Diving into STEM with Oceanic Research Group Secondary Unit: Teaching STEM with Sharks Manta Rays & the Rhythm of the Tides: Teacher Resources

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1 Diving into STEM with Oceanic Research Group Secondary Unit: Teaching STEM with Sharks Manta Rays & the Rhythm of the Tides: Teacher Resources Concepts: Tides, lunar phases, symbiosis, food web, buoyancy, cleaning stations Grade Level: 9 Estimated Time: Afterschool: 20 hours Classroom: 8.5 hours Overview: Jonathan travels to the Micronesian island of Yap in the middle of the Pacific to investigate large gatherings of the world s largest ray the Manta. A research program there is tracking dozens of these animals that use the currents created by the tides at certain coral heads to stay healthy. Resources: Jonathan Bird s Blue World - Webisode mantas-of-yap Introduction The Manta Rays in Yap visit a cleaning station where parasites are removed by cleaner fish. The strong tidal currents create the right conditions for Mantas. Without the currents created by the changing tide, the cleaning station would not exist as Mantas require the strong currents to hold their position at a cleaning station. The currents keep the Mantas from sinking to the bottom as they have no swim bladder to control their buoyancy. The cleaning station is important to the rays as they get rid of parasites which can irritate and lead to infection. The cleaner fish benefit from this symbiotic relationship by having this food source. The visits to these cleaning stations coincide with the timing of the tides. One of the most powerful forces affecting the seashores are the tides. Tides are responsible for currents and changes in water depth. Many of the most productive ecosystems such as saltmarshes or rocky intertidal areas are the direct result of the intertidal zones created by tides. Many scientists have speculated that tides may have led to the evolution of land life from the sea as creatures adapted to spending longer hours out of water. Objectives Introduces viewers to the Manta ray and its basic anatomy. Illustrates how research can be performed on a population of animals using natural markings to identify individuals. Illustrates the concept of cleaning stations and why they are important. To use a study of the tides to gain better understanding of the lunar cycle and the interrelationship between the moon and the Earth. To learn what causes ocean tides, tidal cycles, and how they change the water level along coastal areas. To understand the gravitational forces of the sun and moon on our planet. To gain a better understanding of how gravity works. NGSS and Common Core Standards Next Generation Science Standards Energy Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and Dynamics Common Core Standards Language Standards 6-12 Reading Standards 6-12 Writing Standards 6-12 Mathematical Modeling Secondary Unit Lesson 6 - Manta Rays & the Rhythm of the Tides: Teacher Resources - Page 1

2 SCIENTIFIC VOCABULARY Manta Rays & the Rhythm of the Tides: Teacher Answer Key Gravity: The natural force of attraction (pull) between any two massive bodies, such as planets, stars, the Moon, etc. Important: The more massive the object the more gravitational pull it exerts Gravitational pull increases as the distance between the objects decreases Lunar : Lunar Cycle : Mean Low Water: Minus Tide: Moon Phases: Apogee: Perigee: Spring Tides: Neap Tides: Having to do with our Moon The orbit or revolution of the Moon around the Earth... about 27 days. It s important to note that it takes about 29 days between the same lunar phase each month due to the change in the Earth s position in its revolution around the Sun. On a tide chart or graph ( 0.0 feet or meters ); The average of height of the water calculated from all low tides over a long period of time. A strong low tide when the water level during low tide is lower than that of the mean low water; usually occurring during spring tides. Positions of the Moon in its lunar cycle relative to the Earth and sun; identified by the way the Moon is illuminated by sunlight. Point at which the Moon is at its furthest distance from the Earth during the lunar cycle. Point at which the Moon is closest to the Earth during the lunar cycle. A period of strong tides occurring twice during a lunar cycle, during the full and new moon phases. A period of weak tides occurring twice during a lunar cycle, during the first and last quarter phases of the Moon. Secondary Unit Lesson 6 - Manta Rays & the Rhythm of the Tides: Teacher Resources - Page 6

