Image of a colorful jellyfish
SCOTLAND: The Big Picture/NaturePL.com (Purple Stinger Jellyfish)
Background Builder,

Blobs of the Sea

They look like bags of goo. But they are alive! Here are facts you need to know about jellyfish.

From the March/April 2024 Issue

Learning Objective: Children will discover the attributes of jellyfish.

Lexile: 410L
Featured Skill: Vocabulary, Main Idea,
Vocabulary: invertebrates, tentacles, swarms
Topic: Science,
Common Core Standards
  • RF.1.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words RI.1.3 Describe the connection between two ideas or pieces of information in a text RI.1.4 Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meanings of words RI.1.5 Know and use various text features to locate information RI.1.6 Distinguish between information from words and information from images RI.1.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas SL.1.1. Participate in collaborative conversations with peers and adults
TEKS Standards
  • Science (9) Organisms and environments. The student knows that the living environment is composed of relationships between organisms and the life cycles that occur. The student is expected to: (A) sort and classify living and nonliving things based upon whether they have basic needs and produce offspring; (C) gather evidence of interdependence among living organisms such as energy transfer through food chains or animals using plants for shelter. (10) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms resemble their parents and have structures and processes that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to: (A) investigate how the external characteristics of an animal are related to where it lives, how it moves, and what it eats.

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1. Jellyfish Are Not Fish

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture/NaturePL.com

What are these blobs? They are invertebrates (in-VUHR-tuh-brayts). That means they have no backbone. In fact, they have no bones at all.

2. They Come In All Colors and Sizes

Nobuo Kitagawa/ e-Photo/Blue Planet Archive (Nomura’s Jellyfish); Lisa Werner/Alamy Stock Photo (Crystal Jellyfish)

There are many different kinds of jellyfish. Some glow in the dark. Some are tiny. They can be smaller than the dot at the end of this sentence. Others are bigger than a car! 

3. They Can Sting You

Cultura RM Exclusive/Alexander Semenov/Image Source/Getty Images (Lion’s Mane Jellyfish); Bill Gozansky/Alamy Stock Photo (Sign)

Watch out! A lot of jellyfish have tentacles.

If those tentacles touch a swimmer—zap! That sting can really hurt.

4. Some Sea Animals Eat Jellyfish

SeaTops/Alamy Stock Photo 

Turtles love them. They do not get stung. Yum, yum. 

5. Jellyfish Are Taking Over!

RooM the Agency Mobile/Alamy Stock Photo 

There are more and more of them in our oceans. Hundreds of them wash up on beaches. These swarms of jellyfish are a problem. 

Slideshows (1)
Activities (3)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Slideshows (1)
Activities (3) Download All Skill Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)

More About the Article

English Language Arts Focus

Nonfiction text features

Science Focus

Animal adaptations

Vocabulary

invertebrates, tentacles, swarms

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Implementation

  • Whole Group: This article will give students a background knowledge on jellyfish to give context for the Big Read-Aloud.

Pairings and Text Connections

  • In this issue: "Big Read-Aloud: Are Jellyfish Taking Over?”
  • From the Storyworks archive: “Background Builder: Wild and Wonderful Octopuses” (May/June 2023)
  • Suggested books: Bloom by Julia Seal

Before-Reading Resources

 
  • Vocabulary Slideshow (3 minutes) invertebrates, tentacles, swarms

Suggested Reading Focus

Information from text and images (20 minutes)
  • Tell students they will be learning about jellyfish. Have students share what they might already know about these sea creatures.
  • Walk your students through the nonfiction text features of the page. Take a close look at the pictures and ask students to share what they notice.
  • Read the mini article. Pause to check for understanding with each of the bolded vocabulary words.
  • Ask students: What was the most surprising or interesting thing that you learned from the article?

After-Reading Skills Practice

  • Skills: Key details/critical thinking (15 minutes)

Extension Craftivity

Skills:  Art; key details (15 minutes)

  • Have students create their own jellyfish out of collage materials! Students can write the facts they learned about jellyfish on their constructions. Hang the jellyfish on a bulletin board to create a classroom swarm.

Text-to-Speech