch the prey.

Second part: The second me around, the students playing seagrass will be reduced to just a few, like 4 students or so. They will be spaced at a distance from one another. The number of students role-playing the fish and the predator will remain the same. Now, the ac vity resumes as before, with the grasses swaying and the predator a emp ng to flush out and catch the fish. As before, the students must analyze how easy it was for the predator to catch prey.

With this exercise, the students will note that when there’s abundant seagrass, the predator has a more difficult me catching prey. This is one of the facets that make seagrasses important. It provides a safe refuge for fish, mollusk and shellfish juveniles and larvae.

Second op on:

If the first op on for the game cannot be performed due to space constraints or any other reason, here’s an alterna ve version:

• Find two (2) cardboard boxes; shoe boxes would be great.

• In the first box, add many strips of card stock or construc on paper (simula ng the seagrasses). Then, add loose paper clips, which will simulate the small fish and larvae inhabi ng the ecosystem.

• In the second box, only add a few paper strips, while adding the same amount of loose paper clips.

The students will close their eyes and then a empt to pick paper clips out of the box. They should realize that it is difficult to find the paper clips in the box with a lot of paper strips, which will enable them to analyze the importance of seagrasses.

2. A er students have analyzed this par cular relevance, the teacher will project the slideshow presenta on about the seagrasses, par cularly focusing on the sec on tled Importance of seagrasses. Here, the teacher will discuss with the students these important facets, linking the topic with the previous ac vi es.

Importance of seagrasses:

 They serve as habitat, refuge, nursery and feeding grounds for many species.

 They protect species that are valuable to the fish and seafood industry, and thus provide food and economic stability for humankind.

 They prevent coastal erosion.

 This ecosystem is connected to the mangrove forests and the coral reefs. This helps stabilize the coastal environment.

 They are primary producers, perform photosynthesis and produce mass quan es of oxygen and organic ma er.

When talking about seagrasses as primary producers, it is important for the teacher to offer a brief summary of the elements comprising a food chain. Students should review concepts like producers, consumers, and decomposers. They can also recall that plants are primary producers and can obtain energy from the sun. This should only be a quick review of key subjects.

C. Closing

1. To conclude the class, the teacher will encourage the students to listen, sing and dance to the I am the seagrass ‘Bomba’ song. This song is included in the CD-ROM included with this guide. While the song is playing, the students should pay a en on to the necessary condi ons for seagrass growth, as well as the importance of this ecosystem.

2. When the song ends, the teacher will ask the students to iden fy the seagrass’s importance and men on the necessary condi ons for seagrass development (as a review). Then, the students will be asked to explain (in a summarized form) these concepts of importance. With this, students will review the subject studied and solidify their learning.

3. Any remaining ques ons will be addressed.

Homework:

Students will have two (2) homework assignments:

1. Students will be asked to complete a food chain, star ng with the primary producer; in this case, seagrass. They must use the knowledge they already have about the food chain to make up the seagrass food chain. They can create a digital food chain using programs like Word, PowerPoint, or websites like spiderscribe.net or lucidachart.com. These sites allow you to make diagrams using images. The CD-ROM accompanying this guide includes images you may use. You can also find appropriate images on the internet.

If computers aren’t available, the students can use illustra ons and glue them to a poster board or a piece of paper. Another op on is drawing the organisms and link them in a food chain.

If the students use any type of computer program or websites, they can send the teacher their food chains through email; then the teacher will project them for the rest of the class. If no technology is available, the students will bring in their food chains on poster boards or construc on paper.

Note: Neither the Sea Grant Program nor the University of Puerto Rico are affiliated to the programs or brands men oned here for illustra ve purposes.

They must look for informa on about objects, situa ons or behaviors that threaten seagrasses, whether natural or anthropogenic (caused by humans). They must also look for informa on about the methods or alterna ves to protect and preserve these plants. The students will use this informa on to create a law during a legisla ve session. This session will be performed in the following classes.

Praxis reflec on:

The reflec on will be performed by the teacher at the end of class.

Reasonable accommoda on:

Reasonable accommoda on will be offered to all students who need it. Students with physical cogni ve difficul es will be offered reasonable me in which to complete their tasks, tutoring during office hours and all the necessary opportuni es, according to their par cular cases.

Ocean literacy: Essen al Principles and Fundamental Concepts

Principle 4: “The ocean made Earth habitable.” a. Most of the oxygen in the atmosphere originally came from the ac vi es of photosynthe c organisms in the ocean. This accumula on of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere was necessary for life to develop and be sustained on land

Principle 5: “The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems.” e. The ocean provides a vast living space with diverse and unique ecosystems from the surface through the water column and down to, and below, the seafloor. Most of the living space on Earth is in the ocean. i. Estuaries provide important and produc ve nursery areas for many marine and aqua c species.

