All lessons › Reef in hot water › Lesson 1
Australian primary science · Year 6 · Lesson 1 of 3
What corals need
Inquiry question: Which physical conditions do corals need to grow and survive?
Marked no materials needed
Using a model
What students learn
Corals are animals that live with tiny algae inside them. The algae need sunlight to make food for the coral. So corals grow and survive only in a narrow range of temperature, light, saltiness and water clarity.
Success criteria
- I can list the physical conditions corals need.
- I can explain why corals need light even though they are animals.
- I can predict what happens to corals when a condition changes.
Preparation and materials
Before this lesson: Students know living things need certain conditions to survive, and that plants need light to make food.
- iPads with Bottlebrush Education open (nothing else needed) — 13 (one per pair)
- Projector or big screen — 1
Teacher setup
- Open this lesson’s student view (the coral source) on your screen to demonstrate.
- Check the iPads are charged.
Safety and adaptations
Follow school science and equipment risk assessment procedures for the materials used.
Review your school policies and curriculum requirements before teaching.
How to investigate
The lesson sequence should leave pupils with evidence to interpret, not only an activity to finish.
- Pairs read the coral source.
- For each physical condition, record what corals need.
- Predict what happens to the coral if that condition changes, as a cause-and-effect chain.
- Run Grow a bean plant: change light, then water type. Compare: how is a bean plant’s need for light like a coral’s?
- Play Food web what-ifs (Years 5–6 setting) to see how one change spreads through a habitat.
Teacher modelling prompt
Read the paragraph on light aloud. Think aloud: “Algae inside the coral need sunlight to make food. If the water gets muddy, less light gets through, so the algae make less food, so the coral grows more slowly.” Write this cause-and-effect chain as the first row.
Record and explain evidence
Recording question: Which physical conditions do corals need to grow and survive?
| Physical condition | What corals need | What changes it | What happens to the coral if it changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
Example recording headings; record actual observations, including inconclusive results.
Discussion prompt
Which claim matches the source?
Check understanding
What should pupils know? Name three physical conditions corals need.
Explain with evidence: Explain why muddy water could slow coral growth. Use a cause-and-effect chain.
Apply the idea: A marine heatwave makes the water 2°C hotter than usual for six weeks. Predict what happens to the corals and what would help them recover.
Teacher answer guidance and saved classroom work are available through the main lesson experience where supported.