AICE Marine Science AS Chapter 5 Examples of marine ecosystems Day 4

Chapter 5 Examples of marine ecosystems Day#4. Lesson plan

5.3 The rocky shore
- identify the different zones on a typical exposed rocky shore
- explain how biotic and abiotic factors interact to affect the distribution and abundance of organisms in the different zones on the rocky shore
- explain the adaptations that organisms have to living in the different zones

Zonation: distribution of plants or animals into specific zones within an ecosystem based on a specific abiotic factor, like desiccation
Intertidal zone: area known as the seashore which is exposed at low tides and under water at high tides
Splash zone: area of a rocky shore that is just above the high tide mark and receives water through the splashing of waves

Begin your lesson with a virtual or real field trip to a rocky shore. Use videos or, if possible, take your students to a nearby rocky shore to observe the different zones and the organisms that inhabit them. Provide students with a worksheet to document their observations of the various zones, the types of organisms they see, and any noticeable adaptations. This hands-on experience will engage students and provide a real-world context for the concepts you’ll cover in the lesson.

CREDIT: Rumbalara EEC

Lecture/Notes
- Objective 1: Identify the different zones on a typical exposed rocky shore
  Splash Zone: The highest area, rarely submerged, and only wetted by sea spray.
  High Tide Zone (Upper shore): Submerged only during high tides.
  Middle Tide Zone (Middle shore): Regularly submerged and exposed as tides rise and fall.
  Low Tide Zone (Lower shore): Submerged most of the time, exposed only during the lowest tides.
- Objective 2: Explain how biotic and abiotic factors interact to affect the distribution and abundance of organisms in the different zones on the rocky shore
  - Biotic Factors: Living components like competition, predation, and symbiotic relationships.
  - Abiotic Factors: Non-living components such as temperature, salinity, wave action, and exposure to air.
- Objective 3: Explain the adaptations that organisms have to living in the different zones
  - Structural Adaptations: Physical features like shells, holdfasts, and specialized feeding structures.
  - Behavioral Adaptations: Actions organisms take to survive, such as hiding during low tide or feeding at specific times.
  - Physiological Adaptations: Internal processes that help organisms cope with environmental stress, like desiccation resistance.

Small group activity
- Provide a worksheet with a list of organisms specific to rocky shores and the adaptations they have. Have students match organisms to their specific adaptations and explain how these adaptations help them survive in their respective zones.
- Assign a small, in class project where students create their own fictional rocky shore organism. They must design adaptations for their organism based on the zone it inhabits and justify their choices.

Exit ticket
- If you opt to have students complete their notes using the Student Guided Notes format during your lecture, then use the bellringer as the exit ticket activity in class.
- If you opt to have students complete their notes using the Student Guided Notes format at home (homework), then use the following exit ticket activity:
  - Test yourself – page 171

The sole homework task assigned to my students revolves around meticulously transcribing notes in the Student Guided Notes format. They meticulously replicate content by hand from the Lecture/Notes (PPT – slides 35 – 37) presentation.
This approach ensures that during class time, while I continue to deliver lectures and expound on topics, students have their notes already compiled. Consequently, they can actively engage, ask questions, and delve deeper into understanding rather than merely being preoccupied with note-taking. This strategy efficiently liberates valuable class time, allowing for engaging activities and practice Cambridge style questions.