DIDACTIC

GUIDE

“THE SEA AND

THE SCHOOL”
1. INTRODUCTION:

The sea is one of the most important and unknown ecosystem in

Europe. The sea is the origin of life, and humans have always look
at it as a way to manage its aims - supply routes, access roads,
communication routes … -. But overall, humans have always
thought that the sea is an endless resource, although it is not
true. Lately we have realized.

After a huge period of over captures and similar activities in

this huge environment, using it as a big garbage dump, the sea is
asking crying out for help.

The only way to recover marine ecosystem is trying to make

balance between this environment and the anthropogenic
activities, knowing their interactions, its problems and how to
solve them.

Traditionally the primary and secondary school education has

present both, human and nature facts, as different fields of
studies – the subjects Social Sciences and Natural Sciences-
hardly treating the marine environment into each one, focusing
to the terrestrial system. But nowadays, the whole educative
community has recognized that human and nature facts are
strongly closed (e.g. the subject Knowledge of the Natural,
Social and Historical Environment studied in Primary school
replaces the previous subjects).

Therefore is a good way to start changing our knowledge and

attitudes including the study of marine environment into the
European National Curricula.

With this didactic unit we present a proposal to initiate an

approach of the sea to the pupils, offering them the opportunity
to think about the sea from different points of view and
promoting an ecological conscience.

General objectives:
A. To acquire general knowledge about different aspects of the
marine environment so important in the ecological balance of the
planet.
B. To become aware of conserving and protecting the marine
system showing a respectful behaviour with the nature and
developing cooperation attitudes necessary to preserve life in
the Earth.
C. To introduce to a nearby natural system using the scientific
method understanding the importance of the use of these
techniques in order to systematize the knowledge and to come
to the useful conclusions to create new knowledge.
D. To develop critical attitudes comparing different points of
view (natural, social, economic and cultural) related to the
marine environment in order to understand the interdependence
of human and nature.

2. ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITIES:

Objectives:
1. To differentiate the remainders left in the beaches according
to its origin.
2. To identify actions the man develops which produce
remainders that injuriously affect the marine environment.
3. To discover solutions and alternatives to the destructive
human actions.
4. To use the principles of separating residues, solid wastes sing,
and recycle them.
2.1 Collection of remainders:
- For all students
- 1-1.30 hours.

This activity is going to be done in the beach. The students

have to spend 15 minutes looking for any remainder left in the
sand, writing down and collecting everything considered as a
human residue.
At the same time they can fill the next gaps:

Residue Origin Location Number of

equals

After those 15 minutes, the students will reflect about their

results and explain from which human activity they think those
residues come from writing their thoughts.

Residue Activity

Apart from that, the students will indicate in the next table
which of those residues they think they can provoke.
 Residue Frequency

And then the students must classify the residues into the
next rubbers in order to recycle them.

LIGHT GLASS PAPER ORGANIC

PACKAGES

2.2 The students, forming little groups, must give examples of

causes of air, water or soil pollution and indicate the
consequences for man, flora and fauna in their own living
environment.

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2.3. Finally each team has to search some solutions and present
their conclusions to the group. Then all together have to
elaborate a list of rules of an ecological behaviour: “What can we
do instead of…?”

3. COASTAL ACTIVITIES:

Objectives:
5. To describe the characteristics of different waves.
6. To connect the waves and coastal sediments.
7. To cooperate in little teams.
8. To use different techniques of measure to obtain scientific
conclusions.

We have four activities that the students are going to do along

the beach, the last activity is divided in two parts, the first part
takes place at the beach like the rest, but the second part will
take place in the laboratory.
Firstly we divide all the students in four groups, so each group
go to a different activity.
Each activity has a determined time.

WAVES

3.1.
- Students between 16-17 years
- 1 hour

The waves are characterized by its height, period and

direction of approximation to the coast.
The students are divided in three groups, one of them will
calculate the height, another one will measure the period and
the last one will determine the direction of approximation.
When they have finished, they will join the rest of the groups
to share the results.
HEIGHT

- Teachers distribute a rod of wood for every group, which have

2,50m of height and are divided in segments of cm. The students
go into the sea until the water comes at the level of the chest.
They are going to calculate the difference between the top level
of the wave, and its consecutive low level. They measure up the
heights of 20 successive waves and finally they will calculate the
average.

