Design A Plankton
Grade Level: 3-6
Group Size: any
Key Topics: adaptation, plant/wildlife, food chain biology
Duration: 30-45 min
Location: inside or outside
Background
Plankton are plants and animals that live in the water with little or no means to propel themselves through their environment. Thus plankton are dependent on the wind, currents and tides while they float around on the top layers of the water. They can be invisible to the naked eye or as large as 12-15 meters (like the Man-O-War jellyfish), whose tentacles hang deep below it. The one quality that they all share, regardless of size, is their ability to float. Their bodies have the characteristics that make them good floaters.
Goals
1. Design a model to resemble real plankton.
2. Identify how plankton have adapted to eat.
3. Identify how plankton have adapted to move.
4. Identify how plankton have adapted to float.
Materials
1-2 Aquariums or clear plastic tubs
Possible Construction Materials - Plankton R & D stations
Floating - use 4- 8 items
Packing peanuts
Foam
Bubble wrap
Tongue depressors
Attaching - use 6-10 items
Duct tape
Black electrical tape
Masking tape
Pipe cleaners
Fimo clay
Toothpicks
Staples
Paper clips
Sinking use - use 2-6 items
Cardboard pieces
Sponge or foam open cell
Cloth
Construction paper
Summary
Plankton are found in many different sizes and shapes which have evolved over time to help them float near the surface where food and sunlight are available. After a teacher presentation or student web search to learn about types of plankton, each group has fifteen minutes to design their own plankton which will float on the water and hold weight added to its surface from above. Students can use their own imaginative ideas, information from their plankton research, and the construction materials provided.
Procedure
- Present information about plankton or allow students to do a web search to define plankton and view the many types of plankton.
- Fill two (or more depending on the size of the group, 4-5 students at each station) basins or aquariums, ½ to ¾ full of water.
- Create as many Plankton R&D (Research and Development) stations as needed and equip each station with the same plankton construction material.
- Review the rules
- Start the construction phase of the activity, allowing teams to plan and construct their plankton with the material provided. The lesson works better if students are required to use a certain number of items from each category: floating, attaching and sinking.
- Allow groups to send representatives to “test drive” their prototype plankton in the water filled basins.
Be on hand to ask leading questions about the strength and or weakness of the designs.
Testinging the Designs
Ask each team to choose 2 representatives to explain to the rest of the class their design, choice of materials, considerations, and decisions in choosing materials and design by answering these questions:
1. What type of plankton (name) is it designed to resemble?
2. How does it eat or get energy?
3. Describe how its body shape allows it to be moved.
4. Describe one unique feature.
Float the plankton in the test tank; make sure it is free floating.
Add weight to the plankton one at a time, counting the number of weighted items added. Distribute the weight as even as possible to maintain balance, until the floater either sinks or tips over.
Discuss the design and materials that made the plankton more stable and able to float longer.
Variations / Extensions
Further research into nature, function distribution and the role of plankton would make a natural extension to this activity, and would help students better understand the importance of floatation to plankton and the importance of plankton in the global environment.
Follow up with the Aquatic Food Web activity.
Challenges
This activity works best in a space large enough to allow children to spread out in small groups for what can be wet lively, loud and potentially messy activity. Availability of water and a space to clean up are important. The activity can be done in or out of doors.
Lesson plan adapted from Making a Bigger Splash, Published by the Groundwater Foundation
Author
Doug Dickey
Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve
342 Laudholm Farm Rd
Wells , Me. 04090
(207) 646-15555
