Monday, April 13, 2020

Brilliant Deep, The: Rebuilding the World's Coral Reefs : the Story of Ken Nedimyer and the Coral Restoration Foundation by Kate Messner. 2018

The Reefs
Inspiration Book:
The brilliant deep : rebuilding the world's coral reefs : the story of Ken Nedimyer and the Coral Restoration Foundation by Messner, Kate  — Chronicle Books, 2018. 333.95; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.4. A nonfiction picture book that examines the ongoing efforts to save and rebuild the world's coral reefs.
Rationale: The Brilliant Deep is the 2018 addition to a collection of Outstanding Science Trade Books (OSTBs) about coral reefs. It is also the most suitable for younger students. Each of the grade groupings at my small school, K-3, 3-6, and 5-8 explore an aspect of oceans at sometime during the year. One of the  most recent My Books Alive science post (March 1, 2020) is about oceans and ocean explorations and is posted under Otis and Will Discover the Deep. Introduce the oceans with ideas from that entry and then explore coral reefs more specifically with ideas from this entry. I really enjoy encouraging the whole school to pursue a theme unit for a couple weeks allowing the school to evolve into, in this case, a coral reef. This blog post features the Inspiration Book for all grade groupings, but the older grades will also explore another of the OSTBs about coral reefs. Grades 3-6 will also explore the reefs via Jason Chin’s Coral Reefs and Grades 5-8 will also explore One Night in the Coral Sea by Sneed Collard. Gail Gibbons’ book Coral Reefs (Holiday House, 2007) is another well regarded resource appropriate for most grades and may be used as a substitute if the school doesn’t have all of the others.
My small private school follows a spiraling sequential curriculum meaning that a topic recurs in a logical order as student skills develop and become more sophisticated. The very same information is not studied in each three year cycle, but gradually expands as do the skills. For example, in this group of lessons about coral reefs, the primary grades learn basic and general information about the coral reef such as definition and location. The intermediate grades learn about the coral reef as an ecosystem and habitat. The middle school grades learn about the problems occurring in the coral reefs and how they are being protected and restored. Each of these topics may be mentioned in each grade grouping, but the emphasis is on the specific topics described for each grade grouping. A spiraling sequential curriculum also makes it easier to pursue a theme unit for a couple of weeks for the whole school. The culminating all school activity in this case is a huge mural to which all students contribute.
The My Books alive entry for Amazing Giant Sea Creatures: Swim with the Whales, Dolphins, and Sharks by Marie Greenwood (DK, 2014) introduces ideas for quick Grade by Grade research about marine animals. Take a look at that entry for ideas and guidelines for how quick research is possible grade by grade. With those guidelines in mind, I suggest ideas for doing a school-wide unit about Coral Reefs that follows the spiraling sequential curriculum concept, reviewing a bit each year to put the topic in focus, BUT expanding each year to broaden and deepen knowledge of the concept. Note, don’t be afraid to overlap grades. If you have an especially strong class, move up a grade, a struggling class move down a grade, a multi-grade class pick and choose from the grades represented. The skills used in each grade also increase in difficulty. 
Note, there is at least one book per grade, several slideshows or video, a mini “research” for each, and an idea for each grade’s part in the mural project. Several grades have several research ideas. Don’t be afraid to mix and match. At the end of this blog, I explain the “research” and mural aspects more completely.
Preparation: 
Materials: colorful paper, watercolors and/or tempera paint, tissue paper, oil pastels and other art materials such as shells and corals
Craft bulletin board paper the size of the desired mural.
Index cards for labels
Sentence strips
Computers with Internet access; one with projection capability

Review resources to determine which to use for each grade
Introduction for All Grades: Ken Nedimyer is a man who found a way to restore coral reefs. Nedimyer loved the ocean as a young boy. He grew up snorkeling and scuba diving in Florida and began to notice a problem in the reefs. The color of the coral was fading, and the number of sea life was shrinking. Nedimyer wanted to make things better. Our Inspiration Book, The Brilliant Deep tells his story, and how he learned to grow and transplant coral. His work made a remarkable impact in the ocean. 
