Coral Anatomy – EXPLORE

ACTIVITY OVERVIEW:

Students perform self-guided research on coral anatomy and create (individually or in small groups) a guidebook to key anatomical features of a coral polyp. Through this process, students learn about the symbiotic relationship corals have with zooxanthellae.

ACTIVITY AUTHORS:

Stephanie Killingsworth ^1,2,3 (view profile)

AUDIENCE:

Middle – High School Students

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

• What is coral? Animal? Mineral? Vegetable?
• What are coral polyps?
• What are the anatomical features of a coral polyp?
• What type of symbiotic relationships do corals participate in?

TIMEFRAME:

10 – 40 minutes, depending on focus and goals of instructor.

MATERIALS:

• Printed [paper] or interactive computer-based notebook pages [computers with Google Slides]
• Print or computer-based coral anatomy reference materials (e.g. https://www.livingoceansfoundation.org/education/portal/course/coral-anatomy)
• If using print materials, colored pencils/pens
• OPTIONAL: 3D printed coral polyps (STL files)

ACTIVITY STEPS:

1. Student directed research to answer Essential Questions. [10 min]
2. Students create interactive Google Slides or notebook pages for key coral anatomical features, including labeled diagram and purpose of each feature. [30 min]

EVALUATION:

Completeness and accuracy of anatomical notebook (be it digital or print).