Companion Activity Guide
Activities for 3rd-5th Graders
MicheLee Puppets is pleased to bring this musical,
underwater adventure at Florida’s barrier reef to
students throughout Florida. The inhabitants of Ruby
Reef face a crisis when their home is threatened with
destruction. Our lively and interactive production will
challenge your students to think globally and act locally.
Table of Contents
3rd-5th Grade Activity Guide
Activity #1: Who Lives In A Coral Reef?
Page 3
Activity #2: Coral Reef Food Chain
Page 4
Activity #3: Vertebrates vs. Invertebrates
Page 5
Activity #4: Coral Reef Symmetry
Page 6
Activity #5: Rainforests of The Sea
Page 7
Activity #6: What Is Pollution?
Page 8
Activity #7: The Greenhouse Effect
Page 9
Activity #8: Coral Reef Writing
Page 10
Activity #9: Coral Reef Diorama
Page 11
Activity #10: Classroom Aquatic Ecosystem
Page 12
Activity #11: The Future of Coral Reefs
Page 13
Rescuing Ruby Reef Inhabitants
Page 14
Additional Rescuing Ruby Reef Vocabulary Words
Page 15
Fiction Books about Oceans, Coral Reefs, Sea life and Animals
Page 16
Non-Fiction Books about Oceans, Coral Reefs, Sea life and Animals
Page 17
Sunshine State Standards
Page 18
Activity #1: Who Lives In A Coral Reef?
Sunshine State Standards: SC.G.1.2.7
Objective: The students will identify animals and plants that live in a coral reef habitat.
Materials Needed:
• Books about different coral reefs
• Student Notebooks/chart paper for each student
• Rescuing Ruby Reef Inhabitants List
1. Present the word habitat and ask students to suggest definitions. Prompt the students
by asking about where they live.
2. Define habitat: a place where a plant or animal lives and can get everything that it needs
(food, water, shelter, space, sunlight). Explain that habitats come in various sizes and
types of conditions. Some habitats may be huge, like a forest, and some may be small,
like a pond.
3. Have the students refer back to seeing Rescuing Ruby Reef. Ask students to explain
what type of habitat was shown in the production. Ask: what time of animals did they
see living in that habitat? Define and explain that these animals can also be called
inhabitants. (Use Rescuing Ruby Reef Inhabitants List as a reference.)
4. Instruct students to work in pairs to find different animals and plants that live on a coral
reef. Students will need to record the names of the plants and animals and exactly
where they live in the coral reef habitat. Explain that some animals or plants might like
the darker areas (i.e. eels) and some may be found all over the reef.
5. Have the students record their findings in their student notebook or on chart paper.
Extension
•
Take a walk in your school yard and see what type of habitat the school is providing.
•
Discuss with your students and see if, as a class, together you can create a habitat that
will support the different animals and plants that are living at your school.
Activity #2: Coral Reef Food Chain
Sunshine State Standards: SC.B.2.2.1; SC.F.1.2.2; SC.G.1.2.5
Objectives:
The student will identify different plants and animals that make up the food
chain in the coral reef.
The student will create a food chain.
Materials Needed:
Paper Plate for each student
Construction paper cut into 1 inch strips (enough for 3-4 strips per student)
Tape, glue sticks or stapler
Pencils, pens, markers, colored pencils or crayons
Rescuing Ruby Reef Inhabitants List
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•
•
•
•
1. Ask: what is a food chain? Did we see any examples of the food chain in Rescuing Ruby
Reef ? Discuss the different types of plants and animals typically found in a coral reef.
Examples of the food chain demonstrated in Rescuing Ruby Reef
Longspine Squirrelfish
Snook
Snook
Tiger Grouper
Hook (People)
Tiger Grouper
Longspine Squirrelfish
Jellyfish
2. Have the students write down or draw some of the plants and animals discussed on their
strips of paper. Guide the students’ answers to create the food chain. (This can very
simple or complex. Students can use their findings from the Who Lives In the Coral Reef
activity. You can also refer to the Rescuing Ruby Reef Inhabitants List.)
