Focus and Review: Activity- Have students stand up at their desks.  Go around the room and have each student name something he/she knows of that lives in the ocean.  If a student cannot think of anything or repeats what has been said, he/she must sit down.  This continues until there is only one student standing.  This student is the “ocean expert of the day” and will be the line leader to lunch.  If any student names something that is argued, have him/her look up their answer in the class set of Encyclopedias.

Statement of Objectives: Find out what knowledge students already have about the ocean, and try to equalize their knowledge base before continuing with the ocean unit.

Teacher Input: The teacher then asks a series of questions about the ocean including:  “Who has been to the ocean?”  “What does it look like?” “What does it sound like?”  “What does it feel like to your fingers? toes? eyes? etc.”  “What does it taste like?”  The next level of questioning requires students to make inferences:  “What do your observations tell you about the creatures that live there?”  “What do you think the sea shells are for?” “How do these creatures differ from the ones who live in the woods? In the lake? In the snow?”

Guided Practice:  Set up stations around the room centered around different habitats.  Provide resource books at each station for the students to use.  Break students up into groups of four and assign each group a letter.  Give each group a set of pictures of creatures (that correspond with the creatures in Microsoft Oceans) with a corresponding letter on the back (each group’s pictures should be different).  Have them walk around the room (quietly) and explore each habitat.  When they believe they have found the habitat appropriate for each creature in the picture, they should place that picture in the station.  As groups figure out answers, they will inadvertently help each other out.  However, remind students not to depend just on their classmates responses.  When groups are done, have them return to their seats and go over their responses.  Talk about why right answers are right, and correct wrong answers as a class.

Independent Practice:  Have students imagine what it would be like to be an ocean creature. Ask: “Do you think the water tastes salty to the fish and other animals?”  “Do they feel wet as we do in the water?”  Have students explore the ocean habitat and select one creature they would like to imagine themselves as.  Ask students to write a short story about what a day in the life of the creature they selected would be like.  Remind them to include how the observations of the creature would differ from their own observations mentioned earlier in the class.

Closure: Ask for volunteers to read their stories aloud (Limit 5 – others will have opportunities later on in the unit if desired).  Teacher sums up the things explored within the different habitats – especially the ocean habitat.  Mention to students that we will continue to investigate the ocean and its creatures in the days to come.

Materials: Encyclopedias, Pictures of plants and animals, books and other resources for habitat stations

Vocabulary: habitat, inference, observation
 

Focus and Review:  Students will enter the school computer lab (each student will have their own computer to work on).  The opening screen for Microsoft Oceans will be up.  The teacher will remind students of previous day’s activities and have them take out the stories they wrote.  Students who did not have an opportunity to share their story should be given one at this time.

Statement of Objectives: Students will use a questionnaire (designed by teacher) to familiarize themselves with Microsoft Oceans.  They will then utilize the program to further explore their chosen creature (the same one they wrote about the previous day).

Teacher Input: The teacher should use an overhead projector and screen in front of room to demonstrate to students how to navigate Microsoft Oceans (pointing out the specific features of the navigation bar at the bottom of screen).

Guided Practice: Each student will be given a questionnaire (included in unit packet) to help further familiarize them with Microsoft Oceans.  Students should work on questionnaire individually but may ask their neighbors questions.  The teacher should be available to answer questions and circulate the room to supervise student exploration.

Independent Practice: After completing the questionnaire, each student should be looking at a screen about their creature.  The teacher should instruct students to fully investigate their creature (read all screens, click on all red arrows remembering to use “back” button, and watch all videos). Throughout this process, students should be recording information they are learning.  They should record at least three facts they did not previously know for use in their homework.

Closure: Each student’s screen should contain a quiz button in the top left corner.  Have students take this quiz to ensure they have learned basic facts.  This quiz is not for a grade, but the teacher should use it to measure students’ comprehension of both Microsoft Oceans and the topic they explored.  Then have students write a brief report on their creature for homework and affix it to a piece of poster board along with their story from the first day (leaving room for a picture, which will be created the next day in class).  This will be used during the next day’s lesson, so remind students to bring it to school.

Materials: Microsoft Oceans, questionnaire

Vocabulary: navigation bar, questionnaire, index
 

1. What are the five topics listed on the opening screen?
 
 
 

2. Click on “Guides”.  What is the name of the alien visitor?
 

3. Click the “back” button.  Select “Index”.  How many listings are there under the letter P?
 

4. Return to opening screen.  Click on “A World of Water”.  Next click on “Oceans of the World”.  Name the five oceans listed.
 
