A Green Sea Slug Steals Power from Algae

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. Researchers are gaining more insight into how Elysia chlorotica can survive for months without food in a well-lit laboratory. It is well known that the slug can store plastids from the algae it consumes. However, scientists questioned how the organelles remained active for several months in the slug's gut even after a drug was given to shut down photosynthesis. Using fluorescent DNA markers, scientists were able to find a gene that allows the slug to keep the chloroplasts working. It is the first known case of gene transfer from one multicellular organism to another.
Resource ID#: 168023 Type: Text Resource
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Direct Link: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/green-sea-slug-steals-photosynthesizing-power-algae-it-eats-180954147/

General Information

Subject(s): English Language Arts, Science
Grade Level(s): 11, 12
Intended Audience: Educators educators
Resource supports reading in content area:Yes
Keywords: chloroplasts, photosynthesis, hybrid, scientific method, discoveries, sea slug, algae, genes, symbiosis, slug, lesson plan, 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

Discover the Planimal

In this lesson, students will analyze an informational text intended to support reading in the content area. The article explains how scientists utilized the scientific method to discover a plant-animal hybrid between a sea slug and algae. Students also analyze another text reviewing the attributes of scientists that are employed to make discoveries. By reading and synthesizing two texts, students will explore a real-world example of how the scientific method led to the discovery of the first case of gene transfer between multicellular organisms. This lesson includes a note-taking guide, text-dependent questions, a writing prompt, answer keys, and a writing rubric.

Related Resources

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Lesson Plan

Discover the Planimal:

In this lesson, students will analyze an informational text intended to support reading in the content area. The article explains how scientists utilized the scientific method to discover a plant-animal hybrid between a sea slug and algae. Students also analyze another text reviewing the attributes of scientists that are employed to make discoveries. By reading and synthesizing two texts, students will explore a real-world example of how the scientific method led to the discovery of the first case of gene transfer between multicellular organisms. This lesson includes a note-taking guide, text-dependent questions, a writing prompt, answer keys, and a writing rubric.

Type: Lesson Plan