Teacher Resources

Symbiotic Relationships Explained: Mutualism

Lesson Plan – Symbiosis – Mutualism

Symbiotic Relationships Explained: Commensalism

This mini-module focuses on the Cayman Islands – Science National Curriculum objective of learning about symbiotic relationships, specifically commensalism.

Lesson Plan – Symbiosis – Commensalism

Symbiotic Relationships Explained: Parasitism

This mini-module focuses on the Cayman Islands – Science National Curriculum objective of learning about symbiotic relationships, specifically parasitism.

Lesson Plan – Symbiosis – Parasitism

How Do Scientists Grow Corals? – Frame Cleaning

This mini-module focuses on the Cayman Islands – Science National Curriculum objective of learning about what plants and animals need to grow, how they feed, how they move, use their senses, and the similarities and differences between them. Learn all about this through the live underwater examples of stony corals and their mutualistic, symbiotic relationship with an algae living inside of them.

Lesson Plan – How do Scientists Grow Coral – Frame Cleaning

How Do Scientists Grow Corals? – Measuring Corals

This mini-module focuses on the Cayman Islands – Science National Curriculum objective of learning about what plants and animals need to grow, how they feed, how they move, use their senses, and the similarities and differences between these types of organisms. This module also meets the learning objectives of the STEM, year 4-6 mathematics requirement of using basic tools to take a length measurement, adding each of those measurements together, and forming a summation or total. Learn all of this through the live underwater examples of stony corals and their mutualistic, symbiotic relationship with an algae living inside of them.

Lesson Plan – How do Scientists Grow Coral – Measuring Coral

How Do Scientists Grow Corals? – Outplanting

This mini-module focuses on the Cayman Islands – Science National Curriculum objective of learning about what plants and animals need to grow, how they feed, how they move, use their senses, and the similarities and differences between them. Learn all of this through the live underwater examples of outplanting stony corals back onto the natural coral reef ecosystem. (This video is 9-minutes long.)

Lesson Plan – How do Scientists Grow Coral – Outplanting Coral

Teacher Training Video: Coral Bleaching

This experiment introduces coral bleaching and how it can have a negative impact on coral reef ecosystems. Teachers will be guided through how to undertake a simple coral bleaching experiment with their students by a CCMI educator. Background information on coral bleaching and its causes will also be provided in the training video.

Lesson Plan – Coral Bleaching

Teacher Training Video: Lionfish Dissection

This experiment introduces invasive species, using lionfish in the Caribbean as an example, and explains how they can have a negative impact in an ecosystem. Teachers will be guided through how to undertake a simple lionfish dissection with their students by a CCMI educator. Background information on invasive species, the causes of the lionfish invasion in the Caribbean and lionfish biology are also provided. Teachers undertaking this experiment are encouraged to follow up with a class discussion focusing on what other invasive species are found in the Cayman Islands and how we can reduce their population.

Lesson Plan – Lionfish Dissection

Teacher Training: Ocean Acidification

This experiment introduces ocean acidification and how it can negatively impact marine organisms. Teachers will be guided through conducting a simple ocean acidification experiment with their students by a CCMI educator. Background information on ocean acidification will also be provided in the training video. Teachers undertaking this experiment are encouraged to follow up with further experiments to determine the pH of common solutions to allow students to have a greater understanding of the pH scale.

Lesson Plan – Ocean Acidification