Bring your students on an underwater adventure into the coral reef ecosystem! Whether you're exploring the vast beauty of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia or diving into the rich, biodiverse waters of Indonesia, coral reefs are some of the most vibrant and important ecosystems on Earth.
✨ Perfect for grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the coral reefs. (Don't miss the tusk fish and octopuses!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs like Planet Earth, Blue Planet, Animal Babies, and Life.
- Free Printable: Use the Coral Reef Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).
It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.
Dive into the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef with the Go Jetters. In this fun worksheet, you'll:
- Discover fascinating facts about the reef habitat and biodiversity.
- Locate the Great Barrier Reef on a map.
- Color a coral reef with lots of bright colors.
Discover the wild side of the underwater world in this video playlist! Meet the ocean's most unusual characters — from glowing anglerfish and toothy piranhas to spiky lionfish and balloon-like pufferfish. These 10 short clips from BBC favorites like Deadly 60 and Blue Planet reveal the surprising ways these strange fish hunt, hide, and survive. Packed with fun facts and jaw-dropping moments, it’s perfect for curious kids and adults alike!
Dive into the dazzling world of coral reefs! From Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to the vibrant reefs of Indonesia, these underwater cities are alive with color, movement, and incredible creatures. After watching our videos, challenge your students to become ecosystem experts by creating their own colorful report filled with fascinating facts. (They’ll need to dig deeper with extra research, too!) Inside the brochure, students will uncover and share:
- Location of the ecosystem on a world map
- Adjectives that describe the ecosystem
- Three animals that live in the ecosystem
- Three plants that grow in the ecosystem
- The climate of the ecosystem
- What makes the ecosystem important
- Their favorite fun facts
Your students will summarize the most important details in their own words while keeping it clear and easy to understand. As they choose what to include, they’ll sharpen their ability to evaluate and combine information from different sources. Best of all, they’ll show off their creativity and communication skills by designing a brochure that’s as fun to read as it is informative!
Get ready to meet the cold-blooded superstars of the animal kingdom! This BBC playlist slinks, scuttles, and snaps through the fascinating lives of cobras, turtles, lizards, and alligators. Whether it's the mesmerizing hood dance of a cobra or the alligator's toothy grin, these clips are perfect for sparking curiosity (and maybe a little squeamishness) in your classroom. Warning: May cause students to say "Whoa!" and "Ew!" in equal measure.
Take your students on an unforgettable adventure to Australia with this video playlist! Explore the buzzing city of Sydney and its world-famous Opera House, marvel at breathtaking landscapes across the continent, and meet amazing native animals like kangaroos and koalas. Along the way, your class will discover what makes life “Down Under” so unique. These clips are perfect for sparking curiosity, inspiring questions, and bringing a little Aussie magic.
Play Three Truths and a Lie about oceans and answer questions about human impact on whales, tusk fish, and the Great Barrier Reef. Plus, complete an infographic activity on how to reduce human impact on our oceans.
These printable activity sheets are used with lessons in the BBC Learning Hub Oceans Collection.
Three Truths and a Lie: Play this quick game with students to activate their prior knowledge about the ocean biome. What do they know?
Activity Sheets: The activity sheets are intended to be shared after students watch the three related video clips about whales, tusk fish, and the Great Barrier Reef.
In The Coral Reef, an Underwater Masterpiece, narrator Sir David Attenborough marvels at the variety of life found in Earth’s coral reefs. Learn how polyps and algae both benefit from living in close relationship with one another. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Coral Bleaching, witness the effects of global warming on coral ecosystems. The world’s oceans are warming due to climate change, which negatively affects coral reefs, home to about a quarter of all ocean life. Coral is highly sensitive to temperature changes, and as ocean temperatures rise, coral bleaching becomes more extreme. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Climate Change - The Facts, a documentary that delves into the science of climate change and its far-reaching consequences.
In Green Turtle Hatchlings Off to Sea, narrator Gordon Buchanan describes some of the challenges faced by Australian green turtles as they travel through the water near the Great Barrier Reef areas. As the young hatchlings move through the water, they must combat predators as well as the possibility of strong and treacherous currents. This video is excerpted from BBC's Animal Babies, a heartwarming show that follows the first breaths, first steps and first feeds of some adorable baby animals, revealing the challenges they face to survive in some of the toughest but most beautiful places on the planet.
In How Clownfish and Anemones Thrive Together, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes the special relationship between clownfish and sea anemones. The clownfish is immune to the anemone's stinging tentacles, using them as a safe home. Here, the female clownfish lays her eggs, and the male takes care of them. His job is laborious; if the female isn’t satisfied with his care, she’ll quickly replace him with another male. This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
Bring your students on an underwater adventure into the coral reef ecosystem! Whether you're exploring the vast beauty of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia or diving into the rich, biodiverse waters of Indonesia, coral reefs are some of the most vibrant and important ecosystems on Earth.