3. Give each student a paper plate and instruct the students to decorate their plate as the
sun. Ask the students where they think the sun will be placed in the food chain. Explain
that the sun gives the coral reef energy, which all the plants, animals, and organisms
need to survive. Students should discover that the sun will be the first part of their food
chain. Ask students why they think that the sun should be the first part of the food chain.
3. Ask: what is next in the food chain in a coral reef? Select answer from the strips of paper,
make a chain shape and attach to the paper plate with tape, glue or staples.
4. After all steps have been attached, look at the food chain to see if it makes sense, talk
about each animal, plant, and organism and how they help support and build upon this
food chain.
Extension
Activity #3: Vertebrates vs. Invertebrates
Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.7; SC.F.1.2.3
Objectives: The students will identify the difference between vertebrates and invertebrates.
The students will compare and contrast vertebrates and invertebrates that live in
a coral reef.
Materials Needed:
• Names and pictures of various vertebrates and invertebrates that live in a coral reef
• Pictures of coral vertebrates and coral invertebrates.
1. Ask the students to list some of the animals that they saw in Rescuing Ruby Reef. Ask
students which character was their favorite?
2. Explain that there are many animals that live in a coral reef. The animals that live in a
coral reef can be put into two different categories: Vertebrates and Invertebrates.
3. Explain that a vertebrate has a backbone, like humans and an invertebrate does not.
4. Display different names and pictures of vertebrates and invertebrates. Have the
students sort them into each category.
5. Then have the students compare a coral invertebrate to a coral vertebrate. The students
should come to realize that coral invertebrates like other invertebrates have a hard outer
shell.
Activity #4: Coral Reef Symmetry
Sunshine State Standards: MA.C.2.2.1
Objective:
The student will create a coral invertebrate using symmetry.
Materials Needed:
• Pictures of coral invertebrates that show symmetry
• Examples of shapes that have symmetry
• Graph paper for each student
• Pencils, pens, markers, colored pencils or crayons
1. Begin the lesson by asking the students what is line symmetry. Explain that line
symmetry is a shape that one half is the mirror image of the other half.
2. Display examples of shapes that have symmetry. (a person’s face, the letter A). Explain
that some of the coral invertebrates have symmetry also.
3. Have the students draw a coral invertebrate that is symmetrical. Students may want to
refer to different pictures of coral invertebrates to help them with their drawing.
4. Instruct the students to:
1. First, fold the graph paper in half
2. Draw a coral invertebrate along the fold.
3. Next unfold the graph paper, the fold is the line of symmetry.
4. On the other side create the mirror image of the coral invertebrate. It might be
helpful to trace the original line.
5. Color in the coral drawings using bright colors, remind students to use symmetry
when coloring their coral.
5. While the students are coloring, explain that the corals receive their coloration in hues of
oranges, reds, purples and yellows from the Zooxanthellae (zoxoxxanxthelxlae) living
within their tissues. Zooxanthella are a type of microscopic algae that live symbiotically
within the cells of coral invertebrates.
6. When the students have finished their drawings, ask them why folding the paper first was
important to create a symmetrical picture. Ask – What would have happened, if we didn’t
fold the paper first? Can we fold our paper in a different way and still have a symmetrical
drawing?
7. Display finished coral drawings.
Activity #5: Rainforests of The Sea
Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.1; LA.A.2.2.7
Objectives:
The student will gather information about coral reefs and rainforests.
The student will compare and contrast coral reefs and rainforests.
Materials Needed:
Books about rainforests
Books about coral reefs
Chart paper
•
•
•
1. Refer back to seeing Rescuing Ruby Reef. Ask the students questions about the
different things that they saw and/or things that were mentioned in the production. List
the students’ answers on the board, overhead, or chart paper.
2. Explain that coral reefs are often called the “rainforests” of the sea. Like rainforests,
coral reefs are home to a variety of plants, animals, and organisms. These plants,
animals, and organisms create a healthy habitat for each other. Rainforests and coral
reefs are both being destroyed.
