Beach Transect
Category: Life Science Submitted by: Roxine Hameister Topics Covered: Appropriate for grades: 4 to 8 Estimated duration: 1 to 1.5 hours What will happen: Students will... construct a beach profile of marine life at low, mid and high tide zones for sandy, rocky and pebbled beaches. What you need: 100m tape measure What to do: Choose your beach type (sandy, rocky, pebbled). At lowest tide possible, go to water edge (have one student be the recorder, one the measure reader, one the book person, one the water watcher - to watch for big waves). Lay the tape from water edge to top of high tide line (a point where the highest storm waves will not reach). Every one metre identify all the plant and animal life you can see within 10 cm of the metre mark. Continue to do this until above the high tide mark. Record the results in a field book. In the classroom hints: Visit the beach before to determine which organisms your students will find. Prepare a photocopy of organisms possible for this beach site to aid in identification. Review the basic groups of plants (algae) to be found. Also review the animal classifications to be found - mollusks, crustaceans, etc. What to do next (extension activity): Do the beach profile with measurements Cross curricular connections: Math - to produce the profile |