Principle 6: “The ocean and humans are inextricably connected.” a. The ocean affects every human life. It supplies freshwater (most rain comes from the ocean) and nearly all Earth’s oxygen. The ocean moderates the Earth’s climate, influences our weather, and affects human health. b. The ocean provides foods, medicines, and mineral and energy resources. It supports jobs and na onal economies, serves as a highway for transporta on of goods and people, and plays a role in na onal security. c. The ocean is a source of inspira on, recrea on, rejuvena on, and discovery. It is also an important element in the heritage of many cultures. f. Much of the world’s popula on lives in coastal areas. Coastal regions are suscep ble to natural hazards (tsunamis, hurricanes, cyclones, sea level change, and storm surges).

Content standards and grade expecta ons

Environmental Sciences

Standard: Interac ons and energy

Expecta ons and indicators:

Earth Systems

ES.A.CT2.IE.11 Discusses the importance of aqua c ecosystems for water-dependent species and proposes alterna ves for their conserva on.

Expecta ons and indicators:

Earth and Human Ac vity

ES.A.CT3.IE.3 Describes the value of the ecosystems and argues about the importance of their conserva on and protec on, as well as the conserva on and protec on of their organisms, including the specificity of Puerto Rico’s ecosystems and organisms.

Expecta ons and indicators:

From molecules to organisms: structures and processes

ES.A.CB1.IE.12 Analyzes the roles played and establishes connec ons between the producers, the consumers, and the decomposers in an ecosystem’s food chain and web, and explains that the food, or trophic, chain is an example of the mutual rela onship of survival between species.

ES.A.CB1.IE.13 Represents the food interdependence with diagrams that illustrate trophic chains and nets and establishes interdependent rela onships between the elements in an ecosystem, between the ecosystems themselves, and between them and the planet.

Go Hide!

Seagrasses provide valuable habitat for many small fish and crustaceans. When seagrasses thrive, predators have a difficult time finding prey hiding in the grass. However, areas with little or no grass offer almost no hiding areas for animals.

Procedure

Use a role-playing game to represent the protection afforded by seagrasses to fish and crustaceansby seagrasses. To do this, you will need a clock or a stopwatch.

You will need to choose the following:

10 to15 students who will represent seagrass

3 students who will represent prey (smaller students are best for this exercise)

1student who will represent the predator (the biggest student in class would be best)

The exercise consists of a sort of modified game of ‘Tag’ in which the predator will have to trap (tag) the three preyswithin 30 seconds in two different scenarios: with abundant seagrass or little to no seagrass. Move to an open spot in the classroom or inthe school yard, if possible. Designate the area in which the activity will take place; it should not be the whole yard. Start with none or sparse‘seagrasses’ (just a few studentsplaying the seagrass roles). Send the prey to the designated area with little or no seagrass. The predator should be looking in another direction while the students take up their places. Once everyone is in place, start the clock. Whenever the predator tags a prey, the prey must leave the game. This will go on until the clock reaches 0 or thereisno more prey.

During the abundant seagrass scenario, the prey and the seagrass alike will take position in the designated area. Seagrasses cannot move their feet, but they can imitate the way a seagrass stem would move in the sea: they can move their arms and bodies and sway as if the water was moving them. The prey will move around the grass and hide. The predator CANNOT push the seagrass. Follow the same instructions as in the previous scenario. At the end of the 30 second count, or when there isno more prey, the activity ends.

Discussion

After the activity, ask the students to discuss the fundamental difference between the two scenarios. In the abundant seagrass scenario, the predator should have had a tougher time tagging the prey, if any were in fact tagged. In the scenario with little or no seagrass, it should have been much easier for the predator to tag the prey. This happens because seagrasses offer protection to organisms or hides them from predators.

Remember to emphasize organism interdependence and behavior.

Second option

Materials

Construction paper

80 paper clips

4 blindfolds

2 plastic or cardboard containers that are wider than they are deep

Procedure

Cut the construction paper in long strips to represent blades of seagrass. Place all the paper strips in one of the containers. Put half the paper clips in the container with the construction paper strips. Place several of the clips on the strips and scatter the rest on the container bottom. The other half of the clips should be placed in the container without paper strips. Choose 4 students to perform this activity. Use the blindfolds to cover the four students’ eyes. Assign two students per container. Each team will have 30 seconds to find clips in their containers (students can only attempt to collect the clips; they cannot feel around on the bottom of the box but must only pick out what they first touch or grab onto.) All the clips found by the teams will be deposited beside the box. At the end of the 30 seconds, count the clips taken from each box.