3. Have the students research rainforests and coral reefs. Where are they located? What
types of animals might live there? What do you already know about them? Students
should use trade books, science textbooks, and the internet to research the answers to
these questions.
4. When students have completed their research process, pose the question: Do you think
that rainforests and coral reefs are alike or different? Have the students answer this
question by creating a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the rainforests and coral
reefs. Students can work alone, in pairs or groups to create their Venn diagram on a
piece of given chart paper.
5. When the students finished, have them present to their diagrams to class. Display
finished Venn diagrams.
Activity #6: What Is Pollution?
Sunshine State Standards: SC.G.2.2.3
Objectives:
The students will identify and define pollution and runoff.
The students will discover how pollution and runoff can be harmful to the
ocean and coral reefs.
Materials Needed:
• Large clear bowl filled with water
• Large spoon
• Trash or things to represent trash
• Dirt
• Food coloring to represent chemical pollution
1. Display the word pollution and ask the students what it means. Record their suggestions
on the board or chart paper. Ask students how pollution can affect our oceans and the
habitats within them.
2. Display the bowl with water in the front of the classroom and explain that it represents
the ocean and it’s habitats in clean and perfect conditions.
3. Next add the trash items one at a time. Stir the bowl after adding each item. While
adding the trash, discuss the changes the water is going through. Ask students how they
think this would effect the plants and animals that are living in this ocean.
4. Add dirt and continue to stir. Explain that dirt can be a pollutant. Define and discuss runoff and how it contributes to the pollution problem in the ocean. Explain that top soil from
fields or construction sites can runoff into waterways, harming fish and wildlife habitats.
5. Add food coloring and continue to stir. Discuss types of chemical pollution. (Runoff,
pesticides, sewage, industrial chemicals, accidents and spills at sea, etc.)
6. Ask students to describe how the bowl looked at the beginning and compare it to how it
looks now. Discuss ways that we can help to stop pollution in our world and help control
the pollution.
Extension
•
Have students create pollution awareness posters to place in classroom or around
school.
Activity #7: The Greenhouse Effect
Sunshine State Standards: SC.G.2.2.3
Objective:
The student will discover what the greenhouse effect is.
Materials Needed:
For One Experiment
• Two identical glass jars
• 4 cups cold water
• 10 ice cubes
• One clear plastic bag
• Thermometer
1. Start the lesson by asking the students if the temperature affects the earth. Do people
affect the atmosphere of Earth? Explain that burning fuels like wood, coal, oil, natural
gas, and gasoline causes carbon dioxide to build up within the atmosphere. This causes
extra heat to stay in the earth’s atmosphere, affecting the earth’s temperature.
2. Experiment to discover the Greenhouse Effect. (This can be done as a class or in small
groups. More materials will be need for small groups.)
3. Instruct the students to:
1. Take two identical glass jars each containing two cups of cold water.
2. Add five ice cubes to each jar.
3. Wrap one in a plastic bag (this is the green house glass).
4. Leave both jars in the sun for one hour.
5. Measure the temperature of the water in each jar.
3. After the temperature in each jar is measured, discuss what was discovered. Explain that
in bright sunshine, the air inside a greenhouse becomes warm. The greenhouse glass
lets in the sun's light energy and some of its heat energy. This heat builds up inside the
greenhouse.
4. Discuss – Why is knowing about the greenhouse effect important to help protect the
earth’s coral reefs? What are some things that people can do to help reduce the affects
of the greenhouse effect? (i.e. Not wasting electricity by turning off lights, the TV and
computer when not in use. Recycling and reusing materials and items.)
Extension
•
Organize a class or school recycling day. This could be a book or clothing drive to donate
to a local charity or soda cans to recycle for funds for a class trip or party.
•
Organize a walk, ride or take the bus to school day.
Activity #8: Coral Reef Writing
Sunshine State Standards: LA.B.2.2.3; LA.B.2.2.5
Objectives:
The students will create a scene of a coral reef.
The students will write a paragraph describing their coral reef.
