Storey – The World of Coral Reefs Educator’s Guide

Take a deeper dive into The World of Coral Reefs with this in-depth educator’s guide including a handy printable Coral Reefs Curriculum Guide and additional online resources.

The World of Coral Reefs Additional Resources

There is so much more to discover about coral biology, evolution, coral reef food webs, threats facing reefs, and current research. Explore the additional resources below to watch, read, and do more to learn about coral reefs (and don’t forget to check the other resources listed in the back of The World of Coral Reefs!). We’ve paired each activity with corresponding sections of The World of Coral Reefs.

Watch

See Live Views of Underwater Worlds

From Explore.org. Aquarium of the Pacific has multiple live streams that give you an underwater look at their exhibits, including the Tropical Reef and Shark Lagoon. You don’t have to limit yourselves to reefs, though—other cams capture beluga whales, sea otters, manatees, and many terrestrial species.

Pair with World of Coral Reefs sections “Rainforests of the Sea” and “An Ecosystem in Balance” to try to identify how the different animals you see use the reef.  explore.org

Dive into the Great Barrier Reef

From SciShow Kids. This high-energy and colorful video reinforces and elaborates on many of the coral and Great Barrier Reef facts covered in the book. It’s quick, informative, and packed with lots of fun animations (and a cute sidekick named Squeaks). There are lots of other SciShow Kids videos to explore, including about sharks, symbiotic relationships, conservation, and more.

Pair with World of Coral Reefs sections “The Great Barrier Reef,” “An Ecosystem in Balance,” and “The Reefs Need Our Help.”  YouTube

Hear it Straight from the Coral’s Mouth

From Octonauts & The Great Barrier Reef on Netflix Jr. Follow Corey, a young coral polyp, as he finds a place to live on the Great Barrier Reef. With tons of reef animal cameos and some (very) catchy songs, the whole family will be singing along in no time. See clips on Youtube and watch the entire movie on Netflix.

Pair with World of Coral Reefs sections “Coral Babies,” “No Backbone? No Problem!” “So Many Fish!” and “Large and in Charge” to learn how coral polyps travel and who they might run into on the way.  YouTube

Read

Learn about How Microplastics Affect Coral Reefs

From Frontiers for Young Minds. Read more about a tiny thing that’s causing big problems for coral reefs—microplastics. Frontiers for Young Minds is a scientific journal reviewed by kids, meaning it captures great science in an easy-to-access way. For younger readers it might be a lot of text, but it has wonderful illustrations.

Pair with World of Coral Reefs section “Trash Talk” to brainstorm all of the ways plastic trash can affect the ocean.  frontiersin.org

Help Save the Planet—Including Coral Reefs

From National Geographic Kids. There are a lot of threats facing our planet, but there are a lot of ways we can help. This guide outlines how to be an “eco-hero,” with easy ways to cut waste, eat green, be an advocate, and more. It helps kids feel empowered to take action and provides activities the entire family can participate in.

Pair with World of Coral Reefs sections “The Reefs Need Our Help,” “Trash Talk,” and “Warmer Oceans Hurt Corals” to learn how these threats specifically affect the reef. natgeokids.com

See the Real-Life Critter Behind the Book

From Ranger Rick. Learn more facts about coral reefs while seeing stunning images of the animals behind the illustrations. Ranger Rick uses kid-friendly metaphors to help readers understand how coral communities are organized, and provides related articles and activities to continue the fun.

Pair with World of Coral Reefs section “An Ecosystem in Balance” to consider the ways corals provide structure and food for other ocean animals. rangerrick.org

Do

Explore—and Save—a 3D Interactive Reef

From The Smithsonian. In this beautiful and easy-to-use online game, you swim through the ocean and build the reef food web from the bottom up. With each critter you find, more plants and animals are unlocked, until you have a healthy, thriving reef. Along the way, you learn more about how these animals interact in the ecosystem.

Pair with World of Coral Reefs sections “Coral Close-Up,” “The Building Blocks of Reefs,” “An Ecosystem in Balance,” “No Backbone? No Problem!” “So Many Fish!” and “Large and in Charge” and see which animals are both in the book and on the online reef. smithsonianeducation.org

Make Your Own Sea Urchin

From The Crafty Classroom. Sea urchins are important grazers on the reef ecosystem, meaning they eat algae that grows on the corals. Create your own urchins using clay and toothpicks!

Pair with World of Coral Reefs section “No Backbone? No Problem!” to learn more about invertebrates who live on the reef. thecraftyclassroom.com

Create a Pool Noodle Reef

From Crafty Morning. Bring a coral reef into your own home with this fast and easy pool noodle craft. Try pretending that each color is a different type of coral, and each added pool noodle ring is a single coral polyp. See how polyps are the building blocks of larger, beautiful reefs!

Pair with World of Coral Reefs sections “The Building Blocks of Reefs,” “Soft Swaying Corals,” and “One Polyp Becomes Many” to learn about polyps and different types of corals.  craftymorning.com