Activities: Discover the underwater world of the "rainforests of the sea" with these great tech activities. (Coral Reefs).

The Virtual Reef

A great place to start your reef studies is by looking at one of the most famous reefs of all time: the Great Barrier Reef. Since a class trip to the northeastern tip of Australia may not fit into your schedule, National Geographic's Virtual World (www.nationalgeographic.com/earthpulse/reef/reef1_flash.html) brings the magic and beauty of the reef right to your classroom. This animated flash program lets students navigate their way through the reef, from the shoreline to the deep sea. Along the way students can learn the basics by rolling their mouse over the different areas of the reef, or obtain more detailed information by clicking to bring up a pop-up window. Continue your exploration at the official site of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (www.gbrmpa.gov.au). Ask students to pretend that they are ecologically-minded travel agents and need to come up with a set of activities that tourists can partake in that won't damage the reef and may even help protect it. Have students, armed with their r esearch, present an ecotravel sales pitch to the class.

Starfish, Algae & Eels (Oh, My!)

Did you know that scientists have found nearly 3,467 species of plants and animals living in the coral reefs? With that kind of variety, there's something for everyone! Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a reef creature or plant to study. (Make sure that one group is assigned the polyp, also known as coral.) Then send students off to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Web site (www.mbayaq.org/efc/efc_se/sz_rrh_coral.asp) or MBGNet (http://mbgnet.mobot.org/salt/coral/indexfr.htm), both of which are packed with information and photographs of the species that live in the reefs. While they research, have students jot down key characteristics such as size, color, location, and eating or mating habits. Encourage students to think about how these species support the ecosystem. While students are online, roll out a mural-size piece of paper on the floor. Instruct students to draw a picture of their creature or plant on the mural, or paste photos, many of which can be found at Reef Images.com (www.reefima ges.com). For younger students, the Monterey Bay Aquarium site also offers downloadable coloring pages. Under each picture, have students write the name of their species and a few "fun facts" that they want to share. At the end of the class, you'll have a beautiful collage of photos, illustrations, and interesting facts about the plants and animals in the coral-reef ecosystem.

Start an Investigation

Everyone talks about saving the coral reefs, but do you really know why? Before you get caught up in how to save the reefs, first learn why it's important. Instruct students to become investigative reporters on the subject. Ask the class to come up with a list of "who-what-why-where-when" questions, such as: Who is putting the reefs in danger? When and where did the trouble begin? Why is it important to save the reefs? And what can you do to help? With their notebooks in hand, send your junior reporters off to the Internet to unearth the facts. A few good places to start are the EPA's Web site (www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/coral/about.html), which hosts a wealth of material on the importance of coral reefs and how human intervention can make a difference, and SeaWorld's conservation area (www.seaworld.org/infobooks/Coral/conscr.html). In addition, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides a list of "25 Things You Can Do to Save Coral Reefs" (www.yoto98.noaa.gov/books/reefs/reef1.htm). After the investigation, have students write a short newspaper article on what they've learned. Encourage students to be creative with catchy headlines and illustrative pictures.

Earth Day Isn't Just for Earth

When most people think of Earth Day, they think of saving the forests or mountains. Yet more than 70 percent of the earth is covered by water! One way to add a twist to this year's Earth Day celebration is by turning your attention to water, rather than soil. If you're stumped for ideas, try the Coral Reef Alliance's "Dive in to Earth Day" Web site (http://divein.coralreefalliance.org), where ocean lovers from around the world come together to save the planet's marine resources. Here you can find nearby community activities, gather resources, or drum up support for your own project, which can be added to the site's database. Activities include beach clean-ups, fish and coral surveys, photography exhibits, and children's art contests. Students can participate at all levels, and from almost any part of the world. Many of the events happen in April, so grab your galoshes or paintbrushes and get started!

Spread the Word

Now that you know everything there is to know about coral reefs, spread the word! Students should first gather their information into a presentation-either in PowerPoint or in another easy-to-use program such as HyperCard. To simplify things, you might want students to focus on a specific coral reef or a particular area of study, such as threats to the reefs, creatures who live there, ways to protect the reefs, and so on. If you have a school or classroom Web site, here's your chance to use it. Once the relevant images and other materials have been gathered, upload them to your Web site. Don't forget to include information about what your students are doing to help protect the reefs, and tips on how others can get involved. Post your e-mail address so that visitors to the site can send in their suggestions or volunteer to help out. For added fun, create an online multiple-choice quiz or poll to test people's knowledge of reefs or gather opinion data. Try QuizBox www.quizbox.com/builder), one of many sites tha t offer quick and easy quiz-making tools. Display the results-and the correct answers- along with your other materials.

Laura E. Beech is the Managing Editor of Scholastic Admiastr@tor magazine.