Materials Needed:
• Books on coral reefs
• Drawing paper for each student
• Pencils, pens, markers, colored pencils or crayons
• Writing notebook
1. As a class discuss what the set of Rescuing Ruby Reef looked like. Ask students to
describe in detail what they saw.
2. Instruct the students to draw a coral reef scene. It can be a scene from the production or
an original scene. The students can also use different books on coral reefs to provide
inspiration for their scenes.
3. Once the students have drawn their scenes, have the students create a story to go along
with their scene. They should refer back to their drawing for the details in their writing,
the more detailed their illustration, the more detailed their writing should be. The writing
can be factual or make-believe.
4. When their writing is finished and ready for publishing, display the student’s writing and
illustration together.
Extension:
•
The class could combine the illustrations and sentences to create a Classroom Coral
Reef Book.
Activity #9: Coral Reef Diorama
Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.1.2.4; LA.A.2.28
Objectives:
The students will research coral reefs
The students will create a diorama of a coral reef.
Materials:
• Nonfiction books on coral reefs
• 1 shoe box for each student, group or pair
• Construction paper
• Glue or Tape
• Scissors
• Pencils, pens, markers, colored pencils or crayons
1. Guide the students in research of coral reefs. Students can work alone, in groups or
pairs. Have them find information to create a realistic diorama, informational summary
and lists of plants, animals and organisms that they plan to display.
2. Once the students have gathered enough research, have them create a coral reef
scene inside the shoebox.
3. When their coral reef scene is complete, have the students write an informational
summary about a coral reef. This can be written directly on one side of the outside of the
shoe box. If there is writing on all sides of the box, students can also write their summary
on paper and cut and paste it to the box.
3. Last, have the students list the different plants, animals, and organisms that they
displayed in their diorama. This can also be written directly on one side of the outside of
the shoe box. If there is writing on all sides of the box, students can also write their
summary on paper and cut and paste it to the box.
4. When the students finish, have them present to their coral reef dioramas to class.
Display coral reef dioramas.
Activity #10: Classroom Aquatic Ecosystem
Sunshine State Standards: SC.B.1.2.1; SC.B.2.2.1; SC.F.1.2.2
Objectives:
The class will create an aquatic ecosystem.
The students will discover that the sun is needed for energy in all ecosystems.
Materials Needed:
Week 1
One 3 – 4 liter jar with a lid.
Aquatic plant (elodea)
6 – 8 cm of sand or gravel
A few small rocks
Week 2
Fish
1 sealable baggie
Animals (pond snails and mollies)
WEEK 1
1. The students should help the teacher set up the ecosystem in the jar. Explain that the
fish and snails will go in the ecosystem next week.
2. Once the jar is set up with everything but the fish, and the lid is securely on, place the jar
near a window that is not in direct sunlight. The ecosystem needs indirect light for the
plants to survive.
3. Once the ecosystem is created – introduce and define: producers- an organism (like a
green plant) viewed as a source of food that can be consumed by other organisms
consumers - an organism that eats food which it obtains by preying on other organisms
or by eating particles of organic matter.
4. Have the students draw and describe the class’s ecosystem.
5. Wait one week, so that the ecosystem can adjust to the light source.
WEEK 2
1. Add fish and animals. Place the fish in a sealed baggie filled with water. (Typically
purchased fish and snails will come in a sealed baggie.)
2. Place sealed baggie with fish in your class ecosystem to become the same temperature
as the water in your ecosystem. (This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few
hours.) Then release the fish.
3. Have the students predict what adding the fish to the ecosystem will do. Ask: What do
they think the plants and animals will look like in one week?
4. Have the students monitor, keep weekly observations, and answer the following
questions: Why do you think this mini-aquarium is an ecosystem? (It is a community of
living and nonliving organisms driven by the sun’s energy.) Who are the producers in the
ecosystem? (green plants) Who are the consumers? (the animals that eat the plants)
How are the plants and animals dependent on each other in the ecosystem? What are
the things that this ecosystem must have for it to survive?
Activity #11: The Future of Coral Reefs
Sunshine State Standards: LA.B.2.2; LA.B.2.2.6; SC.G.2.2.3
Objectives:
The students will write a one page response on the future of coral reefs.
