Invertebrate Activities

Economics/Social Studies

Objective:
1. To discover the variety of invertebrates used for food by recording the names, prices, and packing origin of invertebrates in the local supermarket.

Activities:
1. Many types of invertebrates are a source of food for humans. Several examples can be discovered by students while shopping with an adult. Look in the canned, frozen and fresh food sections of your local supermarket. Mollusks (snails, clams, mussels, oysters) and crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, shrimp) should be easily located.
2. Ask students to make a table of prices for each item and the cities and countries where the seafood was packed. As a class, locate the cities and countries of origin for these products.

Science

Objective:
1. To familiarize students with the names of several different kinds of marine invertebrates.
2. To familiarize students with the many varied forms of marine invertebrate life.
3. To identify a variety of mollusks.
4. To familiarize students with the life histories and characteristics of selected invertebrate groups.

Activities:
1. Ask students to complete the word search activity.
2. Obtain a variety of snail and bivalve shells (teacher's collection, student collections, or order from a biological supply company) and set them out on a table or counter. Students may use this as an independent learning station to identify specific shells.
3. Ask students to compile a list of the shells that they are able to identify.
4. Post the Gray's Reef invertebrate poster in the classroom to use as a reference.
5. Divide the class into small groups and ask each group to report on an invertebrate phylum (mollusks, crustaceans, sponges, echinoderms).
6. Obtain a copy of any or all of the following National Geographic audio-visuals and use their teacher's guides for activities and questions.

Invertebrate (#30296, filmstrip)
Coral Reef (#51041, video)
Sealife:
(1) Shell Builders
(2) The Octopus (#03733, filmstrip)

Art

Objective:
1. To have the students create an illustration representing the diverse assemblage of marine invertebrates.

Activity:
1. Ask the students to collect pictures of marine invertebrates from magazines and assemble a collage. This can be assigned on an individual or small group basis, or it can be used as a project for the entire class depending on the available resources.