The Ocean and Human Medicine

One of my childrens favorite subjects is our Science/Geography combo~ I teach this subject with great emphasis on how One Person Can Make a difference for our environment.
They absolutely love National Geographic for Kids!! Of all the Science/Geography Curricculum we have done this year This By Far is Their Most Favorite Lesson. I copied and reposted it here straight from their sight. Alter it for your families needs....but by all means try the sight! Your Children will love it!!


The Ocean and Human Medicine
Overview:
Students may already know that many plants have medicinal properties; in this lesson, they will learn that some marine animals have also been shown to benefit humans medically. Students will learn about two species of marine animals—Bugula neritina and the horseshoe crab—and their medical benefits (or potential benefits). They will conclude by writing speeches discussing the relationship between ocean health and human medicine.

Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, life sciences
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 8: "The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface" *(We used this one)*
Standard 15: "How physical systems affect human systems"
Standard 18: "How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future"

Time:
One to two hours

Materials Required:
Computer with Internet access

Objectives:
Students will read about a medicinal plant and discuss its health benefits;
read about, view pictures of, and discuss two marine species that benefit or might benefit human health; and write speeches discussing the relationship between ocean health and human medicine. *(We did this)*

Geographic Skills:

Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information

S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Ask students to explain how they think medicines are created. They might say that scientists create them in laboratories. Did they also know that many medicines contain ingredients that come from plants and animals or contain human-made (synthesized) ingredients that are very similar to chemicals found in plants or animals?
Ask if anyone in the class has taken aspirin or seen their parents take aspirin. Tell the class that today, the chemical in aspirin that makes people feel better is created in a laboratory. However, this laboratory chemical is more or less a copy of a chemical that comes from the bark of a willow tree. This ingredient was discovered thousands of years ago. (Visit the Aspirin Foundation of America site for more information on the history of aspirin.-- ( http://www.aspirin.org/ )*(We did this)*

Development:
Have students go to PBS's Hot Science: Plant Magic site.--*(We did this)*
( http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shamanactivity/amazon2.html )
After they have read the paragraphs, they will see three pictures of North American plants that have medicinal properties. Ask each student to choose one of these pictures and read the information about it. Discuss as a class the benefits of these plants and the reasons why it might be a good idea to preserve their wild populations. [Note: To save time, you may choose to print and copy one of these pages for students to read without using the computer.]
Explain that animals as well as plants have the potential to provide chemicals that can be useful for medicine. Ask students to think about the abundance of both animal and plant life in the ocean. Then ask them whether they think it would be possible for people to find medicine in the sea. Discuss their responses.

Ask if anyone in the class has ever been in the hospital or knows anyone who has been hospitalized. If so, they may remember having an IV. Explain that anyone who has had an IV may owe his or her life to the horseshoe crab! They'll learn why in a few minutes.

Have students look at the pictures of Bugula neritina and the horseshoe crab at these Web sites:
*(We did this)*
California Academy of Sciences: Bugula neritina (Linnaeus, 1758)
http://research.calacademy.org/redirect?url=http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/izg/SFBay2K/bugula.htm


The Horseshoe Crab: Putting Science to Work to Help "Man's Best Friend"
http://www.oar.noaa.gov/spotlite/archive/spot_delaware.html

Tell them that the Bugula neritina is a plantlike animal that lives in the waters off the California coast, among other places. The horseshoe crab is very common in the Atlantic and can be seen in large numbers along the beaches of Delaware. While the horseshoe crab has already helped save countless human lives, Bugula neritina may do so in the future.

Paraphrase this article to the class as they look at the pictures:
http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/soc/haygood_bryozoan.htm
Fresh Evidence Points to Marine Bacteria as Source of Anti-Cancer Drug.
(If you have high-level readers, have them read it as a class, and discuss the advanced concepts and terms, such as genes.) *(We did this)*

Pose these questions to the class, and discuss their answers:
How common are the Bugula neritina?
Are they rare, or can they be found easily?
How might this animal be helpful for people?
What would be some difficulties involved in getting enough of the chemical needed for the drug?
How might these difficulties be overcome?

Help students read the article about horseshoe crabs, or paraphrase the article for them. *(I had them read the article outloud)*
http://www.oar.noaa.gov/spotlite/archive/spot_delaware.html

Then discuss these questions:
Where can horseshoe crabs be found?
Are they common or rare?
Why are horseshoe crabs helpful to people?
Why do some scientists consider them to be "man's best friend?"
What might happen if the substance in the horseshoe crab's blood were no longer available?
What are the concerns about horseshoe crabs?
What might happen if horseshoe crab populations decline?
What might be done to increase horseshoe crab populations?

Closing:
Ask students how the discovery of medical benefits from ocean species might affect people's ideas about ocean conservation and keeping the ocean clean. Discuss their ideas.

Suggested Student Assessment:
Have students imagine that they have the opportunity to speak to a group of people who are debating whether increased restrictions should be placed on ocean pollution. Your students have been specifically asked to talk about the relationship between the ocean and human medicine. Ask them to write the one-page speeches they'd give. *(We did this)*

****Extending the Lesson:
For grades K-2: Have students focus only on the horseshoe crab rather than Bugula neritina. Begin by having them look at the plant pictures, and describe some of the medical uses of these plants. Then have them look at the horseshoe crab pictures. As they look at the pictures, explain some of the highlights of the article to them: that shorebirds love the crabs, which they must eat to fatten up for their migration; that the crabs can be seen in the mid-Atlantic states such as Delaware; that the crabs are used to test intravenous drugs for harmful bacteria; and that the crabs are declining in numbers. Make sure students understand what an IV is and realize how dangerous it can be for bacteria to get into an IV. Discuss the potentially devastating consequences of a declining horseshoe crab population.
Have students draw pictures of horseshoe crabs or make models of them with construction paper. Then have them write short stories about why horseshoe crabs are important.
*(We did this)*


I obtained this lesson plan from: National Geographic Society (Link is on our Fav Links)
This lesson is made possible by a generous grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Sanctuary Program.

Related Links:
California Academy of Sciences: Bugula neritina
NOAA: The Horseshoe Crab Putting Science to Work to Help "Man's Best Friend"
National Geographic News: Horseshoe Crabs Remain Mysteries to Biologists
National Geographic News: Scientists Seek New Medicines From the Ocean
PBS: Hot Science—Plant Magic
Scripps Institution of Oceanography: Marine Drug Developments