Grade by Grade Spiraling Sequential Study of Coral Reefs:
  1. Grades K-1:
Research: Find the Fact in the Slide Show
Mural: Water
  1. Grades 1-2:
Research: KWL Chart
Mural: Floor of Ocean
  1. Grades 2-3:
Coral Reefs (Gail Gibbons)
Research : Prove the Statement---Fact or Opinion statements from Gail Gibbons http://www.holidayhouse.com/docs/HH_GibRev092102_OTP_LoRes.pdf
Mural: Attaching coral and shells
  1. Grades 3-4:
Read aloud:Coral Reefs: A Journey Through an Aquatic World Full of Wonder (Jason Chin) informational text explains the coral reef ecosystem. Tips on how to save the coral reefs are included at the end of the book.  
or Coral Reefs (Gail Gibbons)
The brilliant deep : rebuilding the world's coral reefs : the story of Ken Nedimyer and the Coral Restoration Foundation by Messner, Kate
Research: Note card facts and picture : Coral
“Expert Research to teach class” : Coral
  1. Grades 4-5:
Read aloud: Coral Reefs: A Journey Through an Aquatic World Full of Wonder (Jason Chin) or Coral Reefs (Gail Gibbons)
The brilliant deep : rebuilding the world's coral reefs : the story of Ken Nedimyer and the Coral Restoration Foundation by Messner, Kate
“Expert Research to teach class” : Fish
  1. Grades 5-6:
“Expert Research to teach class” : Urchins
Catalog Search and Locate
  1. Grades 6-7:
Read aloud: One Night in the Coral Sea by Sneed Collard.
The brilliant deep : rebuilding the world's coral reefs : the story of Ken Nedimyer and the Coral Restoration Foundation by Messner, Kate
Video: Coral Reef Adventure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJp3I4x26FY
New Facts & New Questions
Online encyclopedia Search
  1. Grades 7-8:
 Skype with The Coral Restoration Foundation--Book a Skype session about reef  restoration and let your students hear from the experts.
New Facts & New Questions, including more information about Ken Nedimyer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWcjoj0_5Yc
Revisit the pages in The Brilliant Deep that explain how Ken and his volunteers reattach the corals.
Take a trip around the world and visit coral reefs with Google Earth. Compare pictures of healthy and unhealthy coral. Discover what causes bleaching.
TEACHER RESOURCES USED TO DEVELOP THIS SPIRAL-SEQUENTIAL UNIT:
Smithsonian Institution: Coral Reef Lesson Plans https://ocean.si.edu/ecosystems/coral-reefs
Coral Restoration Foundation https://www.coralrestoration.org
Lesson Plans Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative  https://southeastfloridareefs.net/lesson-plans-k-5-6-8-9-12/
Smithsonian What is a Coral Reef Lesson Plan File (includes ebook) https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fp1niceje59kotx/AACuDYIodM1vICfLmyiSqv2ca?dl=0
Monterey Bay Aquarium Curriculum and Lessons https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/for-educators/curriculum-and-resources
Gail Gibbons Coral Reefs Activity Guide from Holiday House http://www.holidayhouse.com/docs/HH_GibRev092102_OTP_LoRes.pdf
Addendum: Research Stages from Easiest for Youngest to More Challenging: 
Level 1--Find the Fact. Write a series of facts you deem important on chart paper, sentence strips or white/chalkboard. Talk about each fact. Then read the chosen book(s). Students listen for their fact and indicate when they heard the fact within the reading. After reading, discuss any supporting information for each fact.
Level 2--KWL Chart. Design and three column chart for Know, Wonder, and Learned. Fill in the first two columns based on student input. Read the chosen book(s). Add information to the Learned column and add the Wonder column. Repeat with another book or a visual if desired.
Level 3--Prove the Statement. Write fact and opinion and false statements about the topic on sentence strips. Give each student a strip. Students read strips aloud and ask any questions about interpretation of the question. Read or view the chosen resource(s). Students listen for verification of fact or proof that statement is incorrect.
Level 4--Note card Fact and Picture. Students select or are assigned a specific topic. In this case specific corals. Information is located from pre-chosen resources available for students. One side of the note card is for a picture; other side for facts. Students are the class “expert” on that topic and share their information orally.
Level 5--Repeat level 4, but change topic to Fish.
Level 6--Repeat level 4, but change topic to Urchins. Add a catalog and location search for library resources.
Level 7--New Facts & New Questions. Have pairs of students create their own KWL chart. Fill in the first two columns. Students use school approved online encyclopedias to find information for the Learned column. Add additional Wonder questions and use a second online encyclopedia.
Level 8--Repeat level 7, but expand the research to self directed Internet research.
Addendum: Mural Development from Easiest to Most Detailed
Level 1--Water. Depending on the size of mural that is being developed, provide each student with a square of white paper and watercolor or tempera paints and brushes. The water squares should cover at least two-thirds of the mural. Various amounts of sunlight reach the ocean floor, depending on the depth. Have roughly half of the students paint their square a light blue, a quarter a medium blue, and another quarter a deeper blue. Students then paste/glue their squares like a quilt on the overall mural.
