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![]() Students will understand the following:
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![]() A computer with Internet access will provide students with the opportunity for further research on camouflage and cephalopods. Before beginning the activity, prepare several imaginary "background environments" by cutting and gluing patterns onto large sheets of construction paper (48" ? 56" recommended). For example, one background might have one-inch-diameter black circles on a white background; another might have brown stripes on a blue background. In addition, provide the following materials for each group:
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![]() Adaptations for Older Students: Have students do research to find scientific explanations for how cephalopods change color. |
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![]() You can evaluate your students on their contributions to the discussion using the following three-point rubric:
You can ask your students to contribute to the assessment rubric by determining criteria for excellent speaking skills. |
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![]() Colorful Cuttlefish Communication Cuttlefish are thought to communicate by changing the colors of their skin. Divide your students into groups, and give each group a set of three different-colored cards. Ask each group to develop a system of communication using only the colored cards—a system that will allow one group leader to guide other group members around the room. Once they have developed their systems, choose one group to go first. While only the group leader remains in the room, hide one "prey animal" and several "predator animals" throughout the room. Then ask the group members to troll through the room, guided by the leader, searching for the hidden prey animal. Their goal is to find it without accidentally stumbling upon one of the predators. If anyone gets "killed" by a predator, that person has to stop hunting. As soon as someone finds the prey animal, the hunt is over. Repeat the process with each group, timing students to see which group can find the prey animal in the least time with the fewest losses. When the activity is complete, lead a discussion about the various color languages that the students developed. Which were most efficient? How could they have been more effective? What innovative strategies did they use? Monsters of the Deep Giant octopuses and squid have figured as villains in many stories about the sea. Perhaps the most famous example is the giant squid that attacks a ship in Jules Verne's novel Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea . Read the students an excerpt from that exciting story; then ask them to choose their own marine invertebrate and write a short story based on that animal. Encourage students to use the library, the Internet, and any available science texts to find interesting and important facts about their animal's physical characteristics and behavior to include in the story. Their goal should be to make the story as realistic as possible. |
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![]() The Octopus: Phantom of the Sea Mary M. Cerullo. Cobblehill Books, 1997. Monkeys aren't the only ones who see and do. Learning by watching is considered an advanced form of intelligence, and this ability has earned the octopus the distinction of "primate of the sea." Surprised? Read and find out more about this elusive creature. Beneath Blue Waters: Meetings with Remarkable Deep-Sea Creatures Deborah Kovacs and Kate Madin. Viking, 1996. Join the crew of a research submersible to explore the depths of the sea. Meet the creatures that call the ocean home and learn about the adaptive strategies that allow them to survive. |
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![]() About Octopi (Mote Marine Laboratory) This site includes information, pictures, and web links. The Cephalopod Page The site contains information and color photos of octopuses, squids, cuttlefish, and nautilus. Web links and "The Cephalopod Page FAQ" answer additional questions. OceanLink Students, K-12, can access a range of information. Features include: Aqua Facts (octopuses and squids); Ask a Marine Scientist; Ocean News. Sponsored through a partnership between Canadian marine science organizations. SchoolNet Ocean Site Links to marine life/oceanography lesson plans, teacher resources, and thematic units. SeaWorld Animal Information Database Web site provides information about sea animals and educational resources. |
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![]() Click on any of the vocabulary words below to hear them pronounced and used in a sentence.
Context: The octopus was camouflaged so well among the rocks that I almost stepped on it.
Context: The octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish belong to a group of animals called cephalopods.
Context: When the squid climbed on the dark-colored rock, chromatophores in its skin turned the animal jet-black.
Context: The octopus tucks its eight long tentacles behind it as it swims.
Context: The plant's leaves were variegated, with spots of white on a green background. |
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![]() This lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed below. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education: 2nd Edition and have been provided courtesy of theMid-continent Research for Education and Learningin Aurora, Colorado. Grade level: 6-8 Subject area: life science Standard: Knows the general structure and function of cells in organisms. Benchmarks: Knows that multicellular organisms have a variety of specialized cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems that perform specialized functions (e.g., digestion, respiration, reproduction, circulation, excretion, movement, control and coordination, protection from disease). Grade level: 6-8, 9-12 Subject area: life science Standard: Understands how species depend on one another and on the environment for survival. Benchmarks: Benchmark 6-8: Knows ways in which species interact and depend on one another in an ecosystem (e.g., producer/consumer, predator/prey, parasite/host, relationships that are mutually beneficial or competitive).
Benchmark 6-8:
Benchmark 9-12:
Benchmark 9-12:
Benchmark 9-12:
Benchmark 9-12: |
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![]() Don DeMember, science resource teacher, Kingsview Middle School, Germantown, Maryland. |
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