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Overview: In this activity, students explore materials from a beach environment to find and identify organisms or parts of organisms usually found on the wrack line, identify litter and consider its effects on the environment, and examine sand and infer its composition and origins.
Booklink: Out of the Ocean by Debra Frasier, Harcourt, 1998. ISBN 0-15-314301-0
Science Activity Link: Children observe, identify, and infer the characteristics and life histories of the remains of organisms found on a beach, observe and infer the origins of sand grains, and identify litter and propose ways to control and reduce it.
Objective: Children will observe, identify, and infer materials found on beaches, e.g. organisms, sand, and litter.
Science Processes and Content: Processes-Observing, classifying, communicating, inferring, gathering data, formulating operational definations, and measuring. Content-Students will observe and identify organic and inorganic materials found on beaches, identify characteristics and life histories of organisms (e.g. seashells and crab exoskeletons), observe sand and infer its origins, and identify litter and suggest ways to reduce and control it.
National Science Education Standards: Unifying Concepts and Processes, (1) Science as Inquiry, (2) Physical Science, (3) Life Science, (4) Earth and Space Science, (5) Science and Technology, (6) Science in Personal and Social Perspectives, (7) History and Nature of Science
Materials: Beach sand, plastic containers, microscopes (hand-held or traditional), magnifying lenses, paper, magnets, and assorted beach animal remains including various shells(e.g. clams, oysters, mussels, whelks, limpets), crabs, bones, plant parts, and litter.
Procedure:
1. Begin by having children discuss ocean beaches, what organisms can be found there, and their own beach experiences. (If your school has access to a beach, you may want to visit and explore a beach. If that isn't possible, bring materials back from one of your beach visits). This activity is based on materials brought back from a beach visit. Beach materials may vary according to where in the world your beach is located.
2. Provide each team of two students with a beachcomber box including the beach sand, organisms, and litter listed under Materials. (I have found that small plastic food storage boxes work well and that they and the materials in them can be used over and over).
3. Ask the children to "comb" carefully and slowly through the sand with their fingers, finding evidence of living things that they can place on their own pieces of paper for further observation with their magnifying lenses and microscopes. Allow time for this exploration period.
4. Ask the children to group the objects by similarities (e.g. crab parts with crab parts), then select something that they found very interesting and describe it to the class. Ask other students who have found something similar in their beach boxes to hold it up and add to the descriptions.
5. Point out the characteristics, identity, and life histories of selected objects (e.g. the mermaid purses are skate egg cases and quahog clams were used as wampum by native Americans). Have the children use reference books to help identify the objects that are found.
6. Have the children identify beach litter (e.g. cigarette butts and balloon parts), consider the effects on animals and the environment, and suggest rules, regulations, or laws to control beach litter.
7. Have the children use the magnifying lenses and microscopes to examine the sand grains, identifying and describing their similarities and differences. Explain how sand is formed over a long time period from weathering of rocks by glaciers, wind, and water. Have the children sweep a magnet through the sand to determine if anything sticks to it. If black particles adhere to the magnet ask the children to infer their identity. You can explain that these are small particles of iron (magnetite) often found in sand.
8. Read and discuss Out of the Ocean or another excellent beach book, Ribbons of Sand by Larry Points and Andrea Jauck, Sierra Press, 1997. ISBN 0-939365-57-X Books about seashells and seashores may also serve as useful references to both children and teacher.
Related Books:
A Day at the Beach by Mircea Vasiliu, Random House, 1977. ISBN 0-394-83475-5
Awesome Chesapeake by David Owen Bell, Tidewater, 1994. ISBN 0-87033-457-3
Seashells, Crabs, and Sea Stars by Christine Kump Tibbits, Northwood, 1996. ISBN 1-55971-675-4
Seashells in My Pocket by Judith Hansen, Appalachian Mountain, 1992. ISBN 1-878239-15-5
Starfish, Seashells, and Crabs by George S. Fichter, Western, 1993. ISBN 0-307-11430-9
One Small Square: Seashore by Donald M. Silver, W. H. Freeman and Company, 1993. ISBN 0-7167-6511-X
Seashore by Steve Parker, Alfred A. Knopf, 1989. ISBN 0-394-82254-4
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