KaAMS CRLP -- Overview -- What is a Coral Reef?



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Lesson context: The main topic of investigation for the KaAMS mission is protection of coral reefs. To address the overall problem, students will need to have a basic understanding of coral reefs. During this lesson, students participate in the following hands-on activities about coral reefs:

drawing a picture of coral reefs,
discussing symbiosis and relating it to coral reefs,
constructing paper models of different types of island coral reefs,
and building different types of coral reefs with Plaster of Paris.

Based on the understanding of what coral reefs are, how they work, what features they have, and where they grow, students can determine what data they will need to collect to evaluate whether restrictions should be applied to tourism, recreation, or commercial enterprises around the coral reefs in Kailua Bay.

Key science concepts:

Definition of symbiosis.
Types of coral reefs.
Major factors limiting the occurrence of coral reefs globally.

Links to teacher resources:

Problems addressed in this lesson:

What is the structure and symbiotic relationship of a coral reef ecosystem?
What are the major factors limiting the occurrence of coral reefs?
Where does a coral reef grow?

Activity bursts:

Links to other resources:

Lesson	Teacher	Student
FRAME	Coral reefs http://www.fisheyeview.com/Movies.html NOTE: This movis is a large file (1-5 MB) and may take a few minutes to download	Coral reefs http://www.fisheyeview.com/Movies.html NOTE: This movis is a large file (1-5 MB) and may take a few minutes to download
	What is a coral reef (US coral reef task force) http://coralreef.gov/what.cfm)	What is a coral reef (US coral reef task force) http://coralreef.gov/what.cfm)
	Examples of different healthy corals http://www.reefrelief.org/ Image_archive/healthy/healthy_left.html	Examples of different healthy corals http://www.reefrelief.org/Image_ archive/healthy/healthy_left.html
	Corals are alive http://makaha.mic.hawaii.edu:80/ aquarium/coral/index.html	Corals are alive http://makaha.mic.hawaii.edu:80/ aquarium/coral/index.html
INFORM	Coral Reef Symbiosis http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/ students/coral/coral3.htm	Coral Reef Symbiosis http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/ students/coral/coral3.htm
	Coral Reef Animal Printouts http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/ coralreef/coralreef.shtml	http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/ coralreef/coralreef.shtml
	Symbiotic relationship(zooxanthellae) http://www.uvi.edu/coral.reefer/zooxanth.htm	Symbiotic relationship(zooxanthellae) http://www.uvi.edu/coral.reefer/ zooxanth.htm
	Making a fringing reef http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/docs/parks/sea/4reefs4.html	Making a fringing reef http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/docs/ parks/sea/4reefs4.html
	Making a barrier reef http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/docs/parks/sea/4reefs5.html	Making a barrier reef http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/docs/ parks/sea/4reefs5.html
	Animation showing development of reefs http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/coralreefs/facts4.html	Animation showing development of reefs http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/coralreefs/facts4.html
	Making an atoll http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/docs/parks/sea/4reefs6.html	Making an atoll http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/ docs/parks/sea/4reefs6.html
	How to Construct Four Paper Models that Describe Island Coral Reefs http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/docs/parks/sea/4reefs1.html
EXPLORE	Physical requirements for coral reefs http://www.fknms.nos.noaa.gov/ sanctuary_resources/welcome.html#reefs	Physical requirements for coral reefs http://www.fknms.nos.noaa.gov/ sanctuary_resources/welcome.html#reefs
	Wave and Reef development http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/coral /habdiscr.html	Wave and Reef development http://www.seaworld.org/ coral_reefs/habdiscr.html
	The maximum depth and coral http://www.fknms.nos.noaa.gov/ sanctuary_resources/morecoral.html	The maximum depth and coral http://www.fknms.nos.noaa.gov/ sanctuary_resources/morecoral.html
	Coral Reef Habitat (ideal conditions) and Distribution http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/coral /habdiscr.html	Coral Reef Habitat (ideal conditions) and Distribution http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/coral /habdiscr.html
	Information on the plaster Paris hands activity http://www.ohiodnr.com/geosurvey/ edu/hands16
	The information on structure of a coral reef http://www.sprl.umich.edu/GCL /paper_to_html/coral.html#MAKING	The information on structure of a coral reef http://www.sprl.umich.edu/GCL/ paper_to_html/coral.html#MAKING
TRY	Lobe coral http://library.thinkquest.org/ J002237/corals/lobecoral.htm?tqskip=1	Lobe coral http://library.thinkquest.org/ J002237/corals/lobecoral.htm?tqskip=1
	Cauliflower coral http://library.thinkquest.org/ J002237/corals/cauliflower.htm?tqskip=1	Cauliflower coral http://library.thinkquest.org/ J002237/corals/cauliflower.htm?tqskip=1
	Finger coral http://library.thinkquest.org/ J002237/corals/finger.htm?tqskip=1	Finger coral http://library.thinkquest.org/ J002237/corals/finger.htm?tqskip=1
	Rice coral http://library.thinkquest.org/ J002237/corals/finger.htm?tqskip=1	Rice coral http://library.thinkquest.org/ J002237/corals/finger.htm?tqskip=1
	The map of remotes sensing of coral reefs http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgibrs/reefs.pl	The map of remotes sensing of coral reefs http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgibrs/reefs.pl
	The National Data Buoy Center. http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/Maps/rmd.shtml	The National Data Buoy Center. http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/Maps/rmd.shtml

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