Students will launch the rocky shore investigation through a game-style habitat challenge, make an evidence-based first prediction about tide changes, and record an initial research question for the Birch Aquarium visit.

Students will refine a focused rocky shore investigation question, build a fair and doable observation method for the Birch Aquarium visit, practice sorting organisms and recording graph-ready data, and revise their plans through peer feedback before a phase-end checkpoint.

Students will turn Birch Aquarium notes and class investigation records into graphs, captions, revised questions, and gallery-ready explanations that show how changing tides affect rocky shore organisms. They will use texts, aquarium signs, sketches, and count data to identify patterns, note limits in what they checked, revise their claims after peer feedback, and prepare mural pieces and creature cards for the final showcase.

Students will present their rocky shore findings to families and community guests, use evidence from graphs, sketches, captions, and creature cards to explain how tide changes affect living things, and complete a brief reflection on science learning and collaboration.