The students will produce a final edited document.
Materials:
• Writing notebook or paper for each student
• Pen or pencil
• Books on coral reefs
1. Explain that coral reefs are in danger. Many coral reefs are dying. Pollution, Global
Warming, and reckless humans are some of the factors contributing to the destruction of
the world’s coral reefs. If we start to make changes now, we may be able to secure the
future of coral reefs and the plants, animals and organisms that depend on it for their
survival.
2. Have each student write about the future of coral reefs. Ask students to respond to the
following questions in their writing: What will the world’s coral reefs be like in 100 years?
Were we able to save the reefs? What changes did humans have to make? Why was it
important to save the coral reefs? What happened if we were not able to save them?
3. Have students divide into small groups to read and edit each other papers.
4. Have students rewrite their papers, producing a final document to be turned in.
Rescuing Ruby Reef Inhabitants
Algae
Basslet (Fish)
Batfish
Bigeye (Fish)
Black Grouper (Fish)
Bluehead Wrasses (Cleaner Fish)
Coral
Dolphin
French Angel Fish
Giant Manta Ray
Grunt (Fish)
Jellyfish
Juvenile Queen Angelfish
Longspine Squirrelfish
Moray Eels
Neon Gobies (Cleaner Fish)
Seaweed
Shark
Snook (Fish)
Spotted Drum (Fish)
Squid
Tiger Grouper (Fish)
Zooxanthellae (zoxoxxanxthelxlae)
Additional Rescuing Ruby Reef Vocabulary Words
Algae
Anchor
Coral
Coral Reef
Coral Reef Bleaching
Diver
Environment
Excursion
Food
Global warming
Habitat
Inhabitants
Niche
Rainforest
Recycle
Reef
Reuse
Pollution
Preserve
Protect
Run off
Symbiotic
Warning
Zooxanthellae
Fiction Books about Oceans, Coral Reefs, Sea life and Animals
Clements, Andrew. Big Al. Scholastic.
Cole, Joanna. The Magic School on the Ocean Floor. Scholastic.
Cooney, Barbara. Hattie and the Wild Wave. Viking.
Cooney, Barbara. Island Boy. Viking .
Cummings, Priscilla. Chadwick and the Garplegrungen. Tidewater.
Ehlert, Lois. Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count On. Harcourt .
Gibbons, Gail. Beacons of Light: Lighthouses. Morrow .
Guiberson, Brenda. Lobster Boat. Holt.
Heller, Ruth. How to Hide an Octopus & Other Sea Creatures. Grosset .
Hulme, Joy. Sea Squares. Hyperion.
Kimmel, Eric. Anansi Goes Fishing. Holiday.
Kipling, Rudyard. New Illustrated Just So Stories. Doubleday.
Koch, Michelle. By the Sea. Greenwillow.
Levinson, Riki. Our Home Is the Sea. Penguin.
Liddledale, Freya. The Magic Fish. Scholastic.
Lionni, Leo. Swimmy. Knopf.
Martin, Antoinette T. Famous Seaweed Soup. Whitman.
McDonald, Megan. Is This a House for Hermit Crab? Orchard.
Paraskevas, Betty. Monster Beach. Harcourt Brace.
Pallota, Jerry. Going Lobstering. Charlesbridge.
Roop, Peter & Connie. Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie. Carolrhoda.
Swift,Hildegarde &Ward.The Little Red Lighthouse. Voyager.
Tafuri, Nancy. Follow Me! Greenwillow .
Van Allsburg, Chris. The Wretched Stone. Houghton .
Waber, Bernard. I Was All Thumgs. Houghton .
Walton, Rick & Ann. Something's Fishy! Jokes About Sea Creatures. Lerner.
Zolotow, Charlotte. The Seashore Book. HarperCollins.
Non-Fiction Books about Oceans, Coral Reefs, Sea life and Animals
Adler, David. Over Amazing Ocean. Troll.
Bendick, Jeanne. Exploring an Ocean Tide Pool. Holt.