PERIOD
- From the shore the students calculate the period of the waves:
we fix a point and calculate the seconds between two
consecutive waves. Like the height, we calculate 20 successive
periods and finally the average.

DIRECTION OF APPROXIMATION
- Students, from the shore, will calculate, using a compass, the
direction of approximation of the waves offshore.

3.2.
- Students between 15-17 ages
- Half an hour

These are the four types of breaks that can occur in the beach.

Spilling waves occur where the seafloor in gently sloping, the

top of the crest breaks and spills down the face of the wave as
turbulent water with foam and bubbles, It is typically for spilling
waves to break some distance from the beach face

Plunging waves are typical where the seafloor is steeper; the

front face of the wave is nearly vertical as the crest curls over
and falls forwards. It is typical of surfers.
 Surging waves occur on the steepest beaches; the front face
and crest are relatively smooth with little foam or bubbles, but
the base slides up the beach face and disintegrates as swash.
Collapsing waves are intermediate between plunging and surging.

In this activity the students will try to identify these four

types through the direct observation.

BEACH SEDIMENTS

3.3
- For all students
- 1 hour

The average size of grain is related to the energy of the

environment.

The students will look at the sand grains sizes while they walk
alongshore and the crosshore; they will observe and take notes
about sizes comparing them and trying to deduce that the
biggest sizes correspond with the zones of the most energy
waves.

3.4: Laboratory work

- Students between 16-17 years.
- One morning

The sediments of the beaches have a great variety of sizes,

forms and colours.

In the beach the groups will take samples of sediment, which

will be put in containers of samples labelled well. In the
laboratory, the wet samples will be put in the stove in order to
dry them off.

Now we will observe the forms and colours of the sediments

with the microscope, (take approximately 200 grains.)

Sorting parameter
Observing these 200 grains of sediments and comparing it
with the following graph, we can assign the sample a degree of
homogeneity in the size of its grains, it's named sorting’s
degree, thus as be more homogeneous (selected well) or
heterogeneous (badly selected).
Colour and Mineralogy of the sediments
The colour and the sheen of the grains, consequence of its
composition, it is useful to know the area of origin of the
sediments, which can be terrestrial or marine. In general, the
terrestrial sediments have quartz while the marine sediments
have carbonates and remains of marine organisms.

In order to know if these sediments have quartz or

carbonates, we will add a drop to the sample of hydrochloric acid
and if it bubbles it is meaning that it has carbonates. (It’s very
important take care with this acid, due is toxic; instead, we will
use the acid inside of the bell of extraction smokes)

Form of the sediments

The form has relation with the wave energy like the size, in
this case the more rounded, spherical and worn out the grains
are and it means that more energy is in this zone.

The students are going to look at 20 grains with the magnifier

glass, them with the graph we will assign values of sphericity and
roundness.

Finally the students will calculate the both average.

4. ECOSISTEM ACTIVITIES:
- For all students
- 45 minutes.

Objectives:
9. To differentiate the elements of a coastal ecosystem.
10. To explain the interactions which occur within an ecosystem.
11. To draw the elements of an observed ecosystem.

4.1. In this activity the students have to recollect in 10

minutes all the biotic and non biotic elements from the nearby
ecosystem, such as sand, small rocks, algae… in order to explain
the composition of an ecosystem. The students will need bags
and bottles to recollect those elements.
 BIOTIC ELEMENTS NON-BIOTIC ELEMENTS

4.2. Once they have all the elements from the first activity
classified, they have to try to make a list of the relations that
exist between all those elements, where do they live, what they
eat…

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4.3. In the next space draw a poster of the observed
ecosystem:

4.4. The students have to make a list of 4 different littoral

ecosystems and write why they are littoral.
- Only students from 13 to 16 years old.

