Students started with some questions about plankton (that's what this week's quiz will be on) and watched a Blue Planet segment where whales feed on krill, a type of zooplankton that is numerous and very important in the Southern Ocean.
Students learned about the three types of seaweed. Seaweed and algae are the same thing and they are classified by pigment type - red, brown, or green. Red seaweeds are the most common, but we don't see a lot of them because they like tropical waters and deep waters. Brown algae is the most common seaweed on our coast, whereas green algae is the most common in the freshwater of Virginia. Tomorrow students will make observations of seaweed to look for air bladders and other special adaptations.
Most of the class was spent on the Plankton Grand Prix. Students finished up their designs and the racing has begun. There have been a few floaters that have been disqualified, but I have been both surprised and pleased by the number of plankton that do sink slowly. There are still plankton to race... so I am not sure who the winner is just yet.
Photos will be added tomorrow!
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