Knowing the senses and behaviors of an organism in response to its envi-ronment can advance students' understanding of its habitat, its relationship with other organisms, and its physical surroundings. The activity that follows was developed as part of TERC's Institute for Teacher Development Through Ecology and encompasses the institute's goals of deepening ecological understanding and encouraging student-centered exploration. In a broad sense, the activity immerses students in a research question that allows them to pose and answer questions about the behavior and ecology of animals. More specifically, it engages students in a scientific process that enables them to explore the behavior of brine shrimp, Artemia salina . They raise questions about observed patterns and about how such patterns relate to the ecology of brine shrimp in nature.
Students design and implement investigations to address and attempt to answer their questions.
Overview of Activity Brine shrimp are saltwater crustaceans related to freshwater fairy shrimp. They are not closely related to the shrimp we commonly eat. They are inexpensive and easy to hatch in a classroom, though difficult to raise to adulthood. Bought as adults, they are easy to maintain. Using brine shrimp in a classroom setting for an open-ended activity is particularly interesting because though students will quickly see that brine shrimp move toward light, they will pose other questions just as quickly.