What kinds of plants live in the sea?
Students investigate what kinds of plants live in the sea, such as sea grass, seaweeds and plant plankton (phytoplankton). They discuss how important they are to life in the ocean. If you can visit a marine system, students can also collect samples of algae to press and analyse back at school. Use a bucket or large ziplock bag of salt water to collect the algae – small pieces are sufficient. Students should notice how many algae look different when taken out of water. Follow the instructions at the Canadian Museum of Nature site to press the algae: • In Class Activity: Preparing a Herbarium (http://nature.ca/education/cls/ac/aher_e.cfm) Students can compare their pressed samples with land plants and discuss what structures are different and why this might be the case. Fight or flight Use a video or set of images to stimulate student discussion of the threats to survival in a marine environment. It may be useful for each student to consider the threats to a specific type of organism (bo
