Understand that sponges are simple aquatic animals that belong to the phylum Porifera.
Recognize that sponges do not have a digestive system or specialized tissues for capturing prey.
Learn that sponges obtain their food through a process called filter feeding.
Filter feeding involves drawing water into the sponge's body through tiny openings called pores.
As water passes through the sponge, specialized cells called choanocytes trap and ingest small particles of food, such as bacteria and plankton, from the water.