My name is Tiffany. My report is all about starfish. In my report I'm going to tell about what a starfish looks like, what it eats, its habitat and its reproduction.

Starfish or sea stars are not fish; they are echinoderms. They are related to brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers.

Most starfish usually have 5 pointed arms. Starfish are usually red or orange. The top part of its skin in spiny. The starfish's mouth is located on the bottom surface of its central body. Under the starfish arms there are water-filled tubes called tube feet. The tubefeet have suction disks on the ends. Starfish use their tube feet for crawling and obtaining food. A starfish moves by pumping water along its canals then in and out of the tube feet. Young starfish walk along the top of the water. Grownup starfish walk along the bottom of the water where it is cold.

Different kinds of starfish can grow up to be different sizes. The Nardoa puciforiscan grows to be 7 inches. The Linckia laevigata can be 15 inches.

Starfish get their food with their arms. Starfish eat other animals. They are carnivores. They eat oysters. When a starfish eats an oyster, it fastens one or more of its arms to each half of an oyster shell. Then it tries to pull the shells apart with its tube feet. At first the oyster keeps its shell closed. When it gets tired the starfish is finally able to pull the shells apart.

Starfish live in mostly all oceans. They live on the continental shelf. Clams, oysters and other shellfish also live on the continental shelf. Starfish live in warm water.

The starfish's reproduction is called regeneration. When a starfish regenerates, they are sometimes cut into two pieces. When a starfish is cut into pieces, the two pieces grow into two starfish. Regeneration usually requires that the piece of starfish include at least one whole arm and part of the central disk. Certain kinds of starfishes can regenerate a whole animal from just a piece of arm. Sometimes different kinds of starfish reproduce by means of eggs.

Starfish are part of the clean-up squad. They help clean-up the ocean.

After their trip to Island Beach, The second-grade children in room 113 were inspired to write poems and to produce crayon-resist pictures.

I AM ON A BEACH

Blue, Brown and White.
I see blue waves, brown sand, and white shells.
I hear waves.
I feel sand in my shoes.
Blue, Brown and White.

Jimar

THE BEACH

Blue, White, Orange.
I see sand, water and crabs.
I hear crabs walking, waves splashing and sand crunching.
I feel the wind.
Blue, White, Orange.

Charlean

THE BEACH

Tan, Blue and Brown.
I see a lot of seashells.
I hear the water splashing.
I feel the wet sand.
Tan, Blue and Brown.

Khyzean

ALL ABOUT THE BEACH

Yellow, Brown and Blue.
I see the sun shining.
I hear the water.
I feel the air blowing.
Yellow, Brown and Blue.

Brittany Holt

MY ATLANTIC OCEAN

Orange, Yellow, Red.
I see an orange starfish and a yellow sun.
I hear the water wave.
I feel the water.
Orange, Yellow, Red.

Dominica

THE OCEAN WAVES

Orange, Pink and Green.
I see birds blying in the sky.
I hear the ocean waves.
I feel the wind.
Orange, Pink and Green.

Anitriya Sutton

The fourth-grade students in rooms 201 and 205 watched the video The Magic School Bus Goes Upstream. Here is what they learned about salmon.

Salmon like to eat raw fish. Salmon can feel water pressure without using their eyes. When salmon get together that means that they are migrating, they go from one place to another. They live in the salty sea, then they go to the river where they have fresh water. When the salmon get older they change colors. The salmon can smell the place that they need to go to. When the smell gets stronger, the salmon know that they are almost there. When they get there, they dig a hole to put their eggs in. The eggs cannot be salmon unless the male fertilizes them. The baby salmon stay in the river for a period. The grown-ups go to the ocean and leave their babies in the river. When the babies get bigger, they go to the ocean and when the water gets too salty, they will have to migrate and dig a hole and put their children in there. When the babies get big, they will eat fish and change into different colors and migrate like their parents, and it will start all over again.
Samiah Schell, Room 205

We learned about salmon. The salmon eats little fish that swim around the water. They can do what other fish cannot do. The salmon swim from salt water to fresh water. The salmon swim to a small stream and wait until it rains so the water can rise. While the water is rising, the salmon change into a different color. When they get there, the female salmon lay the eggs, then the males fertilize the eggs. The eggs get buried, then the baby salmon hatch. The mom and dad go back to the ocean, and when babies get big, they go to the river and they have babies too.
Cinquetta, Room 201

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