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5. FISHERING ACTIVITIES:

Objectives:
12. To weigh up the impact of different fishing arts that occur
in their country.
13. To distinguish the main species captured.

5.1. Visit to the fish market:

- For all students
- 30 minutes

This activity will take place in the market with the objective
to observe the great variety of fish species and other organisms
that are captured in the sea. The students will make a list of at
least 15 species and write down to its side the origin of these.
The students from 10-13 will have to write only the common
name of the organisms, whereas the students from 14-16 years
will have to write both, the common and scientific name.

Name of the organism Origin

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
5.2. Guided visit to a fishing boat:
- Students between 13-16 years.
- 30 minutes.

In this visit we will count with the collaboration of a fisherman

who will explain to the students the fishing art that is used in
that boat, and what species are captured with that type of art.
In the next space the students will write down everything they
will understand of the explanation.

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6. DIDACTIC ACTIVITIES:

Objectives:

14. To design a campaign to raise the school awareness of the

needed to preserve the coastal environment.
15. To feel empathy to the different professions involved in the
development of the coastal environment.
6.1 Roll-Playing:
- For all students
- 30 minutes.

The students, divided in six groups, have to prepare a debate

(30 minutes) in which there appear different points of view.
They are going to establish a simulation on a coastal city in which
one student projects to carry out a construction in the edge of
the beach; different roles will deliver into the groups so it will
be possible to see the different opinions from each one of the
involved jobs:

- The owner of lands.

- The constructor.
- The citizen.
- The ecologist.
- The city council.
- The company of studies of environmental impact.

6.2 The students will organize a marine campaign of sensitizing

for the protection of the coasts and surroundings directed to
the rest of the centre.

They will design an environmental awareness campaign in which

they will indicate the advantages to maintain the coasts clean
without environmental and landscaping deterioration as well as
the negative aspects of its deterioration.
7. EVALUATION CRITERIA:

The follow evaluation criteria arise from the previous didactic objectives in each activity.

GENERAL OBJECTIVES DIDACTIC OBJECTIVES EVALUATION

CRITERIA
A. To acquire general 1. To differentiate: 1. Make a list with the origin of
knowledge about different The remainders left inthe rubbish found on the
aspects of the marine the beaches according itsbeach.
environment so origin.
important/basic in the
ecological balance of the
planet.
Interdependence of human
and nature.
B. To become aware of 2. To identify actions the man2. Make a list with your
conserving and protecting develops which produce remainderscontribution to the marine
the marine system showing a that injuriously affect the marineecosystem pollution. (Our
respectful behaviour with environment. normal things)
the nature and developing
cooperation attitudes
necessary to preserve life in
the Earth.
C. To introduce to a nearby 3. To discover solutions and3. Enumerate three solutions
natural system using the alternatives to the destructivesfor the destructives human
scientific method human actions. actions.
understanding the
importance of the use of
these techniques in order to
systematize the knowledge
and to come to the useful
(conclusions) basis to create
new knowledge.
D. To develop critical 4. To use the principles of4. Enumerate the main
attitudes comparing separating residues, solid wasterecycling containers and to
different points of view sing, so recycle them. separate the different types
(natural, social, economic of remainders using them.
and cultural) related to the
marine environment in order
to understand the
interdependence of human
and nature.
5. To describe the characteristics5a. Name at least two types of
of different waves. wave breakings.
5b. Explain the parameters
that define a wave.
5c. Explain the relation
between the grain size and the
waves’ energy.
6. To connect the waves and coastal6. Explain the reason of the
sediments. bigger sediments in the zones
of higher energy waves,
7. To cooperate in little teams. 7. To carry out the task
assigned by the group.
8. To use different techniques of8. The use correctly of the
measure to obtain scientificlaboratory instruments and
conclusions. techniques.
9. To differentiate the elements of9a. Name the main elements
a coastal ecosystem. that compose an ecosystem (at
least five elements).
9b. Put examples of two
coastal ecosystems and why
they are coastal ecosystems.
10. To draw the elements of an10. Make a draw with the