 
 

5. Return to opening screen.  Click on “People of the Sea”.  Next click “Science and Survival”.  What does the symbol of the Panda Bear stand for?
 

6. Return to opening screen. Click on “Marine Life”.  Name two mammals and two fish.
 

Focus and Review: Have students move their chairs back to create a fairly large open area in the classroom.  Designate one half of the classroom as A, and the other as B.  Have them stand in the center of the open space.  Name a series of opposite characteristics of creatures in order to demonstrate that different creatures can belong to different groups.  Call on a few students, after each division, to name their creature aloud.
1. A – Mammals  B – Non-mammals
2. A – Fish  B – Non-fish
3. A – Shell  B – No shell
4. A – Tail  B – No tail
5. A – Harmful to us B – Not harmful to us

Statement of Objectives: Students will create an illustration of their creature to include on their poster board with their report.  They will then present what they have learned to their classmates.

Teacher Input:  Explain to students the appropriate use of the materials provided for this art project (put them in stations or however is best appropriate to the layout of the classroom).  Then have them recall the appearance, feel, etc. of their creature.

Independent Practice: Use materials provided to form a replica of your creature that will help others not only see how it looks, but also how it would feel to human touch. Then have students attach it to the poster board they brought from home (which already contains their story and report).

Guided Practice:  In an organized fashion, have students one by one show their posters to the class.  They should not read it, but should simply share 3-5 facts about their creature and explain their artwork.  Other students should be allowed to ask any questions to their presenting peer at this time.  This should take a maximum of 3 minutes per student.

Closure:  Have students sit in a circle on the floor with their posters in front of them.  Each student will then be asked to say something their creature has in common or different than the creature of the person to their left.  Then go around a second time and have students do the same thing with the student to their right.  If time allows have students switch seats and go through this activity again.

Materials: pipe cleaners, tissue paper, beads, buttons, sequins, glue, glitter, etc.

Vocabulary: replica

Focus and Review: Students will enter the school computer lab (each student will have their own computer to work on).  The opening screen for Microsoft Oceans will be up.  The teacher should remind students about how navigation bar works for this program.

Statement of Objectives: Students will explore several occupations centered around the ocean.  This will give them more insight into the ocean and its role in our lives.

Teacher Input:  Instruct students to click on the “People and the Sea” icon.  Next have them click on “Science and Survival” and finally on “What is Oceanography?”  Have students explore this topic for about 15 minutes, reminding them to click on all red arrows (especially the video).

Guided Practice:  Have students complete worksheet (included).

Independent Practice:  Using what they have learned by exploring and completing worksheet, have each student come up with at least two questions (for homework) to ask guest oceanographer (joining class next day).

Closure:  Have students click on quiz icon in the top left corner of the “What is Oceanography?” screen. This should be done as a class. Have students raise hands if they know the answer to the questions.  Call on different students to give answers and explain why those answers are correct.  Allow several students to answer each question before revealing correct answer.

Materials:  Microsoft Oceans, worksheet

Vocabulary:  oceanography, chemical oceanography, physical oceanography, marine geology, marine biology
 
 

1. What is an abyssal plain?
2. What does a physical oceanographer do?
3. What is a submersible?
4. Where do the oceanographers take the samples for analysis?
5. Aboard what ship was the first large-scale oceanographic expedition?
6. What does radar stand for (not the definition)?
7. What is one reason a chemical oceanographer might find for dolphins dying?

Focus and Review:  Go over and discuss the answers to the Oceanography worksheet from previous day.

Statement of Objectives:  The students will have an opportunity to interact with and ask questions of a real-life oceanographer.  They will hear his/her brief summary of the profession.

Teacher Input:  The teacher will introduce the guest speaker to students, reminding them of appropriate behavior.

Guided Practice:  Oceanographer speaks.  Students are able to ask the questions they prepared for homework the night before.  The teacher will facilitate the students’ asking of questions.

Independent Practice:  Each student will write a thank you note to the speaker, including any other questions they may have about the ocean.

Closure:  Using the game procedure from the focus and review the first day of the unit, the teacher will informally evaluate the quality of learning that has taken place.  This time, students will go around the room and state something they have learned about the ocean.  The same rules apply as stated before.  The winner will be line leader to lunch.

Materials:  guest speaker, oceanography worksheet, students’ questions

Vocabulary:  any new words guest speaker introduces