Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

20 minutes

Part A: Finding connections

25 minutes

Part B: Human impacts on Ocean ecosystems

10 minutes

Part C: What can we do?

5 minutes

Reflection

Part A: Finding connections

Step 1

Begin this lesson by watching the following clip as a class.

Coral bleaching (https://vimeo.com/211448412)

Once complete, engage students in quick class discussion about the clip:

What is this clip about?
Who/what is affected by coral bleaching?
Who/what causes coral bleaching?

The purpose of these questions is to start making connections and understanding that components of a system not only affect things directly, but also indirectly. A system in many ways behaves like a unit. Don't worry if students don't know the answers or can't connect the ideas yet. The discussion will set the scene.

Step 2

Now, invite students to work in pairs to complete the definitions of the following terms (also available on the Student Worksheet):

System
Ecosystem
Interdependent
Habitat
Biotic
Abiotic

Students may need to undertake research to complete their definitions. If they are conducting research online, remind them of the Search Strategies for Googling.

Once complete, invite each pair to team up with another pair to compare answers. Students can amend their definitions following their discussion.

Invite students to add these words and definitions to an existing glossary, or use these words and definitions as the basis for a new glossary.

Step 3

Invite students to return to their original pairs. Distribute a piece of butcher's paper, Blu-tack and one copy of the Ocean Ecosystem Interactions - Hexagonal Thinking to each pair. Ask students to cut out all the hexagons. Ask them to place the blank hexagons to the side - these will be used later in the lesson.

Students can now access their butcher's paper, and begin sticking the hexagons onto the paper using Blu-tack, organising their hexagons in a way that reflects the themes/connections they can identify.

Step 4

Once students have completed the activity, invite them to team up with another pair of students (different to the one they worked with earlier) to share how they have organised their hexagons. Invite students to consider the following:

Why have we arranged our hexagons in this way?
What are the similarities between the arrangement of our hexagons?
What are the differences?

Ask one or two groups of students to share their work with the whole class and discuss.

Part B: Human impacts on ocean ecosystems

Step 1

Once again, invite students to return to their original pairing. Invite pairs to access the blank hexagons they cut out earlier.

They should then look at the 'Effects of human activity on ocean ecosystems' table on the Student Worksheet. For each of the 'Effects of human activity on ocean ecosystems', students need to think about what human activity results in that effect, and within their pairs, they need to write a word or two that indicates a human activity that affects the ocean ecosystem in each of the blank hexagons.

Students will then stick these hexagons onto their hexagon map in a way that shows how these relate to the other components of the ecosystem. Invite students to consider the following questions as they go (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Does this activity affect the ocean in more than one way?
Does this activity have knock-on impacts? For example, fishing can impact fish populations, which in turn can affect the populations of animals that consume fish.
Are you aware of any efforts to minimise the impacts of this human activity? What are they and how did you hear about them?

Step 2

Invite students to explain how they have organised their hexagons to another group. Ask one or two groups of students to share their work with the whole class and discuss ideas as a class. Consider the following points in your discussion:

Which human activities have a direct impact on oceans and marine ecosystems?
- For example, overfishing and plastic pollution.
Which human activities have an indirect impact on oceans and marine ecosystems?
- For example, Some activities affect the abiotic elements of the environment, through things like excessive carbon dioxide production that causes global warming.
Which human activities do you think are causing the biggest problems for marine ecosystems and the ocean in general?

Part C: What can we do?

Working in the same pairs, invite students to come up with some actions that they can do to help minimise their own impacts on the ocean.

Ask each pair to, again, look at their hexagons with human activities and impacts. Students can select at least three human activities and brainstorm some ideas about how humans could change their activities to minimise the impacts relating to this activity. For example, plastic contamination could be addressed by people using alternatives to plastic (such as reusable bags and coffee cups), or overfishing could be addressed by people only buying fish that has been approved by the Australian Marine Conservation Society.

Invite pairs to make a display (poster, infographic, etc) to share their ideas with the class. In addition, you could ask pairs of students to share their thoughts with the class for feedback. Remind students to be kind, helpful and specific when offering feedback:

Tips for providing feedback

Be kind - It can be hard to share your ideas with others, so remain kind and supportive.
Be specific - Be clear about what you think and why. Rather than saying, ‘I like the colours, ’ say something like ‘, I like the ways those colours help create a mood that supports your message.
Be helpful - Try not to say what is strong or weak, but also make suggestions about how things could be improved.

Reflection

Invite students to work independently to answer the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

How was the information presented in this lesson connected to what you already knew?
What new ideas did you get that extended or pushed your thinking in new directions?
What is still challenging or confusing for you to get your mind around? What questions do you now have?

Take it further

Invite students to apply their learning in a real world context by participating in this Social Action lesson: Ocean Guardian Campaigns - Social Action - Year 9 & 10.

Blue - Interactions in Ocean Ecosystems

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will...

Success criteria:

Students can...

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Skills

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Info

Related Professional Learning

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