Bramwell, Martyn. The Oceans. F. Watts.
Cole, Joanna The Magic School Bus On The Ocean Floor. Scholastic.
Donnelly, Judy. The Titanic Lost . . .and Found. Random House.
Doubilet, Anne. Under the Sea from A to Z. Crown.
Feeny, Stephanie. Sand To Sea: Marine Life of Hawaii. U. of Hawaii
French, Vivian. Why The Sea Is Salty? Reader's Digest Press.
Gibbons, Gail. Sunken Treasure. HarperCollins.
Hirschi, Ron. Ocean. Bantam Books.
Hirschi, Ron. Where Are My Puffins, Whales, and Seals? Bantam Books.
Jenson, Dr. Anthony. Under Sea Mission. Gareth Stevens.
Lauber, Patricia. An Octopus Is Amazing. HarperCollins.
MacDonald, Suse. Sea Shapes. Harcourt .
Matthew, Rupert. Record Breakers of the Sea. Troll.
McMillan, Bruce. Beach for Birds. Houghton.
Mud-Ruth, Maria. The Ultimate Ocean Book. Western .
Nielson, Barbara. The Great Barrier Reef. Gallery.
Oppenheim, Joanne. Oceanarium. Bantam Books.
Pallota, Jerry. The Ocean Alphabet Book. Charlesbridge.
Pallota, Jerry. The Underwater Alphabet Book. Charlesbridge.
Parker, Steve. Eyewitness Books-Seashore. Knopf.
Pope, Joyce. Seashore. Knopf.
Robbins, Ken. Boats. Scholastic .
Rotner, Shelley & Kreisler. Ocean Day. Macmillan .
Rowland, Della. Whales and Dolphins. Macmillan.
Segaloff, Nat & Erickson. A Reef Comes to Life. Watts.
Simon, Seymour. Oceans. Morrow Jr.
Sipera, Paul P. I Can Be An Oceanographer Children's Press.
Taylor, Barbara. Shoreline. Dorling Kindersley.
Tayntor, Elizabeth. Dive to the Coral Reefs. Crown.
Wallace, Karen. Think of an Eel. Candlewick .
Wheeler, Alwyne. Fishes. Usborne-Haye.
Zim, Herbert & Ingle. Seashore. Golden Book.
Sunshine State Standards
LA.A.1.2.4
The student clarifies understanding by rereading, self correction, sumarizing,
checking other sources, and class or group discussion.
LA.A.2.2.1
The student reads text and determines the main idea or essential message,
identifies relevant supporting details and facts, and arranges events in
chronological order.
LA.A.2.2.7
The student recognizes the difference between comparison and contrast in a
text.
LA.A.2.2.8
The student selects and uses a variety of appropriate reference material,
including multiple representations of information, such as maps, charts and
photos, to gather information for research projects.
LA.B.2.2
The student writes to communicate ideas and information effectively.
LA.B.2.2.3
The student writes for a variety of occasions, audiences, and purposes.
LA.B.2.2.5
The student creates narratives in which ideas, details and events are in a
logical order and are relevant to the story line.
LA.B.2.2.6
The student creates expository responses in which ideas and details follow an
organizational pattern and are relevant to the purpose.
MA.C.2.2.1
The student understands the concepts of spatial relationships, symmetry,
reflections, congruency, and similarity.
SC.B.1.2.1
The student knows how to trace the flow of energy in a system (e.g. as in an
ecosystem).
SC.B.2.2.1
The student knows that some source of energy is needed for organisms to stay
alive and grow.
SC.F.1.2.2
The student knows how all animals depend on plants.
SC.F.1.2.3
The student knows that living things are different but share similar structures.
SC.G.1.2.5
The student knows that animals eat plants or other animals to acquire energy
they need for survival.
SC.G.1.2.7
The student knows that variations in light, water, temperature, and soil content
are largely responsible for the existance of different kinds of organisms and
population densities in an ecosystem.
SC.G.2.2.3
The student understands that changes in the habitat of an organism may be
beneficial or harmful.