I.

Objectives of the lesson After completing the lesson, the student will be able: to develop a basic knowledge of aquatic biomes. to understand the basic components of aquatic biomes. to evaluate the importance of aquatic biome into our lives. II. Motivation Strategy To begin the module, I will teach my students the "Aquatic Biome Song." This is a song that teaches the terminology of the aquatic biomes.

The freshwater biome includes streams and rivers Lakes, ponds, swamps, marshes, and lands that are wet The saltwater biome, the seas and the oceans Called the marine it's too large to forget Chorus: Oh the biomes are regions with similar climate (precipitation and temperatures) The climate determines soil and vegetation Which then determines the kinds of creatures

After teaching the song, have a class discussion to explore students prior knowledge of the aquatic biomes. Use the following questions to determine what concepts the students understand and to identify misconceptions. The objective of these introductory activities is to build interest in the aquatic biomes. This activity will allow the students to use their prior knowledge about the aquatic biomes and to spark their interest so that they want to learn more. III. Introduction of the Lesson To get the attention of the students to be more interested in this lesson, I will ask who among them have already gone to ponds, lakes, stream, rivers, wetlands and many others. Then we will briefly have a chat about there activities when they went there. After some time, we will eventually proceed to the lesson.

IV. Development of the Lesson Did you know that over 75% of our Earth is covered in water? The water on our planet is categorized into two regions: freshwater biomes and marine biomes. A biome is a broad, regional type of ecosystem characterized by distinctive climate and soil conditions and a distinctive kind of biological community adapted to those conditions. A. Freshwater Biomes a.

Ponds and Lakes

Ponds and Lakes

Ponds and lakes support similar organisms but ponds don't stick around for very long. Ponds are often seasonal, meaning they are created in the rainy seasons and often dry up after a few months. Lakes, on the other hand, will often survive for hundreds of years.

Who Calls Ponds and Lakes Home?

Both ponds and lakes are home to various aquatic plants, grazing snails, clams, insects, crustaceans, fish, amphibians (frogs, salamanders, newts, etc.,) turtles, snakes and lots of birds. b. Streams and Rivers

A stream or river can be started in a lot of different ways. Some are the product of a natural spring bubbling out of the earth. Others find their way out of a mountain lake. Then there are the streams and rivers started by melting snow.

Who Calls it Home?

Many freshwater fish can be found in streams and rivers, such as trout and salmon. Algae, fungi and other plant life can also be found here.

c. Wetlands A wetland is a body of standing water that supports aquatic plants. Marshes, swamps and bogs are all forms of wetlands.

Who Calls Wetlands Home?

Frogs, lizards, snakes and birds like ducks, pelicans, herons, woodpeckers, etc.

B. Marine Biomes

a. Oceans Oceans are the largest ecosystems on earth.

Who Calls The Ocean Home?

Algae, sea snails, octopuses, fish, crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, etc.,) sea anemones, sharks, whales, seaweed and much, much more. Tons of bacteria and fungus also call the ocean "Home, Sweet Home."

b. Coral Reefs Coral reefs are found as barriers along continents (for example, the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia.)

Who Calls Coral Reefs Home?

Coral, (which does look rock but is actually an animal!) Fish, sea urchins, octopi and sea stars (a.k.a. star fish) also call coral reefs home.

c. Estuaries
An estuary is where a stream or river merges with the ocean. The mixing of fresh and salt water creates a unique salt concentration that is found nowhere else in the world.

Who Calls Estuaries Home?

A variety of worms, oysters, crabs and different kinds of waterfowl (like herons, ducks and geese).

V. Evaluation After discussing with your students, explain to them that they are going to carry out several activities that will help them to better understand the aquatic biomes.
These activities should be conducted in cooperative groups of 2-3 students. This will allow the students to have personal involvement in the activities and help them construct their own understanding of what is happening. They can either make a song, poem or a story showing the important details we have recently tackled.

Then, we are going to have a quiz: 1. Aquatic biomes are made of two regions. The names of these regions are: 2. How is a freshwater biome different than a marine biome? 3. Name the three different freshwater biomes. 4. Name the three different marine biomes.

VI. Visual Aids to be Used Im going to use a powerpoint presentation in this lesson. There, I will show the flow of the lesson and I will also print bigger pictures as examples for each different biomes. I will also print printouts for my quizzes.

VII. References Biomes of the World :: Aquatic http://www.kidzworld.com/article/1951-biomes-of-theworld-aquatic#ixzz25VeRpzkP http://www.kidzworld.com/article/1951-biomes-of-the-world-aquatic# http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/aquatic.php http://biology.about.com/od/ecology/a/aa060305a.htm http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/index.html http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/