Marine Ecology

There are many ways we are connected with fish – either as a food source, through time spent at or under the sea, and through our whakapapa.  

Focus Questions:

How am I connected with fishes?

What new words and concepts have we learnt?

Learning outcomes:

Identify ways we as people are connected with fish

Use scientific and fisheries related vocabulary

Materials:

Slide Set Fishy Connections

Teacher Outline Fishy Connections

Access to the internet (for film clip)

Something to write with

Activities include:

WATCH a short film [1:55] and experience being underwater in Aotearoa New Zealand

CONSIDER your connection with fish (tūpuna, kai moana, and current actions)

WRITE a story called ‘a creature of the sea and me’ 

EXPLORE connections with fishes through te ao Māori and whakapapa

USE our Ngā Ika Moana cards to test your knowledge of NZ fishes and their Māori names.

What actually makes a fish a fish? A fish can be defined as ‘a scaly-skinned vertebrate (animal with back bone) that breathes using gills and lives in water’. 

Focus questions:

What makes a fish a fish?

What fish live near us?

What new words and concepts have we learnt?

Learning outcomes:

Describe key features of fishes

Observe a fish and record evidence

Experience and identify local marine species 

Use scientific and fisheries related vocabulary

Materials for the classroom:

What is a Fish SLIDES

What is a fish TEACHER OUTLINE

Something to write with

Copies of Fishy Factsheet & Worksheet

Copies of Local fish Spotty WORKSHEET and Local fish WORKSHEET

Materials for the field trip:

Copies of LOCAL FISH FIELD TRIP (includes teacher info & worksheet)

Bait catchers (set up with lanyard, bait, weight) (one per group)

Buckets (one per group)

Shade cloth (wet tea towel or umbrella)

Timer

Copies of the worksheet, clip board and pencil

ID Books for your local area

Activities include:

DISCUSS briefly 'what is a fish?'

BRAINSTORM what we already know about fish [slide 14]

INVESTIGATE features of a fish 

IDENTIFY AND LABEL features of a fish 

READ, RESEARCH and ANSWER questions about local fish 

BRAINSTORM what we know about the fish and sea near us

VISIT our local wharf with a set of bait catchers and have fun trying to catch a Spotty

TAKE a virtual or real life lesson with the National Aquarium of New Zealand to OBSERVE fish features first hand

Adaptation is an evolutionary process (something that happens over time) where a creature becomes well suited to living in a certain place (habitat).  We can tell a lot about where and how a fish lives by looking at the features and shape of a fish.  

Focus questions:

What patterns do we see in the body shapes of fish from similar habitats?

What new words and concepts have we learnt?

Learning outcomes: 

Identify key adaptations of fishes to suit their habitat and use a scientific key

Describe patterns in body shapes of fish that live in the same habitat

Use scientific and fisheries related vocabulary

Materials:

Fish adaptations & body shapes TEACHER OUTLINE

Fish Adaptations SLIDES

Access to the internet (for film clip)

Something to write with and on

Copies of Scientific Keys Fish Adaptations

Activities include:

DISCUSS how fish adapt to their environment (adaptation)

INVESTIGATE relationship between body shape and habitat

WATCH short film clips while identifying body shapes of each fish

USE scientific keys

RESEARCH fish adaptations

WATCH the short film clips of deep water species and pelagic (open ocean) species 

INVESTIGATE adaptations in deep water fish such as the viperfish or anglerfish

RESEARCH cool fish facts, CREATE cards and SHARE findings

TEST knowledge of fish body shape adaptations 

TAKE a virtual or real life lesson with the National Aquarium of New Zealand to OBSERVE fish shapes and adaptations first hand

The Marine Stewardship Council has certified fisheries in many different habitats.  A habitat is a place where a group (community) of living things (organisms) live and breed.  Different habitats have different characteristics.

Focus questions:

How do marine habitats differ from one another?

What new words and concepts have we learnt?

Learning outcomes:

Describe the concept of ‘habitat’ and identify differences amongst three marine habitats

Use scientific and fisheries related vocabulary

Materials:

Marine Habitat SLIDES

Marine Habitat TEACHER OUTLINE

Copies of Marine habitat CARDS

Scissors

Something to write with

White board and Blu Tack

Access to the internet (film clips)

Activities include:

INVESTIGATE the idea of ‘habitat’

BRAINSTORM existing knowledge of marine habitat

DISCUSS what creates a habitat and consider different habitat types

EXPLORE the deep ocean via the National Aquarium of New Zealand [1:30]

GO for a deep dive to see what animals hang out where in The Deep Sea

PLAY the true false card game about habitat and fish adaptations

MATCH marine species to their correct habitat using habitat cards

INVESTIGATE Deep Sea Exploration

EXPLORE IMPACTS of overfishing on habitats

WATCH VR underwater film clips to OBSERVE habitat characteristics

RESEARCH a habitat and the community of creatures that live there

APPLY knowledge to an imaginary habitat and CREATE a creature with features adapted to an imaginary habitat!

Food chains and food webs are affected by overfishing.  When one species is drastically reduced in number this has a knock-on effect for the remainder of the community.

Focus questions:

What is a food web?

How can overfishing affect food webs?

What new words and concepts have we learnt?

Learning Outcomes:

Describe the concept of food web and the effect unsustainable fishing has on food webs

Use scientific and fisheries related vocabulary

Materials:

Marine Food Webs SLIDES

Marine Food webs TEACHER OUTLINE

Access to the internet (for film clip)

Something to write with and on

Materials to play String games NZ (scissors, organism labels, ball of string, and hole punch

Materials to play Food web games (desks or pads to write on, white board markers or pencils, copies of predator-prey table and creature cards, scissors)

Activities include:

DISCUSS how creatures are connected in communities via predator / prey relationships

INVESTIGATE food chains and food webs

WATCH a short film on food webs [2:06]

Experience how marine species rely on one another by PLAYING String games NZ

PLAY the interactive Food web games 

PLAY an online food web game

CONSIDER the impact when one type of animal is removed from a habitat

WATCH the short Pew film about the removal of sharks [1:35]

TAKE a virtual or real life lesson with National Aquarium of New Zealand to OBSERVE predator prey relationships first hand

Review key learnings from Topic 2.

Focus question:

What new words and concepts have we learnt?

Learning outcomes:

Use scientific and fisheries related vocabulary

Materials:

Marine Ecology Topic Review SLIDES

Marine Ecology Review TEACHER OUTLINE

Access to the internet (for Kahoot quiz)

Something to write with

Activities include:

COMPLETE the Marine Ecology Topic Summary Kahoot Quiz

DEFINE key terms

ACT out key terms