Lesson Plan - In Hot Water

Learning Objective

Students will learn why the world’s coral reefs are in danger of disappearing.

Content-Area Connections

Life Science, Earth Science

Standards Correlations

CCSS: RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.3, RI.4.4, RI.4.5, RI.4.8, RI.4.10

NCSS: Earth and Human Activity

TEKS: Science 4.9

Text Structure

Cause and Effect

1. Preparing to Read

Watch the Video
Build background knowledge by sharing the video “Coral Reef Construction.” Ask: How do coral polyps build coral reefs?

Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

  • climate change 
  • fossil fuels


Set a Purpose for Reading
As students read, have them think about how endangered coral reefs affect other species.

2. Close-Reading Questions

1. Why is “In Hot Water” a good title for the article?
Sample response: “In Hot Water” is a good title for this article because coral reefs are in “hot water” as the oceans warm up. Also, the expression “in hot water” is sometimes used to mean “in trouble.” Coral reefs are in trouble because warmer ocean water is causing coral bleaching, which puts the reefs at risk.
(RI.4.2 Main Idea)

2. Based on the article, what is a main cause of the warming of oceans?
According to the article, a main cause of ocean warming is human activity. The article says that “we burn fossil fuels to create electricity and power our  cars. That releases extra greenhouse gases, which are gases that trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere. This is contributing to Earth’s rising temperatures.”
(RI.4.5 Cause and Effect)

3. How does warmer ocean water affect corals?
Warmer ocean water affects corals by causing corals to release the algae that live inside them and create food for them. The article notes that “this process, called coral bleaching, can kill corals.”
(RI.4.5 Cause and Effect)

3. Skill Building

FEATURED SKILL: Paired Texts
Explore the amazing connection between corals and algae further! Distribute the skill builder “Reef Partners” to help students understand this and other symbiotic relationships between species in the Great Barrier Reef.
(RI.4.6 Paired Texts)

Text-to-Speech