1. Georgia TEch Betsy Sanford, Lost Mountain Middle School
Karen Kline, Kennesaw Mountain High School

2. Curriculum resources
A GA Tech and NSF partnership to promote STEM engagement and interest in regional middle school students:
6th Grade = “Molten Madness”, “Snow Day”, and “Shake and Break”
7th Grade = “Under the Sea”, “Don’t Wreck the Reef”, “Oil Spill Drill”
8th Grade = “Riding the Concrete Ocean Part I”, “Riding the Concrete Ocean Part II”, “Ocean Blizzard”

3. DON’T WRECK THE REEF
The module covers some basic concepts of ecosystems, food web/chains, and predator prey relationships, seeding further exploration of these standards for later in the semester or year.
This module features Dr. Mark Hay’s work in the School of Biology on coral reef degradation.
Georgia Standards of Excellence, 7th Grade Life Science - The student has…(Ecology S7L4.c)
Obtained information to examine the interdependence of organisms with one another and their environments.
Evaluated information in examination of the interdependence of organisms with one another and their environments.
Communicated information in examination of the interdependence of organisms with one another and their environments.
Analyzed data to provide evidence for how resource availability, disease, climate, and human activity affect individual organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems.
Interpreted data to provide evidence for how resource availability, disease, climate, and human activity affect individual organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems.

4. DON’T WRECK THE REEF STUDENTS…
…engage as biologists advising the government and citizens of Fiji on recent acceleration in the death of coral reefs around Fiji.
…investigate a model of the food web at the coral reef to generate and then project species population data.
…combine their knowledge of ecology with the economic needs of different regions in Fiji to make recommendations about fishing permits.

5. BAITING THE HOOK & CASTING THE Line
Betsy’s science website,
All presentations files posted on Betsy’s daily blog
NOAA’s Get to Know Your Seafood from Ocean to Plate video (4:38)
NGS’s Coral Reefs 101 video (3:37)
NGS’s Great Barrier Reef video (4:14)
Video Notes Handout
Checklist Grading Sheet
Discussion Handout

7. SECTION 1 - THE CORAL REEF CHALLENGE
Read the material (as a class, silently or aloud).
View videos (as a class – 31 seconds and 55 seconds).
Teacher leads the discussion using the color photos and introductory videos.

10. SECTION 2 - ADD TO YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Read the material (as a class, silently or aloud).
Teacher leads the discussion in response to embedded questions.

11. SECTION 3 - INVESTIGATE THE FOOD CHAIN
Complete the Goby food web simulation (in groups).
Analyze the results of the simulation (in groups).
Share and discuss (as a class or within the groups).
Math Extension:
Graph the data and determine a line of best fit (Math 7/8 and Algebra I).
Is it linear or exponential?
Explain the what the line of best fit tells you about the food web in this ecosystem.

12. SECTION 4 – MAKING DECISIONS BASED ON DATA
Read about permitting (as a class, silently or aloud).
Read about each region of the reef (as a class, silently or aloud).
Teacher leads the discussion in response to embedded questions.
Complete the simulation for each regions (in groups).
Predict region health based on permitting (in groups).
Make final recommendations for permitting (in groups).

13. Materials Notes Amazon carries the bingo chips.
Dollar Tree carries the small plastic containers.
Any grocery store carries the aluminum trays, small containers, and baggies.
Colored construction paper and Ziplock baggies can be used as an alternative to the bingo chips and the containers.

14. WHERE’S THE STEM?
Science – ecology (food webs) and scientific research process/technique
Technology – videos and MS Excel spreadsheet (tools for learning)
Engineering – permitting decisions (determining the best use of each reef section to maximize sustainable usage)
Math – survey data and permitting decision (survey data collection and MS Excel spreadsheets)
Any Questions?
Thank you for attending!