Exploring Environments with the Scientific Process

#TBT to our NA176 expedition exploring the #CookIslands with this very large and beautiful #Corallimorpharia. Although they look like anemones, these marine cnidarians are actually closely related to corals!

Ocean Exploration Trust, NOAA, DeepSea

When at sea, explorers are constantly making observations and asking questions about what they’re seeing– whether it’s something they’ve never seen before or if they have been to a place a million times! In this activity, learners will explore both novel and familiar environments and practice their observation skills. They will learn to identify living and non-living parts of the environment and explore how they might interact.

Objectives & learning outcomes

Students will:

Analyze relationships between biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) parts of an ecosystem
Make connections between form and function - from the natural environment to minute details