K-2

Starfish/Sea Star

Implement this lesson:

Use this lesson when discussing animal ecosystems, habitats, or other environmental TEKs. This lesson can be used as part of a larger local theme i.e. Oceans Week. It can also be used for a starfish themed day. The duration of this lesson can vary based on student and teacher needs.

Learning Objective:

Students will be able to learn about one of the most famous animals found in ocean, the starfish. They will create an art project using their knowledge.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

Science TEKS 

K.10(B)  identify basic parts of plants and animals  

K.10(A)  sort plants and animals into groups based on physical characteristics such as color, size, body covering, or leaf shape 

1.9(B) analyze and record examples of interdependence found in various situations such as terrariums and aquariums or pet and caregiver  

1.10(A)  investigate how the external characteristics of an animal are related to where it lives, how it moves, and what it eats

2.10(A) observe, record, and compare how the physical characteristics and behaviors of animals help them meet their basic needs   

2.10(B) observe, record, and compare how the physical characteristics of plants help them meet their basic needs such as stems carry water throughout the plant   

 2.10(C) investigate and record some of the unique stages that insects such as grasshoppers and butterflies undergo during their life cycle 

ELA TEKS

K.3(B) use illustrations and texts the student is able to read or hear to learn or clarify word meanings

K.5(B) generate questions about text before, during, and after reading to deepen understanding and gain information with adult assistance 

K.5(E) make connections to personal experiences, ideas in other texts, and society with adult assistance 

1.9(D) recognize characteristics and structures of informational text, including: (ii) features and simple graphics to locate or gain information

1.6(C) make and correct or confirm predictions using text features, characteristics of genre, and structures with adult assistance 

2.6(B) generate questions about text before, during, and after reading to deepen understanding and gain information 

2.6(I) monitor comprehension and make adjustments such as re‐reading, using background knowledge, checking for visual cues, and asking questions when understanding breaks down

Overview

There are several species of sea stars in the Gulf. The most common seen around Corpus Christ is the lined sea star. It will be extremely rare to find it in the bays, however, much more common along the sandy beaches of St. Joe’s Island.

Lined Sea Star (Luidia clathrata)
A fast-moving, sand-loving sea star with long slender arms

The lined sea star is a type of echinoderm commonly found in sandy or muddy coastal waters. Known for its striped pattern and unusual number of arms, it is an important predator and scavenger on the sea floor.

Appearance and Behavior

  • Diameter: typically 10–20 cm (4–8 inches) across
  • Has 5 long, slender arms (sometimes more), radiating from a small central disc
  • Arms are often striped with dark and light bands, giving it a “lined” appearance
  • Color varies: yellow, tan, orange, or grayish with dark markings
  • Moves quickly across sand using hundreds of tube feet on the underside of its arms
  • Can regrow lost arms if damaged

Diet and Feeding

  • Eats small bivalves (like clams), worms, crustaceans, and organic material
  • Uses its arms to grab or dig up prey buried in the sand
  • Swallows prey whole or everts part of its stomach to digest food externally
  • Also acts as a scavenger, cleaning up decaying material on the sea floor

Life Cycle and Reproduction

  • Reproduces sexually by releasing eggs and sperm into the water
  • Fertilized eggs develop into free-swimming larvae
  • Larvae settle on the seafloor and transform into juvenile sea stars
  • Can reproduce asexually through fragmentation (if part of the central disc is attached)
  • Can live several years, though exact lifespan is unknown

Habitat and Range

  • Found in the western Atlantic Ocean, especially along the southeastern United States, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea
  • Prefers shallow, sandy or muddy areas, often buried just beneath the surface
  • Common in bays, lagoons, estuaries, and coastal seafloors
  • Sensitive to salinity changes—often found in stable, saltwater environments

Conservation Status

  • Not considered endangered—listed as Least Concern
  • Populations are currently stable
  • Main threats include:
    • Pollution and sediment runoff
    • Habitat loss in coastal areas
    • Disturbance from dredging or bottom trawling

Interesting Facts

  • Known for its speed—much faster than most sea stars
  • Sometimes buries itself in the sand with only a few arm tips showing
  • Part of the Luidiidae family, which includes fast-moving sea stars
  • Unlike many sea stars, it does not cling to rocks—prefers loose sediment
  • Plays an important role in marine ecosystems as both predator and recycler

Possible Books:

  • Spiny Sea Star: A Tale of Seeing Stars by Suzanne Tate
  • Star of the Sea: A Day in the Life of a Starfish by Janet Halfman and Joan Paley
  • Starfish by Edith Thacher Hurd
  • Crank Frankie and the Oceans of Trash by Dr. Sue Pillans
  • Stella and the Starfish by Shaun Rawls
  • Starfish on the Beach by Tom and Lindy Schneider

Procedures: 

  1. Introduce starfish by asking what students know about them. Write what students say down in a possible KWL chart.
  2. Watch a video, read a book, or use slideshow to teach students about starfish.
  3. Complete one of the various art projects
  4. Read a book on starfish
  5. Possibly finish KWL chart

Materials

Cheerio Starfish

  • Construction paper
  • Cheerios
  • Glue
Reference Craft

Abstract Starfish

  • Construction Paper
  • Markers
  • Students create a draw, cut and decorate their own starfish

Starfish Button Art

  • Buttons
  • Small canvas
  • Paint and paintbrushes
  • Glue
Reference Craft

Starfish Yarn Game

  • Yarn
  • Teacher holds yarn string tightly. Each student passes the yarn to each other and states one fact they learned about starfish. Each students must go at least once.

Questions to Ask:

  • What do you know about starfish?
  • Have you ever seen a starfish?
  • How do starfish move?
  • Do we have starfish live nearby? 
  • Can starfish harm us?
  • What ecosystem does a starfish live in?
  • What is a starfish habitat?
  • What does a starfish need plants to survive in an ecosystem?
  • Is a starfish living or non living?
  • What does a starfish eat? What eats it?

Evaluations:

  • Student participation
  • Student created craft

Extensions:

  • Students write a fiction or nonfiction story about a starfish
  • Students create their own model of a starfish using maker space materials
  • Students complete various starfish worksheets and lessons
  • Students can read other books or research about other types of starfish

Lesson by: Shawnee Estevanes, Kim Berger, Yessica Azua,