These Itsy-Bitsy Herbivores Could Stage a Huge Coral Reef Rescue

This informational text resource supports reading in the content area. The article implies that human interactions that raise the global temperature (climate change) can have disastrous effects on coral reefs (coral bleaching). The article explains how a discovery of other organisms filling a previously occupied niche may help to rebuild and sustain coral reefs.
Resource ID#: 167546 Type: Text Resource
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Direct Link: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-herbivores-stage-huge-recue-coral-reef-180961753/

General Information

Subject(s): English Language Arts, Science
Grade Level(s): 9, 10
Intended Audience: Educators educators
Resource supports reading in content area:Yes
Keywords: coral, reefs, heribores, coral bleaching, coral reef, climate change, coral polyps, sea urchins, parrotfish, zooxanthellae, algae, symbiotic, informational text, text complexity
Instructional Component Type(s): Text Resource
Resource Collection: STEM Reading Resources

Aligned Standards

This vetted resource aligns to concepts or skills in these benchmarks.

1 Lesson Plan

Helpful Herbivores

In this lesson, students will analyze an informational text that explains how a smaller species of organisms are filling a niche of larger organisms that have been reduced due to overfishing and disease. These smaller organisms have been shown to reduce algal communities that can lead to the destruction of crucial coral reefs. This discovery may have large, beneficial impacts on endangered coral communities around the world. This lesson is designed to support reading in the content area. The lesson plan includes use of a seed discussion organizer, a vocabulary handout, text-dependent questions, a writing prompt, sample answer keys, and a writing rubric.

Related Resources

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Lesson Plan

Helpful Herbivores:

In this lesson, students will analyze an informational text that explains how a smaller species of organisms are filling a niche of larger organisms that have been reduced due to overfishing and disease. These smaller organisms have been shown to reduce algal communities that can lead to the destruction of crucial coral reefs. This discovery may have large, beneficial impacts on endangered coral communities around the world. This lesson is designed to support reading in the content area. The lesson plan includes use of a seed discussion organizer, a vocabulary handout, text-dependent questions, a writing prompt, sample answer keys, and a writing rubric.

Type: Lesson Plan