Monterey Bay Habitats Teacher Resources

What are the components of an ecosystem? Students assume the roles of different scientists while collecting data at an outdoor field site or aquarium.

How do different fish survive in their habitats? Students use a fish body part key to "decode" a fish and infer behavior and habitat.

How do fish protect themselves in the ocean? One adaptation is camouflage. Students make a paper fish and "camouflage" it into a magazine photo habitat.

How does the size of your hand compare to the size of a book or desk? Students estimate the size of various objects using non-standard measurement, such as a paper “hand” or piece of yarn.

What rhymes with sea star? Students make observations of ocean animals and habitats in Aquarium exhibits, on web cams or in other nonfiction resources. The students then use their findings to write and illustrate poems.

Students order seafood from a mock menu and use a scoresheet based on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program to gauge the sustainability of their selection.

What makes a shark a shark? What adaptations help them survive in their habitats? Students explore shark anatomy by taking part in a debate justifying the importance of specific shark adaptations and physical characteristics.

Using a prefix and suffix chart, students "translate" a shark's scientific name to discover its meaning and create drawings based on their findings