A6 THE BULLETIN • MONDAY, JUNE 13, 2022
© 2022 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 38, No. 28
Powerful Plankton
W K O R C I J LV L
Though they are quite tiny,
swarms of this plankton are
so huge they can be seen
from space! Circle every
other letter to
How many
discover its
of me can you find
name.
on this page?
How many plankton are in
a teaspoon of water?
How many would you guess? Use the secret
code to discover the surprising answer!
= SIX
= HUNDRED
= THAN
= MORE
= MILLION
= PLANKTON
= LESS
= THOUSAND
= ONE
A teaspoon of water can contain
Are plankton plants or animals?
A Breath of
Fresh Air
The answer is both! There are two main types of plankton:
phytoplankton (fi-toe-plank-ton) and zooplankton. Follow
the maze to discover which are plants and which are animals.
ANIMAL
PHYTOPLANKTON
PLANT
ZOOPLANKTON
Phytoplankton make more than
half of the oxygen in our world.
Think of it this way, every time you
take four breaths, two of those
breaths came from oxygen made
by phytoplankton through
photosynthesis. So even if
you live far from the ocean,
you depend on it to survive!
PH = F
Ocean Food Chain
Plankton is made up of tiny, usually one-celled plants and small water
animals such as larvae and eggs. Zooplankton and other small marine creatures eat
phytoplankton and then become food for fish, crustaceans, and other larger species.
Complete this food chain diagram by drawing an
ocean predator (shark, orca, barracuda) here:
fish larvae
phytoplankton
zooplankton
fish
Standards Link: Match letters
and sounds to spell words.
Standards Link: Science: Undertstand how food chains support the life cycles of animals and humans.
The world’s largest animal, eats up to 16 tons of plankton daily. Ten
adult men together would weigh about one ton. So 16 tons of
plankton would be equal to the weight of 160 men. Good thing it
likes plankton and not people!
Color the spaces with odd numbers blue to reveal the animal’s name.
7 3 5 4 2
3 4 1 6 4
5
3
4 8
8 4
6 1
2 5
8
6
7
3
6
4
7 5
3 4
9
8
6 4
8 2
1
3
7
2
6
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2
6
1
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5
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4
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3
2
6
4
2
4
3
1
3
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2
5
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3
1
4
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2
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5
3
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2
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8
1
6
3
2
3
4
8
6
2
4
6 8 2 6 4
5 6 4 2 5
6
8
4 4
3 6
2 6
1 2
4
5
2
1
6
7
2 4
3 2
6
5
8 2
4 4
2
8
6 8
3 5
2
9
3
1
7
3
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2
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5
1
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1
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5
1
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2
1
8
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1
3
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5
1
9
6
2
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3
6
4
2
6
1
3
9
3
6
3
2
3
5
6
5
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4
2
8
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7
2
1
6
1
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9
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4
9
8
9
In English, when the
letters p and h are next
to each other, they
make an F sound.
Words like
phytoplankton, phone,
photograph and
pharmacy. Look
through the newspaper
and find letters to spell
each of these words.
Glue the letters onto a
piece of paper, spelling
out each word. Then
read each one aloud.
PLANKTON
ANIMALS
BREATHE
PLANTS
OXYGEN
CARBON
PLANET
OCEAN
DRIFT
WATER
FISH
SWIM
TINY
FOOD
SEA
2. Zooplankton is an
plant
animal
island
3. What does planktos mean
in Greek?
swimmer
drifter
boat
4. Where do plankton live?
oceans and lakes
ponds and rivers
all of the above
5. How much of the world’s
oxygen is made by
phytoplankton?
about 7%
12.4%
more than half
6. How many tons of plankton
does a blue whale eat each
day?
16 tons
100 tons
232 tons
7. How many plankton can be
found in 1 tsp. of water?
Between 30-40
About 10,000
More than 1,000,000
Photosynthesis
light
energy
oxygen
carbon
dioxide
water
Like plants on land,
phytoplankton use sunlight,
water and carbon dioxide to
make food and oxygen.
This process is called
photosynthesis.
O D O O F M A I D Y
P L A N T S T Y R T
This week’s word:
N P E H S K O Y I E
CRUSTACEAN
O M I W S F N N F N
The noun crustacean refers
to a water animal whose
body is made of segments.
B S L A M I N A T A
R D E L T A F E L L
A N W A T E R C K P
C T N E G Y X O O N
Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognize identical
words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.
Shrimps, crabs and lobsters
are all crustaceans.
Try to use the word
crustaceans in a sentence
today when talking with your
friends and family members.
Message in a
Bottle
ANSWER: Because he was shellfish.
Standards Link: Language Arts: Write complete sentences.
1. Phytoplankton is a
plant
animal
computer part
T W N E H T A E R B
Expand a Headline
Look through the newspaper for three
headlines. Rewrite each one as a complete
sentence. See how many more words you can
add to make the longest sentence you can.
Can you find the answer to each
of these questions? They can all
be found on this Kid Scoop page!
While walking on a beach, you
spy a strange bottle with a note
inside. What does the note say?
What will you do next?