3 ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY Manta Rays & the Rhythm of the Tides: Teacher Answer Key Directions: Find a picture or a synonym (similar word) for each of the Essential Vocabulary words. Use a dictionary, thesaurus, internet, or any other resource available to you. These are in alphabetical order. For an additional activity, pair words with opposite meanings. BARRACUDA - a kind of fierce tropical fish that has strong jaws and sharp teeth; someone who uses aggressive, harsh, and sometimes improper ways to achieve something BLADDER - the organ in the body that holds urine after it passes through the kidneys and before it leaves the body; a soft bag (such as the rubber bag inside a football) that is filled with water or air BUOYANCY - the ability of an object to float in water or air; the power of a liquid to make someone or something float CAVERN a large cave CHANNEL - the deeper part of a river, harbor, or strait; a strait or narrow sea between two close landmasses; a means of communication or expression; a band of frequencies of sufficient width for a single radio or television communication; a usually tubular enclosed passage CLEANER WRASSES - any of a large family of elongate usually brilliantly colored marine bony fishes that usually bury themselves in sand at night and include important food fishes as well as a number of popular aquarium fishes CLEANING STATION - a location where fish, sea turtles, hippos and other aquatic life, freshwater and marine, congregate to be cleaned. CORAL REEF - a ridge of rock in the sea formed by the growth and deposit of coral. CURRENT - a body of water or air moving in a definite direction, especially through a surrounding body of water or air in which there is less movement. LAGOON - a stretch of salt water separated from the sea by a low sandbank or coral reef. PARASITE - an organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the host s expense. SEA TURTLE - a slow-moving reptile, enclosed in a scaly or leathery domed shell into which it can retract its head and thick legs; a large marine reptile with a bony or leathery shell and flippers, coming ashore annually on sandy beaches to lay eggs. SPONGE -a primitive sedentary aquatic invertebrate with a soft porous body that is typically supported by a framework of fibers or calcareous or glassy spicules. Sponges draw in a current of water to extract nutrients and oxygen; a piece of a soft, light, porous substance originally consisting of the fibrous skeleton of an invertebrate but now usually made of synthetic material. Sponges absorb liquid and are used for washing and cleaning. TIDE - the alternate rising and falling of the sea, usually twice in each lunar day at a particular place, due to the attraction of the moon and sun. TUNNEL - an artificial underground passage, especially one built through a hill or under a building, road, or river. Secondary Unit Lesson 6 - Manta Rays & the Rhythm of the Tides: Teacher Resources - Page 7

4 EXTENDED VOCABULARY Manta Rays & the Rhythm of the Tides: Teacher Answer Key Directions: Find a picture or a synonym (similar word) for each of the Extended Vocabulary words. Use a dictionary, thesaurus, Internet, or any other resource available to you. AMAZING - causing great surprise or wonder; astonishing. BIRD - a warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrate distinguished by the possession of feathers, wings, and a beak and (typically) by being able to fly. CONVERGE - (of several people or things) come together from different directions so as eventually to meet. FINGERPRINT - an impression or mark made on a surface by a person s fingertip, especially as used for identifying individuals from the unique pattern of whorls and lines. FLY - (of a bird or other winged creature) move through the air under control. GENTLY - Not harsh or severe; mild and soft HOVER - remain in one place in the air. HUGE - extremely large; enormous. HYGIENIC - conducive to maintaining health and preventing disease, especially by being clean; sanitary. ISLAND - a piece of land surrounded by water. JUMP - push oneself off a surface and into the air by using the muscles in one s legs and feet; (of a person) move suddenly and quickly in a specified way. MURKY - dark and gloomy, especially due to thick mist.; (of liquid) dark and dirty; not clear. NIBBLE - take small bites out of. PLUCK - take hold of (something) and quickly remove it from its place; pick. SLACK - not taut or held tightly in position; loose. SOARING - maintaining height in the air without flapping wings or using engine power. SOCIAL - of or relating to society or its organization. SPOT - a small round or roundish mark, differing in color or texture from the surface around it.; a particular place or point. WINGS - any of a number of specialized paired appendages that enable some animals to fly, in particular; a rigid horizontal structure that projects from both sides of an aircraft and supports it in the air. IDIOMATIC LANGUAGE: BID SOMEONE FAREWELL saying goodbye RUNNER ON A TREADMILL - a device having an endless belt on which an individual walks or runs in place for exercise or physiological testing TAKING TURNS alternate Secondary Unit Lesson 6 - Manta Rays & the Rhythm of the Tides: Teacher Resources - Page 8

5 Word Search: Manta Rays & the Rhythm of the Tides: BIRD BLADDER BUOYANCY CONVERGE HOVER LAGOON LUNAR PARASITE SLACK SOCIAL SPOT TIDE TUNNEL Secondary Unit Lesson 6 - Manta Rays & the Rhythm of the Tides: Teacher Resources - Page 9

6 Crossword Puzzle: Manta Rays & the Rhythm of the Tides: Scientific Vocabulary APOGEE GRAVITY LUNAR LUNAR CYCLE MEAN LOW WATER MINUS TIDE MOON PHASES NEAP TIDES PERIGEE SPRING TIDES Secondary Unit Lesson 6 - Manta Rays & the Rhythm of the Tides: Teacher Resources - Page 10