Discussion

Once the activity is finished, ask them what the fundamental difference between the two containers was. Make the connection between the paper strips and seagrasses. The team with the “seagrasses” (paper strips) usually finds fewer paper clips than the team with no seagrasses. This happens because seagrasses offer protection to organisms or hides them from predators.

Remember to emphasize organism interdependence and behavior.

Activity taken and adapted from the following address: http://www1.coseecoastaltrends.net/modulepopup/seagrass/predator_prey_interaction/

Ac vity taken and adapted from the following address: h p://www1.coseecoastaltrends.net/modulepopup/seagrass/predator_prey_interac on/

Seagrass

Author: David R.

GonzálezBarreto

Adapted by: Jorge I. Casillas Maldonado, Delmis del C. Alicea SegarraandLeróMartínez Roldán

Interpreted by: LeróMartínez Roldán

Translated by: Wilmarie Cruz Franceschi

Chorus

Yo soy la hierba marina-I am the seagrass

Que cerca de la costa yace-Lying by the coast

Poco oleaje me place-Smallwaves suit me

Y un agua que sea cristalina–And so does clear water

Chorus

Me vienen a visitar-I receive daily visits

Las picúas y mant arrayas–From the stingrays and barracuda

Se vienen a deleitar-They come overand delight

En mi pradera de playa-In my beach meadow

Y se asoman por mi vera-I can also count on seeing

El carrucho y la langosta-The lobster and the conch

Los recibo con cariño-I receive them both with joy

Sumergida aquí en la costa-submerged here under the sea

Soy la pradera marina-I am the seagrass meadow

El suelo a mis raíces da anclaje-I anchor my roots in the soil

Aunque con trato salvaje-Although rough treatment hurts me

La basura a mí me arruina-And garbage suffocates me

En mis hojas se aposenta-My leaves offer shelter

El erizo y el pepino-The urchin and the sea cucumber

Yuna estrella de mar vino-And a seastar dropped by Porque aquí ella se alimenta-Because it finds food here

Yo soy la hierba marina-I am the seagrass Donde hay variedad de especies-where lots of different species live Unas visibles pa’que las aprecies-Some are plain to see Y unas pocas clandestinas-While others are harder to find

Yo doy vida doy calor-I offer life, I offer warmth

Soy la pradera marina-I am the seagrass meadow

Ven trátame con amor-Come treat me with love

Yo vivo si tú me cuidas-I will survive if you take care of me

Date:

University of Puerto Rico

MayagüezCampus Sea GrantProgram

Grade-Group:

Seagrasses

FoodChain

Name:

Teacher:

Instructions: Carefully observe the following diagram and use what you learne d in class to build aseagrass foodchain. Draw the elements composing this foodchain in the boxes provided and write the name for each element in the space below.

Time: 4 periods or more (the teacher will determine this according to their grade and group)

Teaching strategy: ECA

Phases: conceptualiza on and applica on

Teaching methods: Demonstra ve, exposi onal, inquisi ve, ac on or ac vity

Teaching techniques: coopera ve work, review, discussion, conference, homework

Assessment technique: Cause and effect diagram, crossword puzzle, food chain diagram, open ques ons, legal bill

Integra on with other subjects: Biology, Ecology, Social Studies

Materials:

• Seagrass meadows - Teacher’s Guide

• CD-ROM included in the Teacher’s Guide

• Presenta on – Seagrass meadows

• Cause and effect diagram sheet

• Crossword puzzle (interac ve in the CD-ROM as well as in paper)

• Document showing an amendment to a legal bill

• Cons tu on of Puerto Rico

Taxonomy type: N. Webb (2005)

Depth of knowledge levels:

Level I: Memory thinking

Level II: Processing thinking de

Level III: Strategic thinking

Level IV: Extended thinking

Unit: Marine ecosystems

Threats and conserva on methods

Objec ves:

A er studying the Threats and conserva on methods theme, the students will be able to:

• remember the basic elements in the food chain, using as an example the seagrass’s food chain. (conceptual)

• researches possible factors threatening and impac ng seagrass ecosystems. (procedimental)

• analyze seagrass conserva on methods. (conceptual)

• iden fy these conserva on methods. (procedural)

• proposes effec ve and viable solu ons to conserve and protect this ecosystem. (procedural)

• jus fies the proposed alterna ves based on scien fic informa on. (procedural)

• evaluates the possible solu ons posed by their peers to verify their viability. (procedural)

• create a legal bill that promotes seagrass ecosystem conserva on and sustainable use. (procedural)

• become aware of the importance of collabora ng in the conserva on, care and protec on of the seagrass ecosystem. (a tudinal)

• share informa on with their peers. (a tudinal)