Level 2--Floor. Follow the same procedure as the water. Allow the students to randomly paste/glue the squares like a quilt on the bottom third of the mural. Encourage students to make hills and hummocks since the ocean floor isn’t flat.
Level 3--Rebuilding coral reefs involves transplanting living corals and attaching them to limestone. Purchase a bag of shells and coral. Provide clay or playdough and let students practice attaching the shells and corals to the mural. They may be the last group because the items may easily be knocked off the mural while others are working.
Level 4--Students enlarge the picture of their researched coral to attach to the mural with a name label. Use whatever media you choose with the students: tempera, crayons, collage, etc.
Level 5--Repeat level 4, but have students create fish to life size.
Level 6--Repeat level 4, but have students create urchins to life size.
Level 7 & 8--Add samples of plants or animals that they researched. Encourage some students to learn about plants to include in the mural. Offer more variety to these two levels because their research is far more varied.
RELATED OUTSTANDING SCIENCE TRADE BOOKS:
How animals build by Butterfield, Moira  — Lonely Planet Global Limited, 2017. 591.56; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.0.  Text and illustrations look at different animal homes, including ones in the sky, underground, on land, and under the sea. NSTA List 2018
Amazing giant sea creatures : swim with the whales, dolphins, and sharks by Greenwood, Marie — DK Publishing, 2014. 591.77; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 5.0. On fold-out board pages. Looks at facts and figures of several large marine animals. NSTA List 2015
A place for fish (Place For...) by Stewart, Melissa — Peachtree, 2011. 597.17; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 5.0.  Provides a look at fish and the ecosystems that support them, discusses the effects of human activity on fish populations, and includes a list of things readers can do to help protect fish. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titlewave.com NSTA List 2012
Coral reefs by Chin, Jason  — Roaring Brook Press, 2011. 577.7; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 6.1.  A girl pulls an extraordinary book about coral reefs from the library shelf, and as she turns the pages, finds herself immersed in the coral cities of the sea. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titlewave.com NSTA List 2012
Into the deep : an exploration of our oceans by Siems, Annika — Prestel, 2019. : 577.7; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.1. The secret of the deep sea -- Tiny creatures -- Krill: the food of the whales -- Diving -- The language of the deep sea -- Chamber of horrors -- Illuminated hide-and-seek -- Camouflage code red -- Amazing, invisible -- Hunters in the gloom -- Life under pressure -- Mammals of the deep sea -- Mysterious giants -- At the ocean floor -- Underwater garden -- The oceans are in danger. An exploration of the marine world, discussing deep-sea animals, bioluminescence, Radiolaria, coral reefs, and more. NSTA List 2020
Project seahorse (Scientists In The Field (HMH)) by Turner, Pamela S — Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010. 597; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 6.3. Photographs and text show how conservationists and community members worked together to restore the damaged coral reef in the town of Handumon in the Philippines, and protect the reef's resident seahorses. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titlewave.com NSTA List 2011
One night in the coral sea by Collard, Sneed B — Charlesbridge, c2005 p2006. : 593.6; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.8. Presents a description of the process by which hundreds of coral participate in a mass spawning event each spring, on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, describing how they release their sperm and eggs into the ocean, are fertilized, then fend of various predators in the ocean. NSTA List 2006.
GRADES K-3--What is a Coral Reef--RELATED TITLES
Secret seahorse by Blackstone, Stella  — Barefoot Books, c2004 p2005 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.0. Presents an introduction to coral reefs and the marine animals that live there, in simple, rhyming, text and illustrations, as a sea horse leads the reader through the water to a sea horse family hidden in a reef. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titilewave.com
Life in a coral reef by Pfeffer, Wendy — Collins, 2009. 591.77; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.7. Explains how coral reefs form, tells what they are made of, and describes some of the animals that live in or around coral reefs. 
Coral reefs (Jump Into Science) by Earle, Sylvia A  — National Geographic, 2016. 551.42; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.4. A brief introduction to coral reefs, including where they are found, how they grow, what lives in them, their importance, and efforts being made to protect and restore them.
