Natural Threats to
Academic Standards:
Science:
4.L.1.1 Give examples of changes in an organism's environment that are beneficial to it and some that are harmful.
4.L.1.2 Explain how animals meet their needs by using behaviors in response to information received from the environment.
4.L.1.1 Give examples of changes in an organism's environment that are beneficial to it and some that are harmful.
4.L.1.2 Explain how animals meet their needs by using behaviors in response to information received from the environment.
Objective:
Hook:
|
Model / Guided Practice:
|
|
- Activity
- Divide the class in half and make two teams. One group will be the predators and the other baby sea turtles. Give students name tags that state what they are (baby sea turtles, raccoon, crabs, birds, sharks and carnivorous fish) and are placed around their neck with string. If there are 22 students, there will be 11 baby sea turtles, 1 raccoon, 2 crabs, 2 birds, 3 sharks and 3 carnivorous fish.
- Set up cones to distinguish 4 zones *visual attached at end of lesson plan
- The first zone is the high tide line where the nest of baby sea turtles are safe from the surf. The next zone is the sand containing the crabs and sea birds, then the open ocean containing sharks and carnivorous fish. Lastly, the seaweed is the safe zone.
- Students labeled as baby sea turtles are trying to get to the other side (the seaweed) without getting tagged by the other predators on the way.
- If baby sea turtle is tagged, they are to sit down where they were tagged.
- Predators must stay in their assigned zone unless they are a bird. Birds are free to move between the sand and open ocean zones.
- Once students are in there places, discuss how the baby sea turtles are almost ready to hatch after about 55 days in the nest but along comes a hungry raccoon. The student with the raccoon nametag chooses 1 student to remove from the nest and both will sit down. This represents raccoons disturbing and destroying the nest.
- After 5 days, the sun has set and the sand is cool. It is time for the baby sea turtles to leave the nest and travel to the ocean. Good luck!
- Baby sea turtles may now head towards the ocean and to the safety of the seaweed
- After students finish the dash, they will trade name tags. The hatchlings become predators and the predators become the hatchlings
- Debrief in classroom
- How many baby sea turtles survived each time?
- What did you learn from this activity?
Closure / Evaluation:
|