✨ Perfect for grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the coral reefs. (Don't miss the tusk fish and octopuses!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs like Planet Earth, Blue Planet, Animal Babies, and Life.
- Free Printable: Use the Coral Reef Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).
It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.
Dive into the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef with the Go Jetters. In this fun worksheet, you'll:
- Discover fascinating facts about the reef habitat and biodiversity.
- Locate the Great Barrier Reef on a map.
- Color a coral reef with lots of bright colors.
Discover the wild side of the underwater world in this video playlist! Meet the ocean's most unusual characters — from glowing anglerfish and toothy piranhas to spiky lionfish and balloon-like pufferfish. These 10 short clips from BBC favorites like Deadly 60 and Blue Planet reveal the surprising ways these strange fish hunt, hide, and survive. Packed with fun facts and jaw-dropping moments, it’s perfect for curious kids and adults alike!
Dive into the dazzling world of coral reefs! From Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to the vibrant reefs of Indonesia, these underwater cities are alive with color, movement, and incredible creatures. After watching our videos, challenge your students to become ecosystem experts by creating their own colorful report filled with fascinating facts. (They’ll need to dig deeper with extra research, too!) Inside the brochure, students will uncover and share:
- Location of the ecosystem on a world map
- Adjectives that describe the ecosystem
- Three animals that live in the ecosystem
- Three plants that grow in the ecosystem
- The climate of the ecosystem
- What makes the ecosystem important
- Their favorite fun facts
Your students will summarize the most important details in their own words while keeping it clear and easy to understand. As they choose what to include, they’ll sharpen their ability to evaluate and combine information from different sources. Best of all, they’ll show off their creativity and communication skills by designing a brochure that’s as fun to read as it is informative!
Get ready to meet the cold-blooded superstars of the animal kingdom! This BBC playlist slinks, scuttles, and snaps through the fascinating lives of cobras, turtles, lizards, and alligators. Whether it's the mesmerizing hood dance of a cobra or the alligator's toothy grin, these clips are perfect for sparking curiosity (and maybe a little squeamishness) in your classroom. Warning: May cause students to say "Whoa!" and "Ew!" in equal measure.
Take your students on an unforgettable adventure to Australia with this video playlist! Explore the buzzing city of Sydney and its world-famous Opera House, marvel at breathtaking landscapes across the continent, and meet amazing native animals like kangaroos and koalas. Along the way, your class will discover what makes life “Down Under” so unique. These clips are perfect for sparking curiosity, inspiring questions, and bringing a little Aussie magic.
Play Three Truths and a Lie about oceans and answer questions about human impact on whales, tusk fish, and the Great Barrier Reef. Plus, complete an infographic activity on how to reduce human impact on our oceans.
These printable activity sheets are used with lessons in the BBC Learning Hub Oceans Collection.
Three Truths and a Lie: Play this quick game with students to activate their prior knowledge about the ocean biome. What do they know?
Activity Sheets: The activity sheets are intended to be shared after students watch the three related video clips about whales, tusk fish, and the Great Barrier Reef.
In The Coral Reef, an Underwater Masterpiece, narrator Sir David Attenborough marvels at the variety of life found in Earth’s coral reefs. Learn how polyps and algae both benefit from living in close relationship with one another. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Coral Bleaching, witness the effects of global warming on coral ecosystems. The world’s oceans are warming due to climate change, which negatively affects coral reefs, home to about a quarter of all ocean life. Coral is highly sensitive to temperature changes, and as ocean temperatures rise, coral bleaching becomes more extreme. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Climate Change - The Facts, a documentary that delves into the science of climate change and its far-reaching consequences.
In Green Turtle Hatchlings Off to Sea, narrator Gordon Buchanan describes some of the challenges faced by Australian green turtles as they travel through the water near the Great Barrier Reef areas. As the young hatchlings move through the water, they must combat predators as well as the possibility of strong and treacherous currents. This video is excerpted from BBC's Animal Babies, a heartwarming show that follows the first breaths, first steps and first feeds of some adorable baby animals, revealing the challenges they face to survive in some of the toughest but most beautiful places on the planet.
In How Clownfish and Anemones Thrive Together, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes the special relationship between clownfish and sea anemones. The clownfish is immune to the anemone's stinging tentacles, using them as a safe home. Here, the female clownfish lays her eggs, and the male takes care of them. His job is laborious; if the female isn’t satisfied with his care, she’ll quickly replace him with another male. This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.