Coral reefs by Gibbons, Gail — Holiday House, 2007. 577.7; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.5. As in previous titles, such as Marshes and Swamps (1998), Gibbons introduces a complex ecosystem with accessible words and inviting watercolor-washed pictures. The double-page spreads are laid out in Gibbons’ familiar format—many short text boxes inserted into each bright, labeled illustration. A beginning spread has a map showing the location of coral reefs around the globe and introduces basic geographical concepts, such as the equator. Later spreads explain coral types and anatomy, how reefs form, and the symbiotic (a term that’s used and defined) relationship among reef creatures. Exciting, action-filled pictures, including nighttime images of the reef  teeming with moonlit predators, will draw children into the science facts. Although the terms are clearly defined for the most part, kids may still need help understanding a few concepts, such as photosynthesis. Notes about conservation and a page of fast facts conclude this welcome starting point for coral-reef studies. 
Coral reefs by Chin, Jason  — Roaring Brook Press, 2011. 577.7; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 6.1.  A girl pulls an extraordinary book about coral reefs from the library shelf, and as she turns the pages, finds herself immersed in the coral cities of the sea. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titlewave.com
GRADES 3-6--The Coral Habitat
Life in a coral reef by Pfeffer, Wendy — Collins, 2009. 591.77; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.7. Explains how coral reefs form, tells what they are made of, and describes some of the animals that live in or around coral reefs. 
Coral reefs (Jump Into Science) by Earle, Sylvia A  — National Geographic, 2016. 551.42; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.4. A brief introduction to coral reefs, including where they are found, how they grow, what lives in them, their importance, and efforts being made to protect and restore them.
Coral reefs by Gibbons, Gail — Holiday House, 2007. 577.7; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.5. As in previous titles, such as Marshes and Swamps (1998), Gibbons introduces a complex ecosystem with accessible words and inviting watercolor-washed pictures. The double-page spreads are laid out in Gibbons’ familiar format—many short text boxes inserted into each bright, labeled illustration. A beginning spread has a map showing the location of coral reefs around the globe and introduces basic geographical concepts, such as the equator. Later spreads explain coral types and anatomy, how reefs form, and the symbiotic (a term that’s used and defined) relationship among reef creatures. Exciting, action-filled pictures, including nighttime images of the reef  teeming with moonlit predators, will draw children into the science facts. Although the terms are clearly defined for the most part, kids may still need help understanding a few concepts, such as photosynthesis. Notes about conservation and a page of fast facts conclude this welcome starting point for coral-reef studies. 
Coral reefs : cities of the ocean (Science Comics) by Wicks, Maris — First Second, 2016. 577.7; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.8.  In graphic novel format looks at the biology of coral reefs as well as their ecological importance.
Coral reefs by Simon, Seymour — Harper, 2013. 577.7; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.0.  Describes coral reefs, their physical characteristics and life-forms.
Coral reefs by Chin, Jason  — Roaring Brook Press, 2011. 577.7; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 6.1.  A girl pulls an extraordinary book about coral reefs from the library shelf, and as she turns the pages, finds herself immersed in the coral cities of the sea. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titlewave.com
One night in the coral sea by Collard, Sneed B — Charlesbridge, c2005 p2006. : 593.6; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.8. Presents a description of the process by which hundreds of coral participate in a mass spawning event each spring, on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, describing how they release their sperm and eggs into the ocean, are fertilized, then fend of various predators in the ocean. 
GRADES 5-8--Restoring the Coral Reefs
Coral reefs by Simon, Seymour — Harper, 2013. 577.7; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.0.  Describes coral reefs, their physical characteristics and life-forms.
Coral reefs by Chin, Jason  — Roaring Brook Press, 2011. 577.7; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 6.1.  A girl pulls an extraordinary book about coral reefs from the library shelf, and as she turns the pages, finds herself immersed in the coral cities of the sea. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titlewave.com
Project seahorse (Scientists In The Field (HMH)) by Turner, Pamela S — Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010. 597; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 6.3. Photographs and text show how conservationists and community members worked together to restore the damaged coral reef in the town of Handumon in the Philippines, and protect the reef's resident seahorses. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titlewave.com
One night in the coral sea by Collard, Sneed B — Charlesbridge, c2005 p2006. : 593.6; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.8. Presents a description of the process by which hundreds of coral participate in a mass spawning event each spring, on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, describing how they release their sperm and eggs into the ocean, are fertilized, then fend of various predators in the ocean. 
The coral reef by Walker, Pam— eBook--Facts on file, 2005 578.77; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 8.9. Examines the biology and physical features of the ocean's coral reefs, describing the different types of fish, reef structures, microbes, plants, reptiles, mammals, and invertebrates found in its reefs. 




















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