Paradise of the Pacific: Fast Food, the Fish Way
of the Lesson
Materials Needed For The Activity
National Science Standards
Other Sites on Palau
Other Sites on Coral Reefs
of the Lesson:
At the completion
of the lesson, the students will:
- Observe the way fish
eat in The Living Edens: Palau program
- Model the two predation
methods seen in the program
- Evaluate which method
of catching food is more efficient
- Identify and explain
adaptations of the sea creatures observed in The Living Edens: Palau
Different species find
food in different ways. The Living Edens: Palau shows sharks eating
by chasing, catching and biting. The program also shows fish swimming
with mouths wide open to trap smaller prey in their gills. These are
two examples of how sea creatures have adapted to their environment
and survive through their specific adaptation.
Needed For The Activity:
A copy of The Living Edens:
- A paper cup for each
group of 2-3 students
- An insect net for each
group of 2-3 students (a net can be made using a metal coat hanger
and old cheesecloth)
- A pond or a large plastic
container with pond water
- Student science journals
- Magnifying glass (hand
lens) for each group of 2-3 students
- Ask students to design
an experiment using the above materials. They will be attempting
to discover the most efficient way to get food from pond water.
- Ask students to determine
how many times they may need to test the cup and the net to catch
life in the pond water.
- Ask students to determine
which tool, (the cup or the net) catches the organisms in the pond
- Ask students to use
the hand lens to determine how many organisms they are catching
in the pond water.
- Ask students to record
the data collected in their science journals and offer explanations/conclusions
derived from the data.
Ask students to share
the design of their experiment. Have the class suggest ways that experiment
design could affect results, and brainstorm alternatives.
Ask students to evaluate
the two methods of capturing prey from the data collected and decide
which works best. Discuss adaptations and how they affect the methods
sea creatures use to capture food.
Ask the students to compare
and contrast the plastic cup and net to the shark and the fish swimming
open-mouthed in The Living Edens: Palau.
Ask students to explore
other ways an organism might have captured food from the pond water.
Ask students to design an organism whose adaptation enables it to
capture food from the surrounding water. Have students present their
organism to the class.
Ask students to determine
other adaptations that sea creatures might have to catch food. Refer
to the program The Living Edens: Palau for additional adaptations.
experiment addresses these National Science Standards:
-identify questions that
can be answered through scientific investigations
-design and conduct a
-use appropriate tools
and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data
-think critically and
logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations
scientific procedures and explanations
of structure and function in living systems
of diversity and adaptations of organisms
Sites on Palau:
of Palau, supplied by the University of Texas
Republic of Palau,
here for information on Palau's natural resources, government, topography,
climate, demographics, and economy.
Palau Visitors Authority
official Palau tourism site supplies information about diving, culture,
history, and travel arrangements.
Beast of Eden
Discovery Channel site focuses on the occupation of the Palauan island
Peleliu during World War II. Interviews with soldiers, video clips,
a slide show, and military history are featured.
Sites on Coral Reefs:
Reefs in Trouble
Jones magazine sponsors this site on the world's endangered reefs.
Learn why reefs are so important and what types of human activity
find an excellent archive of video and still